It seems as though telemarketers have been around forever. Telemarketing or direct marketing is when salespersons solicit prospective customers to buy services or products over the phone or in person. Although the term ‘telemarketing' was not promoted until the late 1970s, marketing via the telephone was first used in the 1950s.

Mailing lists and phone lists are bought and sold among companies that deal in the same type of service. For example, a business that sells kitchen utensils may opt to sell their client list to a company that sells foodstuffs that their utensils will work well on. Others may purchase customer phone numbers that are geographical, new homeowners, potential customers of a certain age range or those that possess credit cards. It is also easy to obtain technical equipment that randomly selects phone numbers from a directory, using speed, although these numbers are not as significant as a targeted audience.

Dialing thousands of random phone numbers is where Robo Call comes into play. A program can be designed to call phone number after phone number, allowing an agent to catch a line when the parties on the other end answers. You may have answered the phone only to find silence on the other end. It is probably a telemarketing Robo Call and the agent has not gotten to your line yet. This may be a good cue for you to hang up before the agent has a chance to begin their sales pitch. Hang up and use reverse phone lookup to determine who was on the other end. If it was from a party that you wished to speak with, you can always call them back.

If you have been shopping around for furniture or remodeling items and filled out paperwork in a store or on the Internet, this opens the door for telemarketers from these firms to begin calling your home. In just asking for information, you have invited an intruder by establishing a working relationship, something that is not covered by the Do-Not-Call list of rules and regulations. The next time you get a call from one of these companies, kindly ask that you be removed from their call list. They are authorized to follow your wishes but take precautions and write down the date, time, phone number and person that you relayed this request to. This will equip you with the ammunition needed if the calls persist.

Most phone telemarketers are not welcome phone calls when they waste you time and try and initiate a sale that you are not interested in. Many people have been deceived through telemarketing with scams that promise free trips or prizes but only want your credit card number and nothing is ever received in return except a charge on your credit card bill. It is almost impossible to recoup your money from one of these scammers and many have learned their lesson through bad telemarketers the hard way. You can always get the information on the company by using reverse phone lookup but many times these businesses move around and are difficult to track down.

Telemarketing companies that call and guarantee to reduce your credit card rate or refinance your mortgage may sound like a great deal in telling you how much you will save to join their program. Only $29.95 or some other figure can get you started in a great new life where bill collectors will no longer bother you. These companies definitely need to be checked out by using reverse phone lookup and running a background check on their status. You may discover that the company has only been in existence for three months or less. Companies like this will take your money and never work out a deal with your creditors as promised, leaving you in worse shape than you were in to begin with.

Reporting telemarketers that rip you off or just annoy you to death with harassing phone calls can be stopped by signing up for your state's Do-Not-Call List. You can also file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by e-mailing fccinfo@fcc.gov or calling 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322). The form that you will need to fill out can be found at www.esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm.

You will need to include several pieces of information in your complaint form so be prepared by writing down specifics at the time of the call. The form will ask you to include your name, address, e-mail address and a phone number where you can be contacted. Also, you will need the phone number that the call was received on and whether or not this number is on the Do-Not-Call list. Jot down the date and time of the call and what product or service was advertised. Providing as much information about the caller can be very beneficial in an investigation and easy to retrieve by using reverse phone lookup. You can find out the name that the phone is registered in, their address, and background of the company.

Remember, a telemarketer will make their products or services sound almost too good to be true just to entice you into a sale. The best way to deal with this situation is to not take the call at all. If you receive a call that you do not want to listen to, simply hang up. Staying on the line will only give the telemarketer the impression that you may be interested or that they can convince you that you need their product or service. You will be saving your time and theirs by cutting the conversation off.