I wish I'd never heard of Emily's List

[Boomer]

There was a time when I was proud to be a supporting member, donating monthly, to Emily's List. Over time, however, I've been subjected to such persistent, relentless phone calls that their fund raising borders on harassment. My wife has health problems and it's difficult for her to get rest, a problem that's been compounded by DAILY phone calls from the list wanting me to renew my subscription.

Tonight they called yet again and I had to listen to an obviously bored telemarketer rattle off a plea to get me back. She was rude and dismissive when I explained why I wasn't renewing and basically just hung up on me.

Whatever this organization used to be, it seems to have degenerated. The last time I was subjected to a marketing blitz, I called the local office in DC and one of the employees confessed that they were at the mercy of the national headquarters. Even though they'd tried to argue against these blanket blitzes of the membership lists, they were ignored.

I've asked repeatedly to be removed from their call list, and every time I'm assured that I won't get any more calls.... until the next campaign and then they're right back on the phone.

[mcar]

1. Why do you answer their calls?

I never answer the phone unless I know who is calling. The others can leave a message - maybe I'll call.

[anneboleyn]

4. Exactly. We never, ever answer our landline (which we use for Internet purposes). Why even answer

the phone at all when your wife has health problems OP? Turn off the ringer! Important callers (including social security or the IRS or a bank or a doctor's office) ALWAYS leave messages.

And if the phone lights up (which all phones do nowadays) then check the caller ID. If your wife needs to rest during the day then you should definitely turn the ringer off on your phone, and you should only talk on the phone if it is necessary. I certainly wouldn't spend time answering the calls of/trying to reason with a telemarketing type collecting money for a charity. You made your decision; you should not spend time on the phone with some random employee of a charity to which you are no longer donating money.

[FSogol]

6. NOTE: The IRS will never call you unless you've make arrangements for the call.

They ALWAYS use snail mail. I suspect SS is the same.

[anneboleyn]

15. Good point. Same with SS. You are right.

[MH1]

18. I sometime answer to tell them to take me off their list.

If the same number is repeatedly calling (and not leaving the IRS or other scam message), sometimes I'll answer, it will turn out to be a charity, and I tell them I don't respond to phone appeal and please take me off their list. Usually they do, and that reduces the annoyance of the spam phone calls considerably for awhile, until the next charity decides to bother me.

[patricia92243]

2. Do you not have a call-blocker on your telephone?

[TheBlackAdder]

12. I have it so those calls get answered and then parked on hold until they hang up.

.


Sooner or later they get the hint, after having manual intervention disconnect the call, that it's fruitless.


.

[Maru Kitteh]

3. Is this a land-line or cell phone. There should be a way ot block the calls.

With some info, maybe we can help. What kind and model of phone and what carrier?

[Boomer]

7. Thanks for the question

We have a land-line phone with very few options. There's no Caller ID service available, which would be useful, but whether or not my wife answers the phone, the ringing wakes her up. Getting up to see who is calling is just as disruptive as actually lifting up the receiver to talk.

Muting the phone ring means she will miss calls from me while I'm at the office, from her doctor's offices, from relatives. I would love to block the Emily's List phone calls, but apparently that's a service common to cell phones rather than landlines. I really resent that the "solution" is that we turn our lives upside down to find ways to block a caller who shouldn't be calling in the first place.

We don't get many phone calls in general, so having this one organization calling repeatedly -- abusing my support of them -- is beyond annoying. And it has the effect of making me wary of ever joining other political organizations for fear that I'll get on yet another phone list that can't be annulled. So Emily's List is not only cannibalizing it's own membership, it's subverting other organizations who may treat their members better, but will get slimed with the suspicions of the same strong-arm tactics.

[Maru Kitteh]

8. My best suggestion is to call your phone company and explain the problem to them

there are often ways that they can help. Many will allow you to block a small list of numbers.

Otherwise, I would suggest a model like this: https://smile.amazon.com/Panasonic-KX-TGD212N-Dect_6-0-2-Handset-Telephone/dp/B00ISKW7G4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1471053697&sr=8-5&keywords=Panasonic+phone+with+block

Or this: https://smile.amazon.com/Panasonic-KXTGF342B-2-Handset-Landline-Telephone/dp/B00V5ZKAFE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1471053697&sr=8-3&keywords=Panasonic+phone+with+block

I have a land line for my fax machine and emergencies, so we bought a Panasonic so we could block unwanted calls. It works LIKE A DREAM, and I highly recommend it!

