I'm Looking For Brianna Salcedo
I don't know her, but she called me at home last night. Well, actually, she got on the phone after the auto-dialer dialed my number for the Police Activities League. 520-373-3845 was the number on my caller ID.
Brianna said her name, first and last, and I asked her to spell it, which she did, and I wrote it down. I also asked what she makes, bothering people at home in the evening for the P.A.L., and discovered that it's a mere $8/hr. I asked how she'd like it if I called her at home to talk about issues that interest me. She said she'd love to talk about the Police Activities League from her home, but that she's a college student, and she gets home too late, at around 10pm.
I told her that was okay, I would be happy to call her at 10 to discuss issues that interest me, if only she'd give me her number. She said she couldn't, they weren't allowed (my, how convenient!) but as I did get her to tell me her whole name early on in the call, I Googled her, and asked her if she was the Brianna Salcedo from Fresno. Mclane High School. She said she was. Genius. This is a girl who needs a little more training in how the world works.
I tried to find her number while she was on the phone (and she hung on all the while!), but I'm guessing she either lives with mommy and daddy, or in a dorm, or with a roommate, because I couldn't find her in Fresno.
Oh yeah, and this isn't my first dealing with these bother-you-at-home'ers. Here's an e-mail exchange I had with their PR dude in August of 2007:
Dear Ms. Alkon:I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that our telephoning has caused you.
Your number will be placed on our “do not contact’ list today. The calling usually stops immediately but sometimes it takes 24-48 hours to clear our computers.
While we are engaged in telemarketing and are probably responsible for contacting you, we are reviewing our telephone calls to your number to ensure that no other problem exists in our system. All calls are monitored and if this was an operator issue they will be or already have been reprimanded.
Also as you are aware there are several organizations, some with almost identical names that are also contacting the public asking for donations. While we can’t remove your contact information from their records, I do apologize for their behavior.
Organizations such as CALPAL are dependent upon the good will of the public for their support and it is not our intention to violate that good will.
If you should need to contact me in the future, you may use my direct line or email.
Thanks for calling CALPAL and alerting us to this issue.
Charles McNeil
Director of Development
California Police Activities League
510-544-4302 (direct line)
cmcneil@calpal.org
My favorite part of his e-mail:
Thanks for calling CALPAL and alerting us to this issue.
Yeah, I'm sure they were thrilled.
My e-mail to him as of last night:
Just minutes ago, I received yet another call from your organization, despite your pledge to remove me from your list. Brianna Salcedo was on the line, and I extracted her full name from her in hopes of calling her at home to discuss issues of interest to me. Sadly, it seems she isn't listed in Fresno or nearby.I would like to be taken off the list of numbers of people you bother at home at night. For once and for all. I'm too tired to remember if I can sue you guys through the California Telemarketer Provisions and/or the Federal ones, but I'll be sure to find out. I'm a big fan of the police who keep my neighhborhood safe. I'm not a big fan of the people who bother me at home. --Amy Alkon
PS Please let me know how much of the money raised actually goes to Police Activities.
Ach, Amy, don't take it out on the worker - take it out on the organization.
At her age, she is probably rather naïve, and in the end is just earning a buck. You really ought to consider taking her name (at least her last name) off the web-page.
bradley13 at January 31, 2008 4:26 AM
I've made it my policy in the past not to "take it out on the workers," but recently, when I've asked -- this girl and a woman working for the Organic Consumers Association (whose director's home number I was unsuccessful in finding) they've made it clear they have no problem being called at home to discuss their issue. Okay, I'll be right on that, if I can.
Amy Alkon at January 31, 2008 4:46 AM
I adopted a simple solution for this years ago. Thanks to caller ID we always know the number of the person calling. If I don't know the number, aren't expecting a call from that area code or it says PRIVATE/UNKNOWN, etc. I just don't answer. Anyone I know or am expecting a call from knows to leave a message. That said, the circulation department from the OC Register has been calling me for the last year, ever since I dropped my daily paper delivery due to the fact that they couldn't get it to my apartment in NB before I left for work. I estimate that they have called me 600 or more times since then (even after I relocated to New Orleans). I have NEVER answered. It sort of gives me something to chuckle about; they must have an office tele-marketers pool going where everyone contributes a dollar a week and the first person to get me on the phone wins. Ya think?
