Hands up if you’ve ever flung your phone onto the couch in disgust after yet another telemarketing call? You’re in good company. Despite new efforts from the French government to rein in nuisance calls, there’s no magic shield for your ringtone – but experts say that hanging up the moment you hear a sales pitch is the worst move you can make. Let’s break down why cutting the conversation short actually invites more calls, and see what really works (and a few things that just make you feel like a wicked genius… for five minutes).
Why Hanging Up Just Doesn’t Work
First, let’s get one myth out of the way: if your best anti-telemarketer move is to hang up before the caller even finishes saying “Bonjour,” you’re actually digging yourself into a deeper phone pit. As multiple exasperated consumers and experts confirm, abandoned calls (also known as “NRP” or “no reply”) are simply flagged by telemarketing systems and entered straight back into the autodialing queue. Bottom line? You’ll probably get up to twelve calls from the same campaign, if not more. It’s the digital equivalent of Jason in a bad horror movie: you hang up, it just comes back with a different number and a new script.
The New French Rules (And Why They Struggle)
- Times are strict: Telemarketing is now allowed only Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Calls on weekends and holidays? Forbidden!
- Quantity limited: Each business can contact you a maximum of four times per month.
- No hiding: Callers must display a specific, identifiable phone number (no masked numbers anymore!).
- No mobiles (almost): Marketing calls aren’t supposed to come from numbers starting with 06 or 07, which are reserved for personal communications.
- Serious fines: Ignoring the rules could cost an individual €75,000 and a company up to €375,000.
Sounds invincible? Not so fast. Call centers, as feedback suggests, are struggling to adapt: their business model is threatened, and loopholes exist. Numbers change, platforms can call from abroad, and many businesses still ignore the rules altogether. On weekends or after hours, receiving a call means a rule was broken—but unless you complain, nothing really happens.
Expert Advice (and Real-Life Tricks)
- Don’t hang up – say you’re not interested, firmly but politely. The algorithm will eventually record your number as “not interested” and take you off their target list (really, it works for most big campaigns).
- Use anti-spam apps: Applications like Orange Téléphone or Samsung’s built-in filtering options (such as “Heya”) gather new spam numbers and block them. Users confirm these are among the most effective practical solutions, especially on mobiles.
- Diversify your numbers: Some suggest changing your number (especially landlines), switching to a 09 prefix (seen as professional) or even setting up a second line, so personal connections always get through but unwanted calls don’t.
- Let your voicemail do the work: Set your phone to ring once, or directly send unknown numbers to voicemail. 90% of telemarketers don’t leave messages.
- For landlines, invest in filtering tech: Some Panasonic models and others require callers to enter a code (“press 1 to speak”)—robots and most telemarketers will never get through. Results: near-zero spam.
- Get on the Bloctel ‘do-not-call’ registry. But: many users report persistent calls despite years of listing, and the reporting process can feel Kafkaesque.
Of course, the creative options abound: pretending the intended person is deceased (with a request for condolences), inventing wild stories, speaking only in riddles or foreign languages, and even making telemarketers lose time so their campaigns become unprofitable. Is it cathartic? For some, yes. Is it always recommended? Maybe not – but sometimes you need a little mischief.
Calling Out the Callers: Complaints and Realities
So, what if you’re on Bloctel, follow all the steps, and still get plagued? File a complaint—yes, the government invites you to, notably for off-hour calls or repeat offenders, and official fines are no joke. But users say enforcement is rare and bureaucracy abounds: to file you need the calling number and business name, which robocallers usually try to hide. Genuine sanctions seem to be as elusive as a polite cold-caller who never phones twice.
And finally, a dose of perspective: many telemarketers are underpaid, under pressure, and sometimes just doing their best to get by. Some readers advocate treating callers humanely (“it’s their job, they just want to pay rent”), while others have clearly reached the end of their rope (“Ban these parasites!”). There is also a practical note: some calls—polls, public service notifications—might serve a social role. Maybe… but try explaining that to someone bombarded during dinner.
Conclusion: What’s the Best Bet?
If you’re looking for a silver bullet, sorry—the battle against telemarketing is more marathon than sprint. The most consistent advice: use modern filtering tools, be assertive but courteous (the system eventually drops you), let unknown calls hit voicemail, and keep filing complaints when rules are broken. Oh, and if all else fails, there’s always the strategy of leaving the phone on the counter and letting the caller listen to your cat eat kibble – sometimes, you have to find your peace where you can. Stay strong, and may your ringtone remain blissfully silent!
