Phone call a few minutes ago

John cycling

John cycling

Healthy Person
Location
Central Coast California
Pc: Hello, is this John X?
Me: Hi!

Pc: This is XX, a real estate agent. Are you thinking of selling?
Me: Sure, if the price is right!

Pc: Well regardless of the price, are you thinking of selling?
Me: Sure, if the price is right!

Pc: Well what if the price wasn't right, would you be thinking of selling?
Me: No, the right would need to be right!

Pc: Well forget the price. Would you still be thinking of selling?
Me: Sure, if the price was right!

Pc: But forget the price, would you still be thinking of selling?
Me: How many listings do you have?

Pc: Nevermind that. Would you still be thinking of selling?
Me: Sure, if the price was right!

Pc: Without the price, would you still be thinking of selling?
Me: How many listings do you have?

Pc: Would you still be thinking of selling?
Me: How many listings do you have?

Pc: He hung up. 🤔
 

To Ms Gaer-
The reason the USPS asked this scripted question in this way was to force you to make a legal declaration that your package does not, in fact, contain flammable or explosive materials, which cannot lawfully be sent via U.S. Mail. Recall that the recently deceased 'Unabomber'
Ted Kaczynski's favorite way of killing people was sending them explosive books via U.S. mail. I feel it is important for ordinary citizens to have a decent understanding of the basic principles of law, how it works, how it came to be the way that it is and why it works in the way that it does.
Regards, Steve Hansen, Patent Agent, USPTO.
 
sch404 said:
To Ms Gaer-
The reason the USPS asked this scripted question in this way was to force you to make a legal declaration that your package does not, in fact, contain flammable or explosive materials, which cannot lawfully be sent via U.S. Mail. Recall that the recently deceased 'Unabomber'
Ted Kaczynski's favorite way of killing people was sending them explosive books via U.S. mail. I feel it is important for ordinary citizens to have a decent understanding of the basic principles of law, how it works, how it came to be the way that it is and why it works in the way that it does.
Regards, Steve Hansen, Patent Agent, USPTO.
Click to expand...
Ok Thanks. But he could have acted like a person instead of a robot!
and, a package or a letter does not need a return address .
He could have explained what you just explained!
 
Gaer said:
John, I'm going to erase my post. Sure didn't mean to hi-jack your great thread!
Click to expand...
Gaer, please don't. You are fine. I much appreciate yours and everyone else's input into this. 🤗
Plus it is interesting to see your experience.

CallMeKate said:
Hehe That's wonderful! Can I hire you to field some of my ludicrous calls? (and don't say if the price is right!) :ROFLMAO: @John cycling
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@CallMeKate - We can work it out. 😊

Remy said:
Did you Google this individual to see if they exist?
Click to expand...
@Remy - No, because the price wasn't right. 😄
 
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Not to deviate away from the OP's deft handling of that phone call, but I also had a farcical exchange with my bank.

The guy from the Bank called trying to sell me Identity Theft Protection Insurance.

Me: "No thanks. I owe so many people so much money, that the poor sap who steals my identity will never get a moment's peace!"

The guy laughed then I hung up. ;)
 
Lately I received mailings from a company in a slightly larger nearby town.
They are a local office for a national outfit that buys houses that are in need of repair.
And they don't pay anywhere near what the house might be worth.
But they might be a good choice for someone needing quick cash or don't want to bother with major repairs before selling.

Anyway, if you are a realtor, I'm sure you know of such companies. I think there are several nation wide.
Each local office is often independently owned and they campaign hard with mailings, calls and signs on the side of the road.
"We buy houses" ... "We want to buy your house for cash" etc etc

My house doesn't need repairs ... or selling.

That's what that call sounds like ... a flipper looking to low ball houses in need of repairs.

I can't remember the name of the company I've been getting the snail mail from and it's interesting your caller didn't mention a company.
Wonder if they would have, had you asked?
 
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If the purpose of all that questioning is to force you to make a legal declaration that your package doesn't contain explosives, etc., what possible difference would that make? If someone is sending explosives through the mail, would the fact that they said "No" to that question make any difference when the explosives blow up? Why would the fact that they lied be important enough to even count? And who would ever say, "Yes" to that question?

I used to sell books over Amazon back in the early days when Amazon was almost entirely used for book sales. Every time I took a book to the post office, I had to take part in a similar exchange. I stated up front that it was a book, and I wanted to send it book rate (a lot cheaper). The clerk would look at me with a straight face and go through the same collection of absurd questions. Explosives? Liquids? Etc. But I just finished telling them that it was a book!

Probably that law was written by the same lawyers (and legislators) who mandated that every pharmaceutical commercial has to have that long list of horrible side effects at the end of the ad, while showing happy, healthy families romping around, the picture of health.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
My question is WTH did you stay on the phone that long?! :LOL::ROFLMAO:
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The calls are more enjoyable this way, and they usually don't bother to call back. 😄

Naturally said:
That's what that call sounds like ... a flipper looking to low ball houses in need of repairs.
. . . . . it's interesting your caller didn't mention a company.
Wonder if they would have, had you asked?
Click to expand...
He identified himself at the start, but I knew what the call was about and didn't make note of it. 😊

Alligatorob said:
@John cycling you are a nice guy, I would not have talked to that caller long at all. Just long enough to say, loudly, "Put us on your no call list" and hang up.
Click to expand...
I used to do that, but this way is more fun. 🥳
 
Sunny said:
If the purpose of all that questioning is to force you to make a legal declaration that your package doesn't contain explosives, etc., what possible difference would that make? If someone is sending explosives through the mail, would the fact that they said "No" to that question make any difference when the explosives blow up? Why would the fact that they lied be important enough to even count? And who would ever say, "Yes" to that question?

I used to sell books over Amazon back in the early days when Amazon was almost entirely used for book sales. Every time I took a book to the post office, I had to take part in a similar exchange. I stated up front that it was a book, and I wanted to send it book rate (a lot cheaper). The clerk would look at me with a straight face and go through the same collection of absurd questions. Explosives? Liquids? Etc. But I just finished telling them that it was a book!

Probably that law was written by the same lawyers (and legislators) who mandated that every pharmaceutical commercial has to have that long list of horrible side effects at the end of the ad, while showing happy, healthy families romping around, the picture of health.
Click to expand...
If your package blows up this means you can be criminally charged both for sending explosives through the U.S. mail and then lying about it. Criminal laws are meant to act as a deterrent to crime. Criminal laws are necessary to protect law abiding citizens, such as myself, and hopefully you as well. But you do seem a bit ambivalent about that..:unsure:
 
sch404 said:
Criminal laws are necessary to protect law abiding citizens, such as myself, and hopefully you as well. But you do seem a bit ambivalent about that..:unsure:
Click to expand...
I didn't get that impression from @Sunny's post, nor have I ever had that sense from any of her SF posts.
 

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