We’ve all sat down at the dinner table, taken the first bite of our meal, and heard the phone ring. More often than not, it’s someone we know calling at an inconvenient time, but every now and then it’s a telemarketer looking to pitch us on a product or service.

From major media businesses to small operations, telemarketing is a strategy employed by hundreds of thousands of businesses worldwide. An annoyance to some, a great discount buying too to others, telemarketing services are here to stay. However, despite the perseverance and effectiveness of telemarketing, some prospective customers are taking matters into their own hands and pranking the telemarketers back.

We’ve collected seven of the funniest, weirdest, and worst telemarketing pranks. Some succeed, others don’t, while the rest are just beyond strange. If you’ve ever felt like pranking the salesman on the other end of the line, sit back, listen to these clips, and enjoy the payback.

1.  You’re a Resident of New York State? Yes. Are You Also a Moron?

It’s true that telemarketing companies can sometimes be annoying and invasive, but you’ve got to give this marketer credit for keeping his cool all the way through the call. The annoying yes man on the other end may have scored a few cheap laughs, but the telemarketer won this one.

To all wannabe telemarketer pranksters out there, it’s best to give your calls some variation. Mindlessly repeating “yes” over and over sets you up to be shot back, which is exactly what happened in this call. If you’re annoyed, ask not to be called again. If it persists, introduce some creativity.

2.  Free Cruise? Not Quite.

It’s hard not to feel sorry for this poor guy. After baiting the telemarketer line with some utterly ridiculous answers on their “free cruise” promotion, he ends up supposedly winning the tickets and being asked to stay on the line. Look carefully and you’ll be able to see his face light up, either at the chance for free tickets or the chance to mess with the guy on the other end of the line.

Unfortunately for this phone vigilante, the telemarketer on the other end of the line knows exactly what’s going on, and is quick to let him know that he won’t be getting any cruise. Five minutes of sitting through phone prompts and auto-inputs for a telling off? Not exactly the big prank the caller must have imagined.

3.  Henry Rollins on Telemarketers.

Henry Rollins is a funny guy, and his methods for dealing with poorly timed telemarketing calls are much better than most. Rather than resorting to dumb insults and ridiculous scenarios, Henry goes with an all-time phone prank favorite: pretending to be interested in the telemarketer. Now, that doesn’t mean he’s interested in their product, just in the telemarketer himself. A sure-fire strategy for disturbing the caller, this strategy might be the best way to cut down on evening marketing calls.

4.  The Horny Buffalo Order would like a Condo.

Sick and tired of receiving calls about timeshare condos, this guy decided to fight back against the calls and show up at one of their presentations. Armed with his trusty husband Sarah Garett, he managed to deliver a full speech about his secret order, all to a crowd full of highly confused timeshare prospects.

While not a typical phone prank, this stunt demonstrates some serious bravery. It’s not hard to make fun of someone over the phone, but to actually turn up in person at a timeshare event and deliver a speech is a big accomplishment. We can only hope that Sarah Garrett and his husband ended up with less calls after this impressive and bizarre multi-stage prank.

5.  “Yes, My Credit Card Number Is”*Flush*

This telemarketer manages to keep his cool through two different noise broadcasts, but it’s clear from his voice that he knows something’s going on. This ingenious method for cutting down on telemarketer calls produces some funny results, but it could be a bit too time consuming for some. You’ve got to go through the ordering process, learn about their product, and even get ready to purchase, all for a last minute payoff. Worthwhile if you’ve got time on your hands, but probably not the best prank for busy professionals.

6.  Tom Mabe Fights the Telemarketing Convention Head-On

Pranking telemarketers over the phone can be funny, but the odds are stacked against you from the start. Most marketing companies know exactly when someone is baiting them, and once the situation clicks in their mind, it’s game over for you as a prankster.

American comedian Tom Mabe decided it was time to turn the tables and give himself the power of annoyance. He checked into the same hotel as hundreds of telemarketers, all there for a conference and presentation event, and called each of them at 4am in the morning. The responses are surprisingly courteous – it makes you think that most telemarketers really can empathize with their prospective customers.

7.  “You’ve actually called a murder scene…”

Another Tom Mabe call here. This American comedian seems to be at his best when stringing along telemarketers, and this call is a true masterpiece. Pretending to be a crime scene detective, Mabe leads the confused and very worried telemarketer through a series of hoops, all under the impression that he’s called the scene of a brutal murder.

It’s rare for a telemarketing prank to be 100% funny and very scary for the telemarketer at the same time. While the call center employee eventually clicks and realizes what’s going on, the three minutes of pure bewildered craziness beforehand is well worth the effort. If you can keep from laughing, this might be the best strategy for eliminating evening phone calls altogether.