When you block the number, it doesn't even ring if you don't want it to. (it can be set to ring once, but why?)

[Boomer]

16. Thank you!

I'll look over these suggestions and see if they'll work for us, too.

[mcar]

9. Can you get an answering machine?

I'm not trying to be rude; I appreciate the problem. I'm just wondering if an inexpensive answering machine might solve the problem. That way your wife can turn off the ringer while she's resting but return pertinent calls later.

[mythology]

5. It's an unfortunate reality until such a time as we can impose sane campaign spending limits

on candidates, parties and outside groups. It's part of the reason why the various DNC, DCCC, etc send nearly constant emails pleading for money with variations on "This is the worst thing Donald Trump has ever said" (as if Trump won't top it in a few hours), and send ever more emails as fundraising deadlines approach.

But also people are fundamentally bad about doing things without reminders. It's why the Red Cross starts calling me like 6 weeks before I can donate to remind me to schedule another donation. Because if they don't, people will forget, or say they will do it tomorrow forever.

[LeftRant]

10. HRC started spam-calling me after I bought a t-shirt.

It didn't even fit well :/

[MichiganVote]

11. Same here. Had to block the 20+ calls a day that we were getting.

[Blue Idaho]

13. I've learned my lesson...

When I donate I wait for the first email and immediately unsubscribe. When the first phone call comes I tell them to put me on their do not call list. That usually nips it in the bud.

[FrenchieCat]

14. Emily's List is a fine organization...

And have historically helped women get elected! In other words, they have helped make a difference. Whatever your reason is for souring on them, sounds like you're trying to get your revenge with this post. sad...

I have plenty of the organizations that I have supported, call constantly… Because it's election cycle! Doh! 🙄

[Boomer]

17. You're welcome to praise Emily's List

However, casting aspersions on MY motives is uncalled for speculation. If I wanted revenge on Emily's List for perceived wrongs, I would have posted last year when I did indeed "sour" on them. My only beef right now is that THEY WILL NOT STOP CALLING ME.

Every day. Every single day. That is not normal, reasonable attempts at fund-raising.

[progree]

19. It's also illegal for them to keep calling you if you ask them to put you on their do not call list

Last edited Sat Aug 13, 2016, 03:17 PM - Edit history (2)

Some calls are exempt from the Do Not Call Registry. Examples include, calls from companies with whom you have an existing business relationship; political organizations; charities; and telephone surveyors. However, even if the organization is exempt from the Do Not Call registry, if asked, they are required to honor your request for privacy and place you on their internal Do Not Call list. Companies that violate this law and continue to call you may be subject to a fine of up to $11,000. It is important to report "Do Not Call" violators. The Federal Trade Commission has provided a complaint form on its Web site - https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx or call (877) FTC-HELP (877-382-4357).

https://www.sos.wa.gov/charities/ReducingUnwantedTelephoneSolicitationsandJunkMail.aspx

When I keep getting such calls from such an organization (a month or more after first asking them to put me on their do not call list), I tell them they are in willful and flagrant violation of the law, that I am again reporting them to donotcall.gov, and that I will never donate to or have any dealings with a criminal organization. It seems to work after awhile.

[Boomer]

20. Thank you

That was very helpful!

[pinboy3niner]

21. I simply don't pick up on calls I don't want and eventually they get the idea

Same for unidentified callers, though I know that policy doesn't work for everyone.

I still support EL, but I've also successfully unsubscribed to them and other progressive orgs when they were sending me too many junk emails.

[DFW]

22. They are, and I know Ellen (the founder) and Stephanie (present head), but even so

Their fundraising IS very aggressive and can get tedious. I get emails and snail mail from them constantly and I'm sure the only reason they don't call me daily is because they don't have my German number in their system (or they're not set up to call overseas).

I understand they have to raise money any way they can, as do all such organizations. We have no Kochs that write hundred million dollar checks at a whim. Even Gabby Giffords' pro-gun-control organization has an unpleasantly aggressive phone operation that does her no credit. They call me constantly when I'm in the States. Even when I explain to them that Gabby and Mark are friends, and that I contribute regularly from Europe, they keep hitting on me all the same--something Gabby would hate if she knew (I haven't the heart to lay anything like that on her).