S10.E15: Jolly Roger Telephone Co., Toybox Labs, Goalsetter, Moink

[GoldenGirl90]

March 10, 2019

A solution to combat telemarketers and scammers; an easy-to-use 3D printer for kids to design and make their own toys; a savings and gifting online platform for kids; ethical and customizable meat box subscription delivery service.

[Cotypubby]

I liked the idea behind the telemarketer service but they didn’t really go into how it works. Is the service supposed to stop the call before you get it or will your phone still ring? And will it then be on the call and unusable for as long as they are on the line?

[jcbrown]

From the lack of posts here, I see others agreed this episode was a snooze. I don't like the Ring guy as a shark. I thought the woman with the savings account/let's ruin Christmas business was beyond annoying. I liked the meat box woman and thought she stood up for herself well but she was waaaaay intense and might be a bit tough to work with. The phone thing made no sense. I signed up for "nomorobo" some time ago which is free and which has taken care of intercepting more than 90% of the crap robocalls I used to get. I did like the 3-D printer people but the product didn't interest me.

[LittleIggy]

14 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

I liked the idea behind the telemarketer service but they didn’t really go into how it works. Is the service supposed to stop the call before you get it or will your phone still ring? And will it then be on the call and unusable for as long as they are on the line?

I didn’t get it either. In any case, I don’t answer calls when I don’t recognize the caller number.

Why is it difficult to open a savings account for a child? Just curious. 

[seacliffsal]

I agree with you LittleIggy, I had no idea why Mark and others supported the goalsetter woman by reiterating that starting a bank account for a child was hard.  And yes, children might have a lot of stuff/junk, but so do a lot of us.  It was funny to me that she followed the 3D printer presentation and stated that children only play with something once or twice which is basically the same thing Mark said about the toy printer.  This "business" just rubbed me the wrong way for some reason.

[LAgator77]

My parents opened a savings account for me when I was a kid (back in the 80s!) and I don't think it was hard for them... Is it somehow more complicated now??? My main question, which I don't think was asked on the show and I can't seem to find on their website, do goalsetter accounts earn interest? That's what really got me excited about saving money as a kid was earning interest and learning about compound interest. Goalsetter just seems like an over complicated savings account. Dumb.

[lynxfx]

I remember when Jolly Roger started. The guy posted on Reddit a couple years ago about this bot he created for telemarketers. He opened it up so anyone could use it. Basically when you receive a telemarketer you answer. Tell them to hold while you get someone and then you teleconference in the Jolly Roger number. From there the bot always starts with "hello?" and it listens for a response. After that it is just a random script that gets played. The script is dynamic enough that it waits for responses so it really does seem like a conversation. Pretty fun stuff.

Looks like now they do have the subscription up but it looks like it still requires dialing the number yourself. Their site still sucks on describing it. They should really create an app that connects with a database of scam numbers and auto answers and starts the bot. Maybe they have that and I'm just not seeing it?

https://jollyrogertelephone.com/how-does-it-work/

[rhys]

Most of my robo calls are robots too. So how would that help me? Gah I'm tired of getting calls about reducing my student loan debt (I don't have any & never did -- I'm old) and calls asking me if I want Medicare to pay for a back brace for me. Huh? Crazy.

[mjc570]

Yawn.  The only thing I liked was the kiddie 3-D printer, it's got all kinds of licensing possibilities.  I'm glad the young couple got a fairly good deal.  I know these people have a short amount of time to get the sharks' attention, but I thought the savings account woman was too intense.  I do like the idea of anything that makes it easier for kids to save and become financially literate; it's not like they won't be getting actual presents.  I bet there's a lot of grandparents that would like this, although the company Kevin mentioned seems better because the kids get actual (although fractional, of course) shares in recognizable companies.

The farmer woman turned me off completely, although I would be in the market for ethically raised meat.  I think she would be a nightmare to work with.  I had to laugh when Lori passed because she wouldn't personally use the product - I can't imagine she uses Scrub Daddy to wash her own dishes.

Edited March 12, 2019 by mjc570
clarity

[basiltherat]

I don't get  why you would have to PAY for an app or website for a chlld's savings account -- it's called a PIGGY BANK and we used to get them FOR FREE at our neighborhood bank.  A parent or guardian would always have to be on a bank account, as children cannot sign or consent legally.

Back in my day when dinosaurs roamed the earth, your uncle or grandpa would slip you five bucks or your rich great aunt would buy you a savings bond (that went over like a lead balloon).  

Can't any of these whippersnappers do anything without a device?/cranky rant over.

[retrograde]

Even the top quality home-use 3D printers tend to have misfires and be quite finicky, so I can't imagine this budget one is seamlessly creating toys without some hiccups.

Still, I didn't understand the Sharks bowing out over the target demographic issue. If they thought it was too young, they could've just made broadening the scope part of the deal. There didn't seem to be anything about the product or software that inherently made it too young or simple for 8-13 year-olds (or whatever age they'd have preferred, I can't remember exactly). 