Rodger at January 31, 2008 5:07 AM
For me, even the phone ringing with somebody on it is a problem. In this case, I was in the middle of writing something on my laptop on my couch. I had to get up, put my laptop down, run around trying to find the phone, and then I saw it who it was on the caller ID, and I again asked to be taken off their list. For probably the fifth time, if not more. I wrote to the guy above when I wasn't take off after being repeatedly harassed by them in the past. Also, I get calls from some car warranty seller and from credit counselors, despite the fact that I never, never, never have to pay interest on a credit card (don't spend more than I have, pay credit card bill in full every month).
Amy Alkon at January 31, 2008 5:15 AM
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zjNw-J7uK6o
Watch this
lujlp at January 31, 2008 5:43 AM
HAH!! Luj, that was GREAT! Just what I needed this morning, thank you!
Whenever I get telemarketing calls, which are few, because I registered on the Do Not Call dot com thingy, I just say, "Look, we just sat down to dinner. How about you give me your number and I'll call you back when we're done?" and of course they say, "well, I can't do that." then I say, "well then you can take my name off your list. thanks." and hang up. Done deal. o_O
Flynne at January 31, 2008 6:17 AM
The California Police Activities League has a rating of 0 (out of a possible 5). Info here: California Police Activities League
Unfortunately, you can't sue them under the FCC's "Do Not Call" mandate as charities and politicians, even sham charities and politicians, are exempt. The California law may differ but I rather doubt it.
Curly Smith at January 31, 2008 6:20 AM
I'm on the federal do not call list and the only calls I get are from charities. Charities like most no-profits have a different set of rules they have to follow. The federal do not call list is one of the rules they do not have to follow.
"PS Please let me know how much of the money raised actually goes to Police Activities." Very little but there is a benifit for the charity. They have to put nothing in to get it started. There's no cost and some benifit. Plus if the tele-marketers don't call you and you don't give money then the charity gets nothing. I do donate to some charities and I do so directly not through telemarketers. If you are on the do not call list and the credit counselors and car warranty sellers are calling you then you do have legal recourse.
Suing a charity makes you look bad really really bad. Suing credit counselors and extended warranty sellers makes you my hero.
vlad at January 31, 2008 6:25 AM
"run around trying to find the phone" You don't have a wireless hands free set for your home phone. I thought that was required for all column writers. :)
vlad at January 31, 2008 6:27 AM
You post the personal information for the poor girl who had to work telemarketing (just one setup up from the pyramid) but not the name and information of the head of the telemarketing firm that called. How about the ass who's the head of the charity?
vlad at January 31, 2008 6:30 AM
I had a problem with a carpet cleaning company calling me all the time for Mr. or Mrs. Wong. After many months of explaining that they do not live where I rent a room, I just got fed up. I was so fed up that when they called again I used an insane voice and told them that the Wongs are busy because I killed them and they are tied up in my basement. I never received a call again.
Kendra at January 31, 2008 6:57 AM
Amy,
When I used a land-line rather than cable-phone, I had a service where anyone calling from an anonymous or blocked line had to state their name to a recording before my phone would ring. Auto-dialers couldn't handle it, so since they didn't state a name - it never rang. Loved it.
Now that I don't have that service, I just don't answer any calls that have a number I don't recognize. My modem displays the phone number on my computer - and my answering machine says the number aloud (so I don't have to carry a phone with me to see the caller id). I also have anonymous call blocking on for those who block caller id.
I'd rather hear a phone number said aloud that I can choose to ignore than pick up and deal with them - especially since if they get a "live one", it probably updates their list to call me more later - since it's a valid number.
Jamie at January 31, 2008 8:05 AM
Kendra, it's funny you mention the carpet cleaning thing. That's one who calls me a lot. I actually heard this same guy on the Bill Handel show in LA. When the carpet cleaning guy called, he sounded kinda exhausted and he asked them, "Does it get blood?" the carpet people said, "oh sure it does" He says,"a lot of blood? Can you come over right now?" It was hilarious. He actually has several of these routines that he does on telemarketers. It's hilarious.
Bikerken at January 31, 2008 8:35 AM
> How about the ass who's
> the head of the charity?
Listen, Amy would probably be happy to mock everyone at the solicitation company right up the corporate ladder to the top. But if those people can't be identified, we have to do what we can do.
The fact that these people who actually call us in our homes are kinda poor and usually pretty nice to animals in their private lives doesn't matter. They're doing something bad for the money... Maybe it's not something terribly bad, but they're doing it to me, and I want it to stop.
