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14 Sep 06 - 01:18 AM (#1834081) Subject: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Old Guy I sometime have fun with telemarketers. One response I give them when the first words they say is "how are you today?" I say "Well first I need your name and address." They say "What for" I say "I am a consultant and I charge $200 per hour. Before I answer any questions I have to have someone to bill it to." Click. How do you get them bugfuzzled? |
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14 Sep 06 - 01:37 AM (#1834085) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: The Fooles Troupe Whizz them off? I didn't KNOW you could DO that over the phone... doesn't it short things out? |
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14 Sep 06 - 02:45 AM (#1834098) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Joe Offer Teh no-call list seems to work quite well, so I don't get many calls other than political and charity calls, which are exempt. Most of the charities who cold-call me (without my donating first) are questionable, mostly law enforcement and veterans groups that seem to have nothing to do with law enforcement and veterans. I'll listen to their spiel, and then say in a very friendly tone, "Gee, THAT sounds like a ripoff," and then I hang up. Very satisfying. -Joe- |
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14 Sep 06 - 05:29 AM (#1834165) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: GUEST,Bruce Baillie ...Try pretending to be chinese (or any foreigner with a bare command of english) or an imbecile, the fun you can have with the irritating bastards is endless! I'm coming up with new ideas to increase the fun all the time! |
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14 Sep 06 - 05:29 AM (#1834166) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: The Shambles They are only trying to do a job. |
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14 Sep 06 - 05:34 AM (#1834167) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: John O'L Yeah but it's a crappy job. |
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14 Sep 06 - 05:57 AM (#1834180) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Divis Sweeney Thought this thread was about the film "The hero's of Telemark" |
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14 Sep 06 - 06:15 AM (#1834191) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: John O'L How to whizz off The Telemarketeers - Buy all for one, get one for all free. |
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14 Sep 06 - 06:33 AM (#1834208) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Mooh Just last night I had a call from someone looking for support for a Tory cause in the name of a particular candidate, "he needs your help...". He hung up on me the instant I declared my NDP membership, cut me off. I was trying to be polite and he was the intolerant one. Peace, Mooh. |
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14 Sep 06 - 06:44 AM (#1834210) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Folkiedave In the UK I belong to Telephone Preference Service. Free and stops virtually all calls. (There is no real sanction but I give every single company that dares to call me a real telling off). And I report them. |
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14 Sep 06 - 07:12 AM (#1834230) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: GUEST,Bruce Baillie ...They definitely are TRYING... |
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14 Sep 06 - 07:20 AM (#1834233) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: catspaw49 I'd prefer to whizz on telemarketers. Actually you can whizz THROUGH them 'cause theyre all pricks! Spaw |
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14 Sep 06 - 07:44 AM (#1834247) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: jacqui.c I just tell them that my husband deals with all these matters and, if they'll wait I'll get him. Then just leave the phone off the hook until they hang up. |
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14 Sep 06 - 09:02 AM (#1834305) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Sandra in Sydney I just hang up as soon as I hear the silence that means they've autodialled zillions of numbers, or a chirpy voice introduces him/herself, tho I was caught by one asking for Sandra recently. Assuming it was someone asking about the folk club I said yes, then she introduced herself as rep of a telecomm company. So I stayed silent for a few seconds considering my response, then hung up! I just won't talk to telemarketers, I didn't ask them to interrupt me, so I just get back to what I was doing. Sometimes I let the mchine take the call & if they don't leave a message, they were a junk mail caller. I have had fun in the past when they assume I'm married & I say "There's no one of that name here" & repeat it in a louder voice when they try to argue tht they hve the right number. Then I hung up!! One time I even asked if he was calling me a liar before I hung up. Now I can't be bothered doing anything apart from hanging up as the poor buggers are only doing a job. Then they can get on with their next (unwelcome) call. sandra |
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14 Sep 06 - 09:10 AM (#1834312) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Becca72 A close friend of mine asks them to hold and then puts her very chatty 8 year old son on the phone....he tells them all about his day at school, what movie he's watching, etc. until they eventually hang up. |
