<p>What I hate is when it’s political season (which seems to extend every year) and the robo-calls start. Because the lawmakers exempted themselves from the Do-Not-Call, you can’t stop them. They are so annoying that some losing pols set up calls so that they seem to come from the opposition! In hotly contested areas, you can be getting five or six a day! I try to vote for the guys who refuse to use them. I’d like all politicians to sign a no-robo pledge. </p>
<p>The reason unlisted numbers don’t stop telemarketers is that they are working off a list that gives the state code, the exchange (first 3 numbers), and then just a numerical list of suffixes. It’s not generated from any phone book or anything that says which are listed and which are unlisted. So sooner or later, every number will be dialed.</p>