How Pathetic Can Telemarketing Get?

Your faithful scribe just received this voice message when he picked up his home phone:

"Sorry to disturb you. This message was intended to be received by an answering machine."

Then, the connection was cut.

Calling back the number (1-866-849-3243) gets you a "voice messaging center" for a marketer which does not identify itself.

It's bad enough when the caller can't pronounce your name or isn't prepared to pitch whatever it is that's being pitched, when you get on the line.

But not to even want to talk to you?

Machine to machine conversation only?

Sorry, but my phone will never be programmed to talk back.

Of course, this appears to have been going on for at least three years.

So I guess I should be happy that this is the first time a telemarketer preferred to talk to my answering service, instead of me.

Pity be the next caller who pauses to start talking (indicating the handover of a database dialer to a live human being) or who can't pronounce my name (basic indicator that the caller does not know the person being called).

Telemarketing will die of its self-inflicted wounds. The hang-up ratio soon will near 100%.