Beware, men. Launched by Peretti, 28, and his sister Chelsea, 24, in August, the Rejection Line puts the diss in dismissal. A beleaguered woman can now give a number—not her home number—to an importuning swain. When he calls, a message announces, "The person who gave you this number does not want to talk to you or see you again." The deflated suitor can also dial through a recorded menu of "rejection specialists" offering further belittling barbs.
Peretti, a director of a Manhattan nonprofit arts organization, and his sister, a New York writer and stand-up comic, were not completely serious at first. "I thought it would just be an interesting experiment," says Jonah, "some kind of underground urban phenomenon." After a slow start, however, the line, publicized through word of mouth, bathroom graffiti and, eventually, NPR, has received more than 500,000 calls—although the Perettis don't make any money from it.
Chelsea acknowledges that, yes, the Rejection Line is a bit harsh but argues that sometimes blunt words are the only ones that work. Even then some callers miss the point. One dim but ardent suitor, says Jonah, recently left a message saying, "Hey, give me a call—we should hang out sometime."
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