I can understand the logic of the savings site even if it seems counterintuitive. You don't need to give someone and iTunes gift card -- you could just give some cash -- but people often prefer to because if feels like a more thoughtful, real gift and it's also more fun for the receiver. I'd guess that if there's a specific page a kid's relatives can go to that outlines whatever they're saving for, the relatives will be more likely to actually participate in the fundraising campaign, and the kids are more likely to stay focused on their goal. Same reason GoFundMe pages etc are often more effective for raising money than just asking for cash. 

[tvrox]

2 hours ago, LAgator77 said:

My parents opened a savings account for me when I was a kid (back in the 80s!) and I don't think it was hard for them... Is it somehow more complicated now??? My main question, which I don't think was asked on the show and I can't seem to find on their website, do goalsetter accounts earn interest? That's what really got me excited about saving money as a kid was earning interest and learning about compound interest. Goalsetter just seems like an over complicated savings account. Dumb.

Mine did the same thing in the 80s and I was surprised to hear them say it was hard. But after thinking about it I realized it might be more difficult now because of all the new banking regulations imposed due to the Patriot Act and other legislation.

1 hour ago, mjc570 said:

Yawn.  The only thing I liked was the kiddie 3-D printer, it's got all kinds of licensing possibilities.  I'm glad the young couple got a fairly good deal.  I know these people have a short amount of time to get the sharks' attention, but I thought she was too intense.  I do like the idea of anything that makes it easier for kids to save and become financially literate; it's not like they won't be getting actual presents.  I bet there's a lot of grandparents that would like this, although the company Kevin mentioned seems better because the kids get actual (although fractional, of course) shares in recognizable companies.

The farmer woman turned me off completely, although I would be in the market for ethically raised meat.  I think she would be a nightmare to work with.  I had to laugh when Lori passed because she wouldn't personally use the product - I can't imagine she uses Scrub Daddy to wash her own dishes.

The printer was good but I agreed they were marketing it to kids who were too young. The 8-12 range makes a lot more sense.

[DEL901]

They didn’t even make the printer.   They bought it and r sold bundled with their software. 

[Cotypubby]

5 hours ago, lynxfx said:

I remember when Jolly Roger started. The guy posted on Reddit a couple years ago about this bot he created for telemarketers. He opened it up so anyone could use it. Basically when you receive a telemarketer you answer. Tell them to hold while you get someone and then you teleconference in the Jolly Roger number. From there the bot always starts with "hello?" and it listens for a response. After that it is just a random script that gets played. The script is dynamic enough that it waits for responses so it really does seem like a conversation. Pretty fun stuff.

Looks like now they do have the subscription up but it looks like it still requires dialing the number yourself. Their site still sucks on describing it. They should really create an app that connects with a database of scam numbers and auto answers and starts the bot. Maybe they have that and I'm just not seeing it?

https://jollyrogertelephone.com/how-does-it-work/

Wow that sounds horrible! I can see why they did not describe how it works on the show!

[lynxfx]

1 hour ago, Cotypubby said:

Wow that sounds horrible! I can see why they did not describe how it works on the show!

Yeah at the time it was just a cool hack someone did to get revenge on telemarketers or scammers. The complicated method wasn't an issue for the few of us that did it because it was something they just whipped up. Never would have thought they would make a company of it and if so wouldn't remove the manual aspect of it. 

[lh25]

12 hours ago, tvrox said:

Mine did the same thing in the 80s and I was surprised to hear them say it was hard. But after thinking about it I realized it might be more difficult now because of all the new banking regulations imposed due to the Patriot Act and other legislation.

I thought they talked about other people being able to put money in the account from their website?  If so, that could be a complicating factor.

[basiltherat]

Yeah, such as if a third party can put money IN, can they take it OUT???

[LuvMyShows]

On 3/11/2019 at 2:32 AM, Cotypubby said:

I liked the idea behind the telemarketer service but they didn’t really go into how it works. Is the service supposed to stop the call before you get it or will your phone still ring? And will it then be on the call and unusable for as long as they are on the line?

The problem is that this does nothing to actually STOP the calls, which is the angle they were pitching it for.  Goofs and revenge, yes.  

[Kenz]

The meat lady seemed to be pushing the aw, shucks, country cornpone too hard. Her attitude and the poor margins for a business that has so much competition would have convinced me not to invest. Also, with shipping charges rising so much these days, I don't know how a heavy food product that requires overnight or two day shipping with cold packs can be feasible for a small company. 