Preferred responses to telephone solicitation-
Scenario #1, where Solicitor exhibits reasonable courtesy, identifies self & (charitable) organization quickly: I interrupt with "ThanksForYourTime!" while slamming handset into cradle.
Scenario #2, where Solicitor exhibits any arrogance, deception or evasion as I try to determine who's tying up my phone line: Abuse City! I ridicule them for working for five dollars an hour; I make fun of their accents, and the fact that they never went to college; I brag about living in Sunny Los Angeles while they're freezing their nuts off in Sioux City; I belittle their sexuality, and imply that illegal and distasteful practices are probably going to consume their upcoming weekend, and that they deserve it.
Friends, Scenario #2 is a wonderful opportunity to pick the scabs off all the trivial psychic wounds we suffer as children on a planet like this, a world that doesn't care. Scenario #2 means game on! Go for it! Fuck 'em!
Crid at January 31, 2008 8:56 AM
PS RE: The Carpet Cleaning guys...
Next to my phone, I've posted the name and address of the Federal Trade Commission and the West LA Police numbers. Next time they want to clean some carpet, I'll "book" a job for them at the FTC's office on Wilshire, and tell them to ask for the Managing Director of the Western Region when they arrive.
Crid at January 31, 2008 9:01 AM
Crid, you are exceedingly evil. I like that in a man. o_O
Flynne at January 31, 2008 9:36 AM
Funny that you mention this. I got a call I didn't get to in time last night; *69 gave me the phone number. I Googled the number, and it turned out to be a notorious one used by some police charity for fund-raising.
JohnAnnArbor at January 31, 2008 9:39 AM
If I can call Charles McNeil at home I will. I usually only call people with unique names because I don't want to bother somebody whose only offense is having the same name as somebody engaged in rudeness for profit.
Amy Alkon at January 31, 2008 10:35 AM
Oh, P.S. I got Planned Parenthood to stop calling me after I told them I would not only never give them money again if they called me, but start giving large sums of money to the fundies.
Amy Alkon at January 31, 2008 10:37 AM
"trivial psychic wounds we suffer as children on a planet like this" given you cheery attitude I can only say that all your wound were trivial and you have a lot of them. If I can't burn, impale, or gut certain specific people I don't see the point of taking it out on some poor college kid. Now if professors started doing it then you will see the real meaning of hostile conversation.
"never went to college" so having a master's degree in engineering makes me a better person than you assuming you don't have an MS (a real one) or a PhD?
vlad at January 31, 2008 11:43 AM
Then there are the so-called "for profit" charities, such as Helping Hands of Hope (http://www.helpinghandsofhope.com/). Persistent, deceptive, SOBs. When you tell them to quit calling and take your number off their list, they have someone pretend they are calling to confirm it and then try to sell you more of their stuff. They got their hooks into one of my parents before they died and are still calling. With that level of deceit, the callers have to know they are taking advantage of people
Go after them at all levels, Amy!
nitpicker at January 31, 2008 12:13 PM
They aren't a charity and would be covered under the federal do not call list.
vlad at January 31, 2008 12:32 PM
When I first glanced at the title of this item, I thought it said she was looking for Brian Boitano - HA! It's your fault I've got that South Park song for an earworm now. And just what WOULD Brian Boitano do?
Pirate Jo at January 31, 2008 2:20 PM
He'd kick an ass or two, that's what Brian Boitano would do!
(I don't even know who he is, but the song is forever locked in my memory vault.)
The Youtube was classic. And like Crid, I sometimes seize the moment to really fuck with the telemarketers. There is a real sense of satisfaction when they hang up on me after ten minutes.
We just had a firefighter get busted up here for kiddy porn, and he still collects his $85k/year salary until proven guilty in court. WTF do these people need charity for?
eric at January 31, 2008 3:42 PM
My God you poor people with landlines I feel so sorry for you. We tried out skype for about 6 months while had a landline and loved it so much we dumped the landline about 2 years ago. The only calls we were getting on the landline were telemarketers at dinner, and we were on the do not call list but charities, people we did business with and politicians (naturally) are allowed to call and it was night after night. skype provides an incoming line for about 30 dollars a year. I use skype out or skype pro for about 35 dollars a year for unlimited calls. So for about 65 dollars a year I get unlimited phone calls out to US and Canada and a local phone number for incoming calls, this is what I used to pay for a month of service. The features that I love are that the incoming numbers that skype purchases are not shared with telemarketers, like cell numbers. also when you put your contact list in you can check a box in preferences that only permits calls from people in your contact, a whitelist. I don't even use this because in two years I got one call I did not recognize that did not leave a message. And on skype I could right click and choose block this number, can you do that on your landline or even on your cell phone?
add the fact that skype computer to computer is free and I can do 10 person conference calls and I would never go back to landlines.