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14 Sep 06 - 09:29 AM (#1834332) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Bagpuss I'm also on the TPS and it stops most calls, except the ones that come from overseas, and those annoying recorded message ones. I get extremely few though. My brother has a printed sheet which is like a flow chart on how to respond to a cold caller - a bit like the scripts they are supposed to stick to. For every thing they say, it has a way of drawing them into a conversation that has nothing to do with their product. It is hilarious listening in to him when he is answering one of these calls. I will have to see if I can find it on-line. Bagpuss |
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14 Sep 06 - 09:32 AM (#1834336) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Rapparee My wife and I have different last names. It's great fun when they call and ask for "Mrs.________" because I tell them that she's dead (true, because my mother's been dead for over a quarter century). We're on the National Do Not Call list; my wife just rips 'em a new bodily orifice and hangs up. I'm slightly more polite. |
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14 Sep 06 - 09:33 AM (#1834338) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Bagpuss You might find it here but I just get a message saying the object is badly formatted and it wont let me view it. Bagpuss |
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14 Sep 06 - 09:37 AM (#1834341) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Bagpuss found it It doesn't get rid of telemarketers, but it makes the whole process a load more entertaining. Bagpuss |
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14 Sep 06 - 10:38 AM (#1834375) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: GUEST,number 6 "Yeah but it's a crappy job." Just people trying to put food on their table and provide a roof over their head. sIx |
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14 Sep 06 - 10:44 AM (#1834380) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: jeffp By interrupting other peoples' peace and quiet. |
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14 Sep 06 - 10:57 AM (#1834385) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Becca72 By calling them at home and trying to sell them something they haven't asked for. |
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14 Sep 06 - 11:03 AM (#1834389) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Rapparee Isn't that what a clerk in the store does when s/he comes up and asks you if you need help? They're offering to help you buy something you didn't ask for.... |
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14 Sep 06 - 11:07 AM (#1834392) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Becca72 But they're not showing up at my door to do it. If I've gone to the store one can assume that there is something I'm interested in buying. |
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14 Sep 06 - 11:07 AM (#1834393) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Jeri I stop them early and explain I don't want to give them money, but thanks. (I'm on the no-call list and only get called by charities.) When they try to explain how "even a small amount will...," I say "no". Then I repeat "no" and NOTHING ELSE (I don't need a reason) until I get tired of it and then say, "I'm gonna hang up now - bye" and hang up. When I get off the phone, I'm not upset at all. The telescrounger's probably not upset, and I don't hate the people who are hired by charities to solicit money, so that's fine. |
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14 Sep 06 - 11:08 AM (#1834395) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: GUEST,Bee Can't you just keep in mind that these people don't own the companies they are working for, and that they are working class stiffs like most of us? It's a thankless job with often horrid employers who call them on the carpet over call and closing quota shortfalls. Rather than wreaking vengeance on these hapless callers, can't you just say no thanks and hang up, letting them go on to the next call? Yes, it's annoying. So are television commercials, door-knocking evangelists and campaigning politicians. Get on the no-call lists. |
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14 Sep 06 - 11:30 AM (#1834408) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Jeri I always read these threads and wonder how somebody can get their jollies ruining someone else's day. You don't have to LIKE what they do, but enjoying being cruel, for whatever reason, is just a teensy bit sick. Plus, these very clever responses are normally invented by people simply because they don't have the balls to say "no" and hang up. |
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14 Sep 06 - 11:32 AM (#1834409) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: GUEST,Number 6 New Brunswick (Canada)has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country ... the provincial government made a move for international companies to setup their telemarking in the province with tax break incentives to provide employment. So ... in short, telemarking is the only employment available for many, many people here ... it not only provides steady employment (to put food on the table and a roof over their head) but these companies also provide good supplementary health benefits to these people and their families. Sure they may be annoying but just remember they are people (human beings) doing a job, the only job that is available to them. They would certainly be willing to find an (good paying) alternative way of making a living but it's the best they can find here. I should add many of these people have university degrees, but would rather stay in live in New Brunswick rather than join the brain drain exodis to Toronto and live a miserable life there .... becoming a person caught up in the rat race, being miserable and complaining about such trivial things as telemarketers. sIx |
