Apparently, telemarketers think I have nothing better to do than listen to them yabber. I just hang up. How do you deal with them?

I keep one of these in the kitchen and give them a blast, right over the phone.

I say no and hangup. Its their job.

I'm always polite, they are just trying to earn a living - But I am firm that the conversation is going no further.

I'm on the Do Not Call list and rarely get a genuine telemarketer. Scammers are something else again and deserve no respect.

Curiously, I've had few of those since I changed my telco last November. I don't know if the TPG have a filter (like their Internet filter) that blocks them, but I'm grateful.

But I would never do what Tom Mabe did:

I bought one of those for my mother she had fun air horn

I screen my calls and let the answering machine get any number I do not recognize. My message on my machine tells them if they are selling something to hang up because I don't want or need whatever they are selling. It goes on to to tell everyone else I will call them back as soon as I find my phone. 

Well, in general I try not to be rude, but I also don't allow people to push me past where I am willing to go.

I had an amusing call yesterday.  My wife picked up the phone and the caller ask for me.

I said, "Hello." He said, "Is this T L Jackson?"  I replied, "Well, you've got my name wrong---are you sure you want to talk to me?"

He simply proceeded with his spiel and after about 10 seconds said, "Here's what I'm going to do for you." I said, "no, you're not."

He actually said "thank you" and hung up