I just use it on the computer although you can but a phone interface connection.
If we want so quite we shut off skype or turn the volume down and skype takes a voicemail.
One of the problems with dumping the landline and going all cell is that you sometimes have to give out your phone number to business and do you want your cell number out the the wild?
Spread your cell phone number around promiscuously and you will regret it.
You could use this neat free ad free service for a message line in, it also takes faxes.
http://k7.net/
skype is here
http://skype.com/
This would really be a great service for high profile people like christopher hitchens would get midnight phone calls from nutcases who threaten them for their ideas.
iceman at January 31, 2008 6:59 PM
i usually just hang up on them. sometimes i'll say something exceedingly rude first, but most of the time not. my brother, however, likes to play games with them. he'll ask them if they've accepted jesus christ as their personal savior (he's not a preacher, he's just trying to be funny, he loves how they stutter out an answer and are completely off guard) and other times he'll ask them how long they've used that particular product, and then lecture them about advertising a product they've never used. that one backfires though, sometimes, because some of them actually do use it.
kt at January 31, 2008 8:08 PM
wow iceman, I'm not sure if you work for Skype or not, but you just sold me. One day, when I find a need for a phone in addition to my mobile I'm going to get Skype! I'll be sure to mention you by name so they can give you your cut!
Gretchen at February 1, 2008 8:30 AM
I use Skype, too, but the voice connection quality is often a problem, so don't be too quick to drop your landline. And I say this as somebody who has a headset for voice-Skype use...it's still a problem. I do love it, though - my assistant and I Skype text back and forth while sitting three feet from each other.
Amy Alkon at February 1, 2008 8:33 AM
Gretchen,
Iceman is right on the button. We skype computer to computer with video screens from NY to our college son in the UK on Sundays.
Skype turns everyone using it into raving shills!
Jody Tresidder at February 1, 2008 9:07 AM
Because recieving calls on a landline is free and there are no "minutes" on a landline, telephone companies sell your phone number to telemarketing companies for extra revenue. That's why you typically get tons of telemarketer calls on a landline phone but not on a cell phone.
I usually use ventrilo or my cell phone for my long-distance chatting. We dropped our landline ages ago.
Bad Kitty at February 1, 2008 11:45 AM
Wow... you must have nothing better to do with your time than to pick on little girls doing thier job. How dare you post this girls info for everyone in the world to see and potentially stock her... if something were to happen to her because of your disreguard towards peoples privacy, how would you feel??? Like other bloggers said on this, if you know you don't know the number on your caller id DON'T answer the phone... do you have caller id??? if not get into the year 2008. Obviuosly you had to go to college as well, how did you pay for college??? Did mommy or daddy pay for it as you said about the marketer, or did you strip your way thru college as many women do these days. As I sit here writing this I wonder why you have to have a blog and not a REAL journalist job... so much to write about a call from a charity, what about the war in Iraq, what about high gas prices that we pay, real topics to talk about. It is people like you that get girls raped and killed!!! Maybe you need to go to a shrink and find out what your problems in life are, clearly your priorities are in the wrong place.
Josh at February 1, 2008 6:16 PM
I think he's Joshing.
Crid at February 1, 2008 7:32 PM
While I understand the annoyance of getting sales calls at home it takes about 2 seconds to hang up. And maybe about 30 seconds to find your phone in your scenario. However, you compound the issue by letting it upset you and then you spend all this time writing e-mails,ect. Putting out that young girl's name was in poor taste. She is obviously a naive and honest young gal just trying to earn her waya through college. You can politely say "no thanks not interested" and hang up. Instead you make a major issue of the whole thing. So you create much of your own angst in this situation and prey upon the weak and innocent in your anger. Very sad!