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14 Sep 06 - 01:03 PM (#1834475) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: GUEST Say, "Thank you for calling, but I am not interested. Goodbye." |
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14 Sep 06 - 01:10 PM (#1834485) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Mr Red One colleague "Can I speak to Mr Householder?" "No but I can fetch him for you" Puts phone down - checks in a few minutes - if still there "Who did you want to speak to? I'll go and fetch him" Puts phone down - checks in a few minutes - if still there repeat until the joke is no longer fun (to you or them). |
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14 Sep 06 - 01:15 PM (#1834490) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Dave the Gnome When you hear the silence or click and you know its telemarketing make your reponse 'Hello, is Dave there?'. Get's very confusing when they think you called them. Cheers DtG |
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14 Sep 06 - 01:38 PM (#1834499) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Old Guy I have been outdoors or up no a ladder or something while expecting a call. I have some very near accidents trying to get to the phone in time, only to hear "how are you today?". At those kinds of times I say "In the mood to strangle an asshole telemarketer". and hang up. Do you think they would care if they caused someone to get hurt? |
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14 Sep 06 - 01:43 PM (#1834502) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Don Firth Nothing humorous. We're on the "Don't Call" list, so all we get are charitable organizations and political calls. As far as charities are concerned, our contibutions are already allocated, so that's what I tell those who call: "Sorry, we've made our contributions for this year. All gone, no more." If they persist ("Well, can't you just contribute $15?"), I stick to my line. If they persist, I just say, "Sorry, but no," and hang up. As far as political calls are concerned, if it's a live person, I listen; if it's a recording, I just hang up. Surveys? If I have time, I generally answer the survey. Don Firth |
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14 Sep 06 - 02:11 PM (#1834522) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Don(Wyziwyg)T I just say "If I decide to buy anything I go looking for it. I'm not looking at the moment, but thank you for calling". Then hang up. There's really no point in making someone's life more miserable than it already is, and they've undoubtedly heard all the smart answers before. Don T. |
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14 Sep 06 - 04:17 PM (#1834625) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: number 6 Old Guy ... if I was expecting a call I surely wouldn't be "up in a ladder" or "something else" ... whatever that may be? I never rush or run to answer a phone call .. if it's that important the caller will leave a message. Running to answer a phone call ... how I remember those days ... my daughter yelling " I got it, I got it" sIx |
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14 Sep 06 - 04:25 PM (#1834634) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Jeri up ON a ladder. |
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14 Sep 06 - 04:27 PM (#1834637) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: number 6 I sit here at my laptop corrected. "up ON a ladder" thank you jeri. sIx |
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14 Sep 06 - 04:37 PM (#1834644) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: toadfrog Telemarketers are trying to earn a living, and a very unpleasant living it is. When they get through to me, I just hang up and let them get on with their job. I guess if you are the kind of person who pulls the wings off of flies, you can practice on them. But I'd think, you would not want to make a telemarketer too angry, because he/she knows your phone number and might give you another call, say, around 3:00 a.m. Something to think about, anyway. |
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14 Sep 06 - 04:51 PM (#1834660) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: number 6 "might give you another call, say, around 3:00 a.m." Not very likely toadfrog .... the numbers are a given via a 'computer" application and are part of a quota they have to meet during the given work day ... in other words, they don't just go through a phone book and start dialing ... everyone it seems who complain about telemarketers have this attitude that they are the target personally chosen by some telemarketer out to make their life a living hell .... personally I'm never pestered too often by them as I don't purchase items solicited by TV marketing, cheesy magazine promotions or (yes) items from some telemarketer .... these are usually the sources for your number to be added to some company's telemarketing list .... ever notice that once you give to one charitiable organization you are bombarded by others. sIx |
