As much as I hate marketing calls… Yes that you in the 209 area code, and those unlisted numbers or those that actually have the name of your marketing firm in caller id. It would be much worse to have a special unlisted number that is only supposed to be used in emergencies. And find yourself interrupted nightly by these calls on it. Well the mayor of New York City knows your pain…
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg complained to a U.S. Senate committee on Tuesday that he’s vexed by pesky dinner-time phone calls from salesmen — ringing him on his secure line.
Much like the Gotham police commissioner’s secure line to the “bat phone” in the 1960s “Batman” television show, the kitchen of Bloomberg’s Upper East Side townhouse has been outfitted for emergency top-secret communications.
Testifying at a Senate hearing on protecting America after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, Bloomberg was asked about New York City’s updated communications equipment that allows police, fire, health and other officials to talk to each other in a crisis.
Bloomberg mentioned his secure phone and the insurance salesmen that regularly call him on it
Following the hearing, Bloomberg stood before reporters who asked about as many questions about the “Bat phone” as they did about New York’s quest for more anti-terrorism funds.
“It’s never been used other than to answer an occasional call for ‘Do I want to subscribe to a particular magazine, buy an insurance policy’ or some other such ridiculous thing,” Bloomberg said.
Asked what thoughts race through his mind when it rings, Bloomberg deadpanned, “It’s somebody trying to sell insurance. That’s what I think.”
For the record, the phone, which the mayor said has a secure device “that encodes on either end,” is not red.
As for how salesmen tap into the super-secret line, Bloomberg said, “You can dial a number at random and eventually get to everyone in the world.”
I’m not sure why he doesn’t have caller id. And if he does, then he needs them to turn off blocked numbers on it. Or perhaps the phone company can throw in a needed extension or password to get to it?
No… that all sound hard,. how about we just get rid of those type of calls altogether. The Do Not Call list isn’t working. We need to be able to financially hurt those that still call, easily. Currently you can hurt them if they continue to call, but it’s hard to do. And generally they try to weasel around the fact you are on that list with one excuse or another.
Tags: Interesting, Irony, News, Oddities, Weird