Taran at February 1, 2008 10:00 PM
See Crid's remark above. She took the job bothering other people for a living. Why should anyone have any right to get me up off my couch and interrrupt my work flow or any part of my life? And to make the costs of their fundraising cheaper? Also, see above, where somebody quoted their rating. Telemarketing rarely raises much money for the people they say they are. It's mostly an excuse for the telemarketers to make, sometimes, 90 percent of the money. I'm sorry you're so gullible and also that you have such a poor grasp on what's acceptable business behavior. Using a phone line I pay for and taking my time without my permission, and invading my living room are not your right, or anyone's right. And your justification of it is pretty icky. Hey, give me your home phone number -- feel free to e-mail it to me -- and I'll call you at 8pm at home and ask you to give money to Ayan Hirsi Ali's defense against the Islamists who want her dead.
Amy Alkon at February 1, 2008 10:41 PM
I am not gullible. You also say I have a poor grasp of acceptable business behavior. Another misguided opinion based on minimal evidence. I conceded it is an annoyance. But you do not have a "right" not to be annoyed if the annoyance does not reach the level of harrassment. If your goal is a life without annoyance you are destined for disappointment. It was not illegal for the young girl to call you. Furthermore, this is not a slime ball charity. PAL does raise money for a good cause. I agree the amount of money finally making it to the cause is a good reason to decline to contribute as they are inefficient. There are similar problems with March of Dimes. However, those are no reasons to mistreat this poor gall who is not a slime ball. It must be a difficult and thankless job. But my point was not a debate on fair and ethical business practices as you so adeptly turned the conversation. I was discussing your poor treatment of the girl. You dismiss that entirely or rationalize it because you feel she is doing something unethical I suppose. I was also pointing out that you have some control as to how much you allow this issue to affect your life but I suppose I didn't make the point well enough for you see that as you dismiss it entirely. You are an intelligent and talented person and I wish you had more compassion for the poor gal who doesn't have your abilities. I just think that taking out your frustration on her is cruel. It's got to be a miserable job. And you sure aren't any happier making the young girl pay for your frustration are you? Go after the head honcho making over $100k. He gets paid enough to take the aggravation plus he is the one directing the fund raising strategy.
Taran at February 2, 2008 1:01 AM
Now if the caller is lying, deceiptful or misrepresenting themselves that is a different thing entirely. That is fraud and the "telemarketer" should be called out for what they are, a slimeball trying to steal your money by deceipt. Go ahead and give it to them with both barrels. But in this case it appears to be a young, naive, gal trying to pay her way through college by raising funds for a legitimate charity.
Taran at February 2, 2008 1:23 AM
Amy, consider the following. I would like your honest opinion here. I often get telemarketing calls from a newspaper whose subscription I dropped. This paper carries your column. In fact, I discovered you through this newspaper. Do you object to this newspaper's marketing activities? It carries your product. Now let us suppose that 20% of the subscriptions in this paper were obtained through telemarketing. What if they decided to abstain from telemarketing because it was considered an intrusion and a personal affront to people (as you appear to believe) and therefore had a 20% decrease in revenues? What if this decrease in revenue caused them to drop your column as they could no longer afford to pay for it? Would you still be oppposed to the paper using telemarketing to sell subscriptions?
Taran at February 2, 2008 2:02 AM
I live in France and am not a Brit. Just the other day I get a call from a Brit and he tells me his firm takes care of investments for British citizens. So I just start laughing and tell him that they've made a huge mistake right off the bat.
When I ask how I got on that list he has no idea but does agree that it's a simple question.
When I ask if they comply with Euro Data Privacy laws, he has no idea and agrees that's a simple question too.
Several times he admits to not knowing the answers to very simple questions so I tell him "When the day arrives that you do happen to know something, feel free to give me a call" .
Don at February 2, 2008 5:05 AM
If you are so worried about getting off the couch and interupting your "work flow" why don't you turn off your ringer??? There should be a little switch on your phone to allow you to do that! Where does your anger come from? Did you try to get a telemarketing job thru college and get rejected? I have done telemarketing in my life before.(while in college)It is already a tough job to do, let alone dealing with stuck up a-holes like you. Just so you know, YOUR congress men and women made it possible for charities and Any non-profit agency to call you for a donation... including them (congress men and women). So maybe you should direct your anger towards them. If you are worried about the "calls at home" get a cell phone. It is illegal for ANY company to call you more than 1x if you ask to have your cell phones number taken off the list. With your land line the charity does not have to take your number off the list... it is done a courtesy. So before you go runnig your mouth about things you don't know, do your research so you don't look like an ass.
Josh at February 2, 2008 9:51 AM
Why should I have to turn off my ringer because people have jobs abusing other people? I pay for a phone so I can get calls from my boyfriend, my sister, and my friends. If one of them calls, I'm happy to get up.
