When receiving unsoliciting phone calls by telemarketers, many people consistently hung up, don’t bait, and don’t interact. So why don’t telemarketers delete from their databases such phone numbers that don’t lead to any sales or other business benefits?
Maybe the cost of keeping the numbers is so low telemarketers just don’t bother. Or keeping track of what numbers to delete may actually have a cost. Or perhaps telemarketers hope those people will eventually pick up the calls.
Any insight?
AFAIK, the call lists are maintained by their “screener” (a machine which connects you to an agent if it detects a human voice), and they may even sell your number in “a million numbers we verified that a human answers”. So i think the thing to do is answer the calls, but do NOT say hello… if it’s a screener, then i imagine you will eventually be filed under the no voice/carrier bucket, and maybe not even resold, and in the rare case a legit human is trying to reach you, the awkwardness is easily cut with a “can you hear me now?” (like you were turning off your bluetooth, or the like.