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14 Sep 06 - 05:22 PM (#1834686) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Liz the Squeak I just say I'm busy and can I call them back later.... you'd be surprised the amount who say OK... I wonder if there is still a little Asian sounding chappy (who said he was called Kevin, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was more like Kavinder) waiting by his phone for me to ring back.... LTS |
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14 Sep 06 - 07:40 PM (#1834795) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: toadfrog Number 6: I registered with do not call, and I mostly hear from "charities," all sponsored by law enforcement agencies. And I get messages intended for businesses, particularly from the State of Nevada telling me I should relicate because their taxes are low.. And messages about how my voice should be raised to get rid of the hated death tax. Maybe Old Guy would like to get those calls; if he will give me his number, I will pass it on. |
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14 Sep 06 - 08:12 PM (#1834816) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: GUEST,petr If they have a long spiel and dont let you get a word in edgewise I dont hang up but just put the phone down and see how long it takes them to figure it out. I dont really care what their personal situation is, I dislike going to the phone only to have a phony charity, survey or marketing call waste my time. Sure I can let the phone take the msg, but on the other hand there are far more telemarketing calls being made now than there were 10or 20 years ago - back then when the phone rang you were far more likely to answer and know that its someone you know. now with call display - you can identify the # and not answer - they sometimes get around if I happen to get a telemarketer when I answer I ask if its a sales call, I dont do surveys either. but one of the best ways to deal the is to say 'you just called me yesterday'. |
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14 Sep 06 - 08:28 PM (#1834832) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Don Firth Back in the mists of antiquity, I worked for two weeks as a telemarketer, but I wasn't calling people at home. I was hired to sell acvertising for a small, neighborhood newspaper, so I was calling local businesses. After two weeks, I ran screamiing from the office. I couldn't handle that much rejection! But I guess I couldn't have been that bad at it. In that two weeks, I earned enough in commissions to buy my first really nice guitar, a Martin 00-18 (steel-string), $95.00 at the time. This was BC--Before Classic, before I switched to a nylon-string classic (Martin 00-28-G) a couple of years later. I don't give telemarketers grief unless they persist past the point of reasonable politeness. Don Firth |
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14 Sep 06 - 08:54 PM (#1834843) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Tootler I'm on the telephone preference service (mentioned above). If I get a call I usually tell them that and that they shouldn't be calling me. If they persist I then ask to speak to their supervisor. That usually does the trick and also ensures they don't try again. The latest trick is computerised dialling. The computer gets a batch of numbers, dials them simultaneously and the first one to answer gets the call. The rest simply get a dead line. If you do a 1471, you get either a "network unable to transmit numbers" or a dummy 0870 number. For non-UKers, 1471 gives you the last number that dialled you. 0870 is a prefix which charges nationally at local rates and is used by a lot of businesses for helplines and such like. |
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14 Sep 06 - 10:50 PM (#1834902) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: number 6 Man .. life has become unbearable .... telemarketers, spam e-mails, web popups, snail mailbox being jammed full of flyers, TV Commercials, pesky sales clerks, panhandlers, buskers, ..... you can't even go UP a ladder to get away from it all. sIx |
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14 Sep 06 - 11:01 PM (#1834907) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: John O'L I too have had to do crappy jobs from time to time in order to put food on the table. The fact that there was no alternative did not make the jobs any less crappy. sIx, you don't imagine that these marketing companies and researchers came to New Brunswick as a favour? They came because there is a ready supply of cheap and desperate labour to fill their crappy jobs. |
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15 Sep 06 - 12:14 AM (#1834933) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: number 6 John O'l ... I never stated these companies came to N.B. to do a favour ... The provincial government lured these companies to the province to remedy unemployment numbers ... yes, there was a ready supply of cheap labour, and of course these companies are taking advantage, and yes they could pay more ... but, what they do pay and incentives these companies provide is a better standard of living than existing on welfare. Sure, the job is crappy, but looking on the brighter side, it beats sitting around getting a substandard amount of a 'welfare check' and certainly beats working in an arbattoir. Yes ... we all have to do crappy jobs from time to time to put food on the table and a roof over our heads ... that's basically what I'm saying, these people are just doing a job just like the rest of us. So, don't take it that they are out there just to create havoc in our lives ... getting us to come DOWN off the ladder just to answer a the phone. If there is any blame to all of this ... it is our materialistic life that we all live and the demands it puts on our society/industry (with excessive greed thrown into the equation)to keep it going ... everything we own, has been somehow 'sold to us via the marketing chain'. sIx |