I'm well aware of our telemarketing laws. In fact, I downloaded and read the entire Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991.
Before you go looking like an ass (oops, you already have) check out what telemarketer "charity" usually means: a pittance to the people they say they're calling for; perhaps 90 percent of the money to the telemarketer. See Crid's remark above. I'll answer Taran's comments later, as I'm in a bit of a rush.
Amy Alkon at February 2, 2008 10:02 AM
Taran, in short, in reply to one of your comments above: I do not support annoying people in their homes, not even if it's by a newspaper that runs me. In fact, I would hope newspapers that run me wouldn't have such business practices.
To be ethical is to be ethical even when it profits you not to be.
Amy Alkon at February 2, 2008 10:04 AM
Looks like this is another case, like abortion and gun control, where the two sides simply don't "get" one another.
Personally, I'm on the same side as Amy. While legal, telemarketing is ethically wrong. Ethical issues are best enforced by the community, through a combination of education and shaming.
Dare to call me and, if I'm bored, you're getting a lecture on personal ethics, and probing personal questions regarding what led you to believe it's acceptable to take a job annoying people for pay.
Keith at February 10, 2008 3:30 AM
There's no "getting" that it's abusive to invade somebody's home to make your marketing costs cheaper. If I can't call you back at home, it's unbalanced. And I will call you back at home if I possibly can, and at 3am.
Amy Alkon at February 10, 2008 5:46 AM
this is so insane. i know about the POLICE ACTIVITIES LEAGUE. in fact, if you actually do some research on them, they have 100 percent of the money they raise stay within the organization, almost 70 percent go to the children they sponsor. i would know this considering one of my best friends was a PAL kid. he loved it! besides that, i see that you put a teenage girls information on the internet. for you to do so, being not only some kind of journalist, but an adult, people would think you would know better than to stoop low and put private information on the internet about her. its people like you that get girls stalked and murdered. If the young girl is just doing her job, its not her fault it automatically dialed your number, shes just doing her damn job, and to be honest, i feel sorry for her for having to deal with people like you while shes just trying to earn her dollar.
erica at March 12, 2008 7:11 PM
Sorry you're either just defending Brianna...perhaps because you LOVE being bothered at home, or you're just not smart enough to type POLICE ACTIVITIES LEAGUE into Google.
Research on them from Charity Navigator doesn't quite come up as glowing as you do:
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=5797
They got ZERO stars for their overall rating. ZERO stars.
Translation:
And guess what, Erica, my time doesn't belong to you or to telemarketers or to anybody but me. Nor does use of my phone line.
I'm guessing you're a friend of Brianna. I'm looking for her home number so I can call her in the evening to discuss issues of importance to me.
Better yet, give me yours.
Erica, if you're actually so worried about "young girls being stalked and murdered" merely by having an internet page...well, I've noticed that "Erica Castaneda" has a rather fetching photo up on Imeem. That you? Or should you be trotting over there to warn her that she (and millions of other girls) will be murdered because they have myspaces pages with their pictures on them.
Tell Brianna, whenever I find her number, I'll be calling her to discuss the issues.
Amy Alkon at March 13, 2008 12:19 AM
Wow! I’m both surprised and shocked that someone with such an education as yourself would make such a big deal over something like this. I agree, that getting telemarketing phone calls are not only annoying, but inconvenient. However, keep in mind that the girl on the other line was JUST DOING HER JOB. Was she trying to sell you vacuums, or magazines, or God forbid a subscription to a newspaper? No. She was trying to raise some money for P.A.L. Whether you believe any or all of the money actually goes to the Police activities is irrelevant (when it comes to taking your anger out on Brianna). Since she admitted to only making $8/hr for her job as a telemarketer, I think it’s safe to assume that she also isn’t in charge of how the funds she is able to collect will be distributed. In short I just want to say that your anger and frustration were misdirected. I also read one of your replies stating that you would not “support annoying people in their homes, not even by a newspaper that runs you”. I find this laughable….we’ll see if you’re singing that same tune when you get fired because your newspaper is no longer able to pay for your salary since their circulation numbers are down. Turns out noone is running to the phone to call their newspaper carrier to order more subscriptions….turns out the only reason you have a job is because of the “annoying” telemarketers that work in your newspaper that are able to maintain and upgrade subscriptions. So, before you go talking all this smack about how annoyed and how this, how that, you are make sure you don’t put your foot in your mouth. Specially since you’re so dependent of the “annoying” telemarketers in your industry. Think before you speak…I thought journalist were supposed to have common sence….I guess that’s not required of you any more than it was required of Brianna for doing a job for which she was getting paid…..
