My cell phone has been out of commission for the past few days, thanks to the idiots at Verizon, so I've been answering the landline when I'm home. Normally, we keep the blasted thing unplugged, and only use it for lengthy outgoing local calls, or when we're expecting a long incoming call and don't want to burn through our minutes, but Amy frequently needs to reach me during the day, so I'm sucking it up and answering it.
I've added our number to the Do Not Call database, but it hasn't gone into effect yet, so I've been dealing with telemarketers and research surveys and other nonsense of that sort. Having once been one of those unfortunate souls, I'm dealing with them by immediately cutting off the spiel with a polite but firm "Take us off your list, good-bye" and promptly hanging up before they have a chance to argue; by law they have to do exactly that, but the more aggressive telemarketers will argue about it if you give them half a chance.
Still, dealing with this has me pondering the legality and practicality of a device which would sit on the line and inform telemarketers and their kin that there would be a $100 fee if they choose to continue the call. Then if they continue, you pick up the phone, request the name and contact information of the company responsible for placing the call, and send them the bill. I know there are already similar devices in existence that simply refuse to allow the calls through, or use other tactics to avoid having to deal with them, but I'm an evil mercenary bitch, you see, and that goes double when I've just been jolted out of much-needed sleep by the damn phone for the second time in one morning.