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15 Sep 06 - 12:23 AM (#1834934) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Old Guy Some telemarketer have a dialer that dials up to 10 numbers at once. The first number to answer gets the call. The rest just pick of on a dead line. Very considerate of these nice people wot? |
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15 Sep 06 - 12:24 AM (#1834936) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: number 6 I should also add to what I stated (now that I'm rambling away on the subject) ... when the N.B. government was deciding on how to remedy the unemployment situation it had at the time a resource to provide(other than an large number of workers) and that was one of the best telecommunications infrastructures in North America ... that being NBTEL which was very advanced in 'land line' research and development. NBTEL being the telephone company of New Brunswick. sIx |
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15 Sep 06 - 01:28 AM (#1834964) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Liz the Squeak If you (like me) fill in surveys to get the free gifts, put a mobile (cell)phone number on it... they almost never call a mobile phone number because a) the random selection computers can't deal with it and b) it costs more for them to ring me. The only telemarketing calls I get on my mobile are from my provider. LTS |
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15 Sep 06 - 01:45 AM (#1834969) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: John O'L OK, I it's not the person on the end of the line that's to blame, it's as usual, the corporations. Like Optus for instance. I'm forever getting calls from telemarketers in India trying to sell me an Optus contract. I do not abuse them or blow whistles in their ear, obviously no-one does that work by choice, but I would never enter a phone contract with Optus no matter what the're offering. |
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15 Sep 06 - 03:57 AM (#1835011) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Mr Red I AM the target and someone chose to persecute me. I don't want calls, I am on the TPS register and the only calls I get now are from companies I do business with. They get the message as many times as it takes for them to realise all they had to do was consult the register. I already told them, and by implication that I would take my business elsewhere if they called. I also make it a condition of any purchase via the web that I don't want junk calls, mail, e-mail etc, and by selling to me they agree to my conditions. They still ignore me. But not for long. I have several times been waiting for calls from people who have a pending death in the family and I don't want my time diluted or blocked. THATS WHY! My mobile gets infrequent messages from marketeers - they do try all the numbers. In many cases to see if the number is valid or reap the dividend from responses. One never knows if it is cynical business or trawling for criminal usage. Or both. The network say it can't be stopped. Oh yea? On pay as you go they don't give a shit what happens to you - I cost them money because of there lack of due diligence. |
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15 Sep 06 - 04:26 AM (#1835030) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: The Fooles Troupe "what they do pay and incentives these companies provide is a better standard of living than existing on welfare" Ah! That explains why Fascist Johnny is trying to drive wages down... well, no it doesn't, cause the Aussie system is setup such that trying to give someone one of those low paying jobs means that they ARE better off on 'Social Security' - I'm not kidding.... I was with Optus for a while, after Telstra made me redundant.... but Optus's 'Digital' line setup was so pitiful at handling modem calls - I went back to Telstra copper wire service for higher thruput speeds. |
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15 Sep 06 - 04:56 AM (#1835049) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Bagpuss Since someone mentioned 0870, I thought I would give a plug to a website: http://www.saynoto0870.com/ 0870 numbers frequently have high charges and along with 0845, they often aren't included in inclusive calls packages as they are "non geographical" numbers. This website gives you alternative geographical and 0800 (freephone) numbers you can call instead. It is very rare that I haven't been able to get an alternative. I am on an inclusive calls package and it has saved me a lot of money. Bagpuss |
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15 Sep 06 - 08:59 AM (#1835192) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: GUEST,Bee To Old Guy: Quote: "Very considerate of these nice people wot?" Can you not distinguish between the corporations who use these methods and the people who must work for them? I do wonder why some of you seem to get so many of these calls though. I've not bothered to get on any no-call lists, but get maybe one call every two weeks or so, usually from a charity or a local business, sometimes a survey. However, I've never purchased anything over the phone or the internet. I buy locally everything I possibly can. |
