Who Are These Guys?

Over the last year or so, I've noticed an increase in nuisance marketing. By that I mean telephone calls - usually computer generated - offering to help lower my credit card debt, extend my car's warranty, install a satellite dish and too many more to remember. And all of this is despite my not having any credit card debt (these days I use debit), not caring about my car's warranty (it has 153K on it, after all), and not being able to install a satellite dish where I live because no line of sight exists to the satellites. It's gotten so bad that all my calls are now screened by answering machine and I'd say at least two-thirds of them are this kind of nonsense.

Now, imagine my surprise when I'm having a conversation with an older couple, both in their 80's, and they confess to getting the same calls!

Is this the way things are sold these days? By hectoring us with recorded calls for products or services that we've shown no interest in? Do they really think that if I haven't called them back after the 5th, or 10th, or even 20th call that I'm ever going to call them back? Or that if I did call them back I would give them anything other than a string of expletives?

It reminds me of the old adage in the car industry about calling customers until they "buy or die".

The amazing thing is that on some level they must be successful, otherwise they wouldn't continue to do it.