Yanet at May 22, 2009 9:10 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2008/01/im-looking-for.html#comment-1649796">comment from YanetAlmost none of the money raised by telemarketers goes to the organization they say they're raising money for. I've just written a chapter in a book about this.
Nobody has any right to invade my living room, steal my time, and use a phone line I pay for to do it. Because it's legal to do so doesn't mean it's ethical.
You choose the kind of job you take. Babysitting, for example, is a form of earning money by caring for others instead of disturbing them.
Brianna should think before she takes a job about what kind of job she's taking -- what the costs will be to others. I realize they don't teach thinking in schools these days, but libraries are still lending books free of charge.
You don't seem to have a great command of logic or ethics, either. (".we’ll see if you’re singing that same tune when you get fired because your newspaper is no longer able to pay for your salary since their circulation numbers are down.") Ethics are not made of Lycra, to be stretched when convenient. My aren't, anyway.
Here's a perfect comment from Crid, on another entry:
Oh, and give me your number and Brianna's so I can call you at home and ask you for money. I can't imagine you'd say no -- it's for a good cause.
Hypocrite, or will you e-mail me those numbers?
Amy Alkon at May 22, 2009 9:32 AM
thought I had already explained that whether the organization gets some, all, or none of the money is irrelevant. My issue, was the way you went after the telemarketer personally....not about the fact the fact that she (clearly) pissed you off. If you read carefull I said, " I agree, that getting telemarketing phone calls are not only annoying, but inconvenient. However, keep in mind that the girl on the other line was JUST DOING HER JOB." As for the comment you made about schools not teaching thinking these days I can only say, "that explains it". I wonder what college you went to and if thats why a simple telephone call from a telemarketer made you think that posting a blog about a teenage girls information was a better idea than contacting the head administrator of said organization... They may have not thought you this but I'll let you in on a secret....if you hang up you don't have to deal with them. With regards to Crids comments (or are they suggestions?) I can only pray that the sick twisted assumptions he makes about other peoples lifes are not based on personal experience. I not only find them insulting but extremely disturbing, I'll keep him/her in my prayers. Also, I don't call my bank to inquire information regarding my bank account only to be asked to do a survey afterwords...but a simple "not interested" usually does the trick. I agree, I too, don't pay for a phone line to screen my calls, but "annoying" telemarketers are part of life. Not that you should have to tolerate them, but there are better ways of going on about the problem, aside from assaulting the telemarketer on the other end of the line (that has probably gotten hung up on more than 20x that day-and insulted another 10x). Your Ethics are not made of Lycra, they don't seem to be made of anything for that fact. I can't give you Briannas phone number, because I simply don't know it. As for mine, I don't give out my phone number to psychos, so you're out of luck there to. If a telemarketer phone call prompted all this out of you, I can only imagine what the next poor sales man that shows at your door-step will have to endure. Again, I want to reiterate---Yes, telemarketers are a pain in the ass, but no, you don't have the right to demeaner or insult them, learn your manners! They teach that in kindergarten for Petes sake!
Yanet at May 22, 2009 12:42 PM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2008/01/im-looking-for.html#comment-1649831">comment from YanetPeople are responsible for their behavior. Because she didn't give thought to what she did for a living and how it would impact others is not my affair.
College doesn't necessarily teach people to think, and because I think, I almost quit school. I went to the University of Michigan for three years and graduated from NYU -- only because I realized that those who do not think tend to maintain a prejudice against those who do not have a college degree.
I study on my own -- more than I ever did in college -- every week, researching my column. I could get a Ph.D. now in evolutionary psych, but feel no need to.
Crid is neither sick nor twisted but highly rational and his input here is much-appreciated, although he and I disagree on a number of issues.
You don't give your number out to "psychos"? Right. You know I'm not a "psycho" -- I encourage you, however, to read about actual psychopaths (including the definition) in Barb Oakley's excellent book, "Evil Genes," so you don't come off like the hypocrite you are for not giving me your phone number.
