The poor schlep on the other end of the line is just trying to earn a living. S/he may not have any other employment options AND may be in a different time zone that you. That caller does not know when you eat dinner. Remembering that it is a person, just politely say, "Thanks, but no" and hang up right away. You may ask to be put on the "do not call" list but that will only work for calls originating in your state. (This is addressed to the US only) THe FCC has ruled that, nationwide, telemarketers are prohibited from calling you after 8 pm. Remind the caller if you get a call like this. On a related issue, NO telephone company employee will call you and tell you that they are testing the line and ask you to dial a number or say that you've been overcharged and are due a refund. If you get calls like this, do not give out any information; it is a scam. Legitimate phone companies do not do this. Prisioners will sometimes place collect calls and ask you to forward to another number. Again, it's a scam. Whatever the origin, Be brief, say no, hang up. Can you tell that I work for one of the largest telephone companies in the world?

Reen