Edited March 12, 2019 by Kenz

[Whimsy]

On 3/11/2019 at 3:29 PM, jcbrown said:

From the lack of posts here, I see others agreed this episode was a snooze. I don't like the Ring guy as a shark. I thought the woman with the savings account/let's ruin Christmas business was beyond annoying. I liked the meat box woman and thought she stood up for herself well but she was waaaaay intense and might be a bit tough to work with. The phone thing made no sense. I signed up for "nomorobo" some time ago which is free and which has taken care of intercepting more than 90% of the crap robocalls I used to get. I did like the 3-D printer people but the product didn't interest me.

I tried that app and for some reason it blocked my husband so I can’t use it so instead I just don’t answer about 90% of my calls. Most people don’t call anymore. 

On 3/11/2019 at 5:17 PM, LittleIggy said:

I didn’t get it either. In any case, I don’t answer calls when I don’t recognize the caller number.

Why is it difficult to open a savings account for a child? Just curious. 

It’s not. Granted, I did it with my kids in the early 2000’s, but it’s not difficult at ALL. I am listed as an authorized user on their accounts, even to this day. It makes transferring money in and out (when I give them money and then when they finally pay me back) very easy.  

On 3/12/2019 at 2:14 PM, basiltherat said:

Yeah, such as if a third party can put money IN, can they take it OUT???

No. But, my husbands entire family uses the same credit union and have been members for over 45 years (maybe even 50). But, at our bank my mother-in-law (for example) can call up and add money to their accounts but she definitely cannot access the balance or take any out. I think I’m order to put money in the person would have to belong to the same institution. 

I wasn’t really paying attention, but if there’s an app that can help children really, truly understand personal finances and how to run an average household I think into definitely so,etching worth having. 

[librarianbeck]

I opened a savings account for my son when he was a baby, just a few years ago. It was not difficult in the slightest. 

[theatremouse]

I was also annoyed the woman seemed to be implying causality to her laundry list of things when there's no good reason to believe there is any. Children who have savings accounts are more likely to go to college or have investments as adults? Yeah that tells me more about their parents than them. So anybody who uses her product is almost certainly already in that demographic. It's not like having a savings account as a small child means poof you magically become more likely to all those other things. These things are related to how you're raised.

[TVbitch]

The beginning got cut off. Can someone tell me who was the new Shark? Sounded like he had been on the show before.

The savings account lady had a bulge on the font right side of her neck and I hope someone alerts her to this. It's probably not something you notice yourself, but she needs to get it checked!  

[theatremouse]

I think he's the Ring doorbell guy. It was called something else when he was on the show, didn't do a deal, then sold it to Amazon for $$$$$.

[eel2178]

On ‎3‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 4:58 PM, Kenz said:

The meat lady seemed to be pushing the aw, shucks, country cornpone too hard. Her attitude and the poor margins for a business that has so much competition would have convinced me not to invest. Also, with shipping charges rising so much these days, I don't know how a heavy food product that requires overnight or two day shipping with cold packs can be feasible for a small company. 

She never explained if items were being shipped frozen or just refrigerator temperature. That would make a difference to me.

[Amarsir]

On 3/11/2019 at 2:32 AM, Cotypubby said:

I liked the idea behind the telemarketer service but they didn’t really go into how it works. Is the service supposed to stop the call before you get it or will your phone still ring? And will it then be on the call and unusable for as long as they are on the line?

On 3/11/2019 at 6:38 PM, lynxfx said:

I remember when Jolly Roger started. The guy posted on Reddit a couple years ago about this bot he created for telemarketers. He opened it up so anyone could use it. Basically when you receive a telemarketer you answer. Tell them to hold while you get someone and then you teleconference in the Jolly Roger number. From there the bot always starts with "hello?" and it listens for a response. After that it is just a random script that gets played. The script is dynamic enough that it waits for responses so it really does seem like a conversation. Pretty fun stuff.

Looks like now they do have the subscription up but it looks like it still requires dialing the number yourself. Their site still sucks on describing it. They should really create an app that connects with a database of scam numbers and auto answers and starts the bot. Maybe they have that and I'm just not seeing it?

https://jollyrogertelephone.com/how-does-it-work/

I use YouMail which makes it easy to check voicemail from my computer or even get transcripts. As a side effect it does a pretty good job of identifying scammers. It still rings my phone but an overlay says "suspected scammer" on the off chance I might have answered. Also I can do customized outgoing messages for known numbers, so whitelisting is easy.

With that sort of smart technology I can see the virtue of an AI answering service that wastes their time. But I don't think Jolly Roger is anything I'd go to effort or expense over on its own. 

[LuvMyShows]

On 3/13/2019 at 8:58 PM, theatremouse said:

I was also annoyed the woman seemed to be implying causality to her laundry list of things when there's no good reason to believe there is any. Children who have savings accounts are more likely to go to college or have investments as adults? Yeah that tells me more about their parents than them. So anybody who uses her product is almost certainly already in that demographic. It's not like having a savings account as a small child means poof you magically become more likely to all those other things. These things are related to how you're raised.

Thank you!  I so much hate it when such false causality implications go unchallenged by the Sharks.