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15 Sep 06 - 09:04 AM (#1835194) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Firecat I used to BE a telemarketer until I was recommended by my doctor to quit because I kept losing my voice due to the appalling conditions (windows open in the middle of winter, closed in the middle of summer, no air con... and that's just for starters!). toadfrog, that wouldn't happen because it is against the law to make sales calls outside the hours of 9 am to 9 pm. The simplest thing to do is just be polite. Trouble is, on most occasions, I could count the number of people who WEREN'T rude to me on one hand and still have four fingers and a thumb free! Sometimes I would have to have a break because I would be in tears after the amount of verbal abuse. At the call centre I worked in, I was one of the oldest there, despite the fact I was only 21 when I left. Most of the people were about 16 or 17, and this was their first job. We didn't get a say in who we called because the calls were made via a computer database, and evry so often we would get someone with the wrong name. We also ended up accidentally calling business numbers (I rang a radio station in Crewe by accident!! Made the DJ laugh because he was playing "Hanging on the Telephone" by Blondie at the time...) or mobiles. Telemarketers are human too, so even if you're having the worst day ever, I can assure you that they are more than likely having an even worse one, bearing in mind that on an average 3 hour shift, they could have to speak to 200 people (at least. I counted on one of my shift and I had spoken to 235 people...) If anyone in the UK wants the TPS number, PM me. I can still remember it off by heart because I think I probably gave it about 10,000 times in my 18 months. I'll shut up now because everyone is going to hate me. |
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15 Sep 06 - 09:11 AM (#1835204) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: number 6 Well for all you folks whose life is a living hell brought by unwanted phone calls, Liz the Squeak has the answer .... and that is cancel your land line and go get yerselvs a cellular phone, no unsolicited phone calls with that device (for now anyway) ... and for Old Guy, you can get yorself a headset for your cell so when you are UP on the ladder you can answer those important calls with ease. See ... there ya go ... there is an answer to all those facets in life that are totally unbearable ... and by applying some thought and fortitude you can live your lives in a state of total Nirvana. sIx |
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15 Sep 06 - 09:40 AM (#1835222) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: jeffp Can you not distinguish between the corporations who use these methods and the people who must work for them? Ah, yes. The Nuremberg Defense. "I was only following orders." |
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15 Sep 06 - 09:41 AM (#1835224) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: GUEST,Shimrod I had to smile the other day. I got a call from 'Derek' who sounded Indian and was selling something or other. I asked him why I should buy something as a result of an unsolicited call from a company I had never heard of. He replied that I could always check out his company on the Internet ... !!! Yeah, ... right !!! |
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15 Sep 06 - 10:29 AM (#1835260) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: alanabit It is one of the few jobs I have ever done, which I am seriously ashamed of. I did the job (it took two afternoons)of ringing up people to ask if they wished to respond to a brochure, which was trying to sell them space at a trade fair. I only did it as a favour for a friend of my bosses at the language school. I will certainly never do it again. It was quite plainly wasting the time of people, who had more important things to do. Not surprisingly, I did not sell a single bit of space. It should not be legal to waste people's time with unsolicited phone calls like that. It is sheer rudeness. |
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15 Sep 06 - 10:33 AM (#1835263) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Becca72 I work for a law firm and we have been receiving a large amount of sales calls in the last couple of weeks. Not sure the reason for the increase, but it has been significant. I answered the phone yesterday to "Hi! My name is so-and-so and we have an excellent business opportunity for"...at which point he pronounced my boss's name incorrectly. I said "I'm sorry, we don't accept phone solicitations". Of course the next step is that I'm assured that his call is not, in fact, a solicitation call. When I asked him if he was going to ask us to purchase something he said "Well, yes but it's a great business opportunity!". So I simply told him that the lawyers in my firm considered that a solicitation and to please take us off their calling list. He continued to argue with me about it so I told him again to take us off the call list and then I hung up. I have no problem saying "no thanks" and letting them get on with their lives, but it's the ones who want to "keep the person on the phone at all costs" that drive me nuts. |
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15 Sep 06 - 10:36 AM (#1835266) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: alanabit Firecat: No one is going to hate you because you once did something, which was wrong. We are all going to get a little lonely if we only talk to folks, who have never done anything wrong! |
