Hang Up

T HE other night, as we were sitting down to dinner, the phone rang.Silly to answer it, I know, but it could have been an emergency. Turns out it wasn't, just a telemarketer to tell us we had been randomly selected to receive . . .
Hold it right there! Before he could go on I asked where he was calling from and the intruder mumbled the name of the company.
When I pushed for his location, he said India. I'm sorry, but whether the caller is from a Third World country or maybe just a student struggling to make ends meet doesn't cut it with me.
I've had it up to my neck with telemarketers and the fact that they always, always call at mealtime.
Often I ask them for their home phone number and what time they sit down for dinner. Why? Because I'd like to call them and see how they like being interrupted by a stranger at mealtime.
I know, they are just the foot soldiers doing as they are told, but you've got to fight back, engage in some verbal combat with someone.
Besides, some of the telemarketers are rude. They don't wait for an invitation to pitch a line; they come right out and demand answers. "Are you over 25 and do you smoke?", was how one telemarketer started and ended his conversation. "Hello, do you have a mortgage in excess of $200,000?" was how another welcomed me to the phone.
It really is a gross intrusion on privacy and little wonder that in some parts of the world, legislators are working at ways of restricting and even banning this insidious form of home invasion.
Too bad that hasn't happened in Australia yet, quite the opposite. They are thriving here and the cheekiest are the ones who dial your number and then put you on hold.
You know that Kenny Chesney song, You Had Me At Hello? Well it doesn't apply to telemarketers. Many Aussies would agree with me.
They are angry and annoyed at these unsolicited calls. Many people retaliate with abusive replies that, according to the union for call centre staff, can be harmful.
And while I do not support the extremes some people go to, such as keeping a whistle near the phone, I run out of polite chitchat when offered a free mobile phone while I am juggling dinner plates.
No longer is your home your castle -- it is a telemarketing paradise.
Many people have "silent" numbers and still are hounded.
That surprises me. How do telemarketers access that sort of confidential information and get away with it?
An investigation by the ABC's Four Corners revealed crooks were selling personal information about many of us.
The program said it was offered the personal details of 1000 Australians said to have come from information gathered at call centres in India.
It was alarming to hear what was up for sale; not only names, addresses, telephone numbers and birth details, but sensitive details such as Medicare numbers, driver's licence numbers and even passport data.
And apparently it is a waste of time telling telemarketers you don't want to be called, or ask to have your number removed from their database.
That's why I support the move towards a national Do Not Call register.
Plans are a foot to introduce a private member's Bill regarding the register.
The plan by the Nationals last week to ban telemarketing calls outside business hours does not go far enough.
We need tougher legislation. We should start calling our MPs demanding such action. I'd suggest calling them at their homes. Around 7pm should do it.

till next time, Michelle.

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