Amy Alkon at May 22, 2009 1:42 PM
I never said Crid was sick and twisted, I said his ASSUMPTIONS about people and their lives were sick and twisted...there's a difference. Pay attention. It takes a lot of courage to admit when one is wrong, and clearly courage is what you're lacking. I agree that people are responsible for their behavior...I have no idea what the hell Brianna was thinking taking a job that paid her $8/hr to call people and ask that they donate money to an organization such as P.A.L when surely she must be aware that going to the welfare dept and asking for financial help would probably save her so many headaches! What is wrong with her?!!!! Lol Again, I find a lot of ur responces laughable, not because you don't have a right to peace and quiet in your own home, but because you're too stubborn to realize you overreacted. You directed your anger incorrectly.
You know what I meant when I called u psycho...and no, I'm not gonna read whatever book you just recommended...I simply don't feel like it.
Never in my life have I ever been called a hipocrite...all because I refuse to give a woman that clearly googles everything from what the weather is like in Africa to how to bake the best cake ever, my phone number. Giving you my phone number would be like inviting you to show up at my doorstep...no thanks. Like I mentioned on my first comment, I'm shocked that an educated women as yourself would make such a big issue out of this--not the "I get annoyed when telemarketers call me" argument (because with that I agree with you) but the "I'm gonna take it out on the telemarketer personally" is just ignorant. Let's say they fire Brianna...then what? Then u'll get a call a few months later from another organization except this time the person on the other line will be Penny, or Martha, or maybe even a Steve!
In the end I do agree with Crids argument:"Shouldn't the system promise that any who makes that noise in our home is someone who has a good reason to communicate with us in a very specific personal context?". Only thing is that I live in the REAL world, I know better than to depend on a system that has promised us so much and has come so short...lifes a bitch, but we need to learn to pick our battles...otherwise we end up wasting our precious energy yelling at a telemarketer that marks you off a list once the phone call is over....
Yanet at May 22, 2009 10:05 PM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2008/01/im-looking-for.html#comment-1649881">comment from Yanetand clearly courage is what you're lacking.
Honey, I may be lacking a number of things, but courage ain't one of them.
So...Brianna's choice was welfare or bother me at home?
Right.
Send your phone number -- since you're arguing that it's okay to call people at home if you have a financial incentive. I can probably sell a piece with the tale of my phone call to you to somebody. And hey, beats lining up for welfare, as you've pointed out.
If more people didn't just take abuse - there would be less abuse, now wouldn't there?
I'm waiting for your phone number. If you don't provide it it kind of pulls the rug out from your argument, doesn't it?
Amy Alkon at May 23, 2009 12:24 AM
"Send your phone number -- since you're arguing that it's okay to call people at home if you have a financial incentive". You still don't get it...you think my argument is that I think its ok to call people at home as long as they have financial incentive? I have absolutely no clue how you derived to that conclusion. Despite repeatedly agreeing that those phone calls are annoying you still think THATS MY ARGUMENT? Its like I'm talking to a wall...MY ARGUMENT IS THAT YOU TOOK IT OUT ON THE WRONG PERSON. You titled your blog" I'm looking for Brianna Salcedo"...ya get it now?
GET IT? GOT IT? GOOD.
Since you've misunderstood my argument there shall be no "rug pulling"for not giving you my phone number. :)
Yanet at May 23, 2009 11:28 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2008/01/im-looking-for.html#comment-1649960">comment from YanetYour argument doesn't fly. I "took it out" on the precise person who bothered me.
Brianna Salcedo called me up, bothered me at home in order to profit personally. Had, say, a person called me and said it's "Brianna Brown" on the line, I would not be concerned with finding Brianna Salcedo's phone number, nor would I be blogging about her.
You're a hypocrite. That's why you won't give me your phone number.
Amy Alkon at May 23, 2009 3:11 PM
So has Brianna called you again? I can almost guarantee she hasn't. Yet, give it a few months (if it already hasn't happened) and you'll get another telemarketing phone call. You know why? Again, I repeat, you titled your blog "I'm looking for Brianna Salcedo". Not, "I'm looking for so and so (whatever the head honcho of the organization is named).
You took it out on the precise person that bothered you? So was Brianna next to you bothering you as you were typing up her personal information? Puh-leeze.
In the end, we're just going in circles. My argument is that you took it out on the wrong person and therefore can't expect the problem to be solved, but if that day it made you feel good, to demeanor the telemarketer on the other line...well, good for you (I guess). We all have our ways of boosting up our ego.....wouldn't you say?
Yanet at May 26, 2009 1:56 PM
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