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When you open a new phone line with Orange, they start selling your number to telemarketers right off the door, unless you contact their customer service to be put on the "do not sell" list (the ironically called "liste orange").

Happened to me when I relocated to my present house about 2 years ago: I called Orange customer service immediately and (almost) haven't been bothered since. But you have to be quick or else your number will end up in all data bases in France, Andorra, Monaco and beyond...

Caller ID doesn't help much: these guys mask their number.
They are required by law to remove them from their database if you ask them, but you have to do it with each company calling...

So yeah, answering machine may be the best practical solution, short of your mom changing her phone number (and have it unlisted).

As for relatives calling from overseas, sorry, there's no cure for that :) When in California we got called every so often at 3 AM by some well intentioned cousin who got the idea that CA was 9 hours ahead or Europe...

Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way. Americans think a hundred years is a long time.

by Bernard on Tue Feb 9th, 2010 at 03:34:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Bernard: When you open a new phone line with Orange, they start selling your number to telemarketers right off the door, unless you contact their customer service to be put on the "do not sell" list (the ironically called "liste orange").

Wonderful.

Bernard: Happened to me when I relocated to my present house about 2 years ago: I called Orange customer service immediately and (almost) haven't been bothered since. But you have to be quick or else your number will end up in all data bases in France, Andorra, Monaco and beyond...

I'm afraid it's too late:  my mother's had this service for three years, I think.

Bernard: Caller ID doesn't help much: these guys mask their number.
They are required by law to remove them from their database if you ask them, but you have to do it with each company calling...
So yeah, answering machine may be the best practical solution, short of your mom changing her phone number (and have it unlisted).

I think that's what we're going to try.  On the other hand, I had a thought this morning:  maybe I can use these telemarketers as free French conversation practice.  :-)

Thanks, Bernard!

The march of civilizations is a series of defenses that man has put up against the dread of pure existence.

by marco (cowannar at gmail punkt com) on Wed Feb 10th, 2010 at 02:23:37 AM EST
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