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15 Sep 06 - 11:08 AM (#1835283) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Old Guy It's not the drug dealer thatt ruins people's lives, It's the drug cartel that brings it in. The poor, downtrodden drug dealer is just trying to put bread on the table and he can't get a job elsewhere. |
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15 Sep 06 - 11:21 AM (#1835291) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Jeri If you give them ANY opening, they're going to use it. "I don't have the money," means they give you options for giving them LESS money, because everybody can afford that (whatever) low amount. Saying you're not interested right now means they can offer the free estimate or trial (which you have to opt out of later or keep paying) or the special promotional package, or whatever. Any reason or excuse will give them something to wedge into the door to get their foot in. The add goes "JUST say no" for a reason. We were taught that "NO" was when to give up. I've found they can still keep going, but "no" still works. "May I ask why not?" "No" "Would there be a better time for me to call?" "No" "Is there someone else I could talk to?" "No" There is nothing in "No" for them to play off. "No, bye-bye" works even better, especially if followed by a click. |
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15 Sep 06 - 11:21 AM (#1835294) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: number 6 "The Nuremberg Defence" .. man, that's rather extreme. Cliche in the most dramatic sense in this thread. alanabit .... why did you take the job with the telemarketer in the first place? You must have known what you were getting in to. sIx |
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15 Sep 06 - 11:32 AM (#1835313) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: jeffp It's the truth. Claiming "I'm just an employee. The company is the evil one." is just avoiding responsibility. Nobody is holding a gun to these people's heads. They know they are interrupting peoples' lives for no good reason. I just say no. If they choose to ignore that then they are fair game. |
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15 Sep 06 - 11:57 AM (#1835338) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Old Guy I was at the local MCDonalds getting ready to go inside and apply for a job. Suddenly two big, burly telemarketing recruiters jumped out from behind the dumpsters and shanghied me. Now I am doing forced labor aggravating a thousand people just to find one person stupid enough to be ripped off. |
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15 Sep 06 - 12:05 PM (#1835347) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Bagpuss I must say I think it is awful that they make the people in Indian call centres use western names. It's not like anyone believes it, so what is the point? Especially since we don't care what their name is before we put the phone down on them. Every time I hear "Hello my name is Bob, in an Indian accent on the phone" I have an urge to ask him what his real name is. Unfortunately the poor guy would probably get sacked if he told me.... its not in the script... |
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15 Sep 06 - 12:07 PM (#1835350) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Old Guy http://www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/seniorsfam.htm Telemarketing Fraud If you're age 60 or older, you may be a special target for people who sell bogus products and services by phone. Older women living alone are special targets of these scam artists. Telemarketing scams often involve offers of prizes, low-cost vitamins and health care products, and travel offers. There are warning signs to these scams, including promises of "free" or "low cost" vacations and get rich quick schemes. If you hear these--or similar--"lines" from a telephone salesperson, just say "no thank you," and hang up the phone: - "You must act 'now' or the offer won't be good." - "You've won a 'free' gift, vacation, or prize." But you have to pay for "postage and handling" or other charges. - "You must send money, give a credit card or bank account number, or have a check picked up by courier." You may hear this before you have had a chance to consider the offer carefully. - "You don't need to check out the company with anyone." The callers say you do not need to speak to anyone including your family, lawyer, accountant, local Better Business Bureau, or consumer protection agency. - "You don't need any written information about their company or their references." - "You can't afford to miss this 'high-profit, no-risk' offer." Remember, if you hear the lines above, or similar "lines" from a telephone salesperson, just say "no thank you," and hang up the phone: |
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15 Sep 06 - 04:33 PM (#1835561) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: alanabit Number six: I should have known and I make no excuses for doing something which was wrong. I was asked by the woman I worked for at the time, if I would do some telephoning for friend of hers. I did it more out of loyalty to her. Yes, it was certainly wrong. No, I would not have committed fraud, murder, assault or arson just out of misplaced loyalty. I am not proud of it. In mitigation, I will say that it only lasted two afternoons and that the damage done amounted to wasting a little of people's time. It was stupid and it was wrong. However, I regret to say I have done far worse things in my life. I may not be the only Mudcatter of whom this is true. |
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15 Sep 06 - 08:02 PM (#1835675) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: John O'L Regarding the Nuremberg defense, there are more shades of black & white than you can poke a stick at. There are degrees of right & wrong. Sure, blaming the company is a cop-out to a degree, but if it means the difference between eating and not eating, then making unsolicited phone calls is not as wrong as genocide. |
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16 Sep 06 - 10:08 AM (#1835974) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Alice Joe's answer is the solution. Say "please put this number on your DO NOT CALL list" and most of the telemarketing calls will stop. All your other answers to them WON'T WORK. We've had a thread on this in the past and I posted about the do not call list then. I'm surprised so many people don't give the right response to get calls to stop. Wise up, people. If you are irritated and do something ornery in response to them, that will not stop the calls. |
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17 Sep 06 - 04:47 AM (#1836491) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Liz the Squeak Yeah Alice, but sometimes it's FUN to wind 'em up..... Kevin (or Kavinder) hasn't phoned me back since..... LTS |
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17 Sep 06 - 05:58 PM (#1836902) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Mr Red Too right mate - it's FUN. It's my time they are wasting - I demand payment for it. A bit of FUN? That'll do nicely. |
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17 Sep 06 - 06:57 PM (#1836949) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Tootler A bit of thread drift, but relevant. A friend of mine had a neat way of dealing with junk mail that came with a reply paid envelope. He simply put all junk in the prepaid envelope, added a note saying "yours I believe" and put it in the post box. He reckoned his volume of junk mail began to fall quite markedly after a while. |
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17 Sep 06 - 09:55 PM (#1837045) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: GUEST,Kavinder You are one very rood lady Liz the Squeeky. What you did is not the very least bit funny at all. |
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17 Sep 06 - 11:11 PM (#1837093) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Old Guy This thread really about but messing with telemarketers. Of course if you have a good way to stop them, Please share it. I bought a Telezapper that connects in line to one phone in your house, When you pick up or when the answering machine picks up, it emits the three tones you hear when you call a disconnected number. The Telemarketing dialing computers hear the three tones and mark your number as disconnected and does not call that number again. It cut the number of telemarketing calls by 90% but there are new machines and telemarketers coming online every day so it is not foolproof. I recently called an 800 number and put my numbers on the national do not call list and they have tapered off again to maybe a few a day. |
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18 Sep 06 - 12:00 PM (#1837468) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: GUEST,Bee Old Guy, I can somewhat understand your extreme views on the subject if, after doing all that, you're still getting "a few a day". I don't know anybody that gets more than two or three calls a month - I've asked around. Perhaps Nova Scotia isn't considered a good market. "Kavindar"/Kevin may as easily have been calling from New Brunswick, Cape Breton or Toronto. We have plenty of immigrants, and some who have lived here for twenty years still use strongly accented English, just as some English people retain their accents. I know an 84 year old war bride who still speaks with a very strong English accent, despite having lived in NS since the forties. |
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09 Nov 06 - 03:01 AM (#1879944) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: harpmolly When I switched to getting my phone service from my Internet provider, I went from a regular phone line to this "digital voice" thing, which I'm not really that thrilled with. For example, having to dial an area code for every number, even the house next door, is truly annoying (trivial I know). The free long distance is nice, and I haven't yet come close to using up all of my minutes (it works kind of like a cell phone; you have a certain number of minutes to spend each month before you are charged extra per minute. However, there is one thing that bothers me quite a bit. I never got a lot of telemarketers with my Qwest line, but as soon as I switched, I started getting a TON. And since I have this new service based on "minutes", it got me pretty steamed. If my new provider (Earthlink) did indeed sell my name to a bunch of telemarketers, I can't help feeling that can't quite be kosher. It costs me a minute every time a telemarketer calls, whether I pick up or let the machine get it (caller ID is one nice new feature which I'm using a lot these days *sigh*). So, isn't it a bit shady for them to knowingly put me in a position where I'm forced to spend minutes involuntarily? I mean, granted, I've still never used them all, but that doesn't make it right. Am I crazy? (OK, wrong question. ;)) Anyone else experienced this with "digital voice" phone service? Molly |
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09 Nov 06 - 11:15 PM (#1880885) Subject: RE: BS: How to whizz off Telemarketers From: Old Guy Molly: Where I am even with POTS, Plain Old Telephone Service, I have to dial the area code for everything and 1 plus area code for even intrastate long distance calls. |