Telemarketers: How do you deal with them?

Telemarketers: How do you deal with them?

  • I actually talk to them and hear what they have to sell

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I tell them at the first break in their pitch that I am not interested, then hang up

    Votes: 14 27.5%

  • I give the phone to my 5- year old

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I just hang up while they are talking, because they won't stop.

    Votes: 18 35.3%

  • I get upset

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other (please elaborate)

    Votes: 19 37.3%
  • Total voters
    51
R

ray_g

Guest
:bang:I used to get worked up, but now I do not even bother. How do YOU deal with these annoying phone calls?

I thought this may be a source of some novel ideas, a laugh or two, or even just a thread to vent your frustration. And yes, the National Do Not Call list did not seem to have made a difference, at least for me.

This may or may not be as applicable to our non-US members.
 
I hang up on them without comment most of the time. When I do offer a comment it is usually very profane.
 
i used to do the seinfeld thing...ask for their number so i could call them back later.

years ago i got rid of my land line and have only used a cell phone since.
not one telemarketing call since.

joe
 
Ray, there is a hilarious bit on You-tube where the receiver of a telemarketing call pretends that he is a police officer and that the resident the telemarketer has just called has been murdered.

"Hey Carl, get a picture of the knife in the body!"

The policeman then asks the telemarketer how long he has known the deceased and when the last time he saw him was, etc. and that he may be called in for questioning.

It keeps going along this vein for a while, with the telemarketer completely on the defensive. It's worth the search.

(While on you-tube, check out Mr. Diety.)
 
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Call display baby! If I don't know 'em, I don't answer 'em and let the answering machine pick up and listen as they leave a message (or don't)

Ron
 
I like to answer the phone, listen a moment, say "Hold on just a minute." then place the handset down near the radio or TV. After a few minutes I check to see if they have hung up.
 
Ray,
The "do not call" list has cut down on but not eliminated these calls to me. None on my cell phone,yet.
Depending on how baldly they lie--if it's truly a survey, I might take time to answer--about why they are calling I have different responses.
Utter confusion for when I'm wanting to amuse my self a little.
"Storm windows? If I want to see storms, won't the windows get in the way?"
If it's the same company again, "Storm windows? will the aliens be able to see me f*^%$ing the dog?"
And if it's the same company again the same day,"Storm windows? Can I speak to your supervisor? I'd like to complain about you asking me about my sex life."
Long ago I worked as a telephone sales guy. Two different companies; One was selling Time-Life books. That one wasn't too bad--we only called folks who had bought some books. They at least knew the product and were potentially inclined to buy more.
The other company was a complete scam. Discount coupon books for local businesses. Who, understandably, were a little ticked off at not being asked if they wanted to offer discounts. The last shift I worked the local District Attorney and several police officers showed up, arrested the managers and sent us wage slaves home. Not a fun afternoon.
I'm fairly merciless about 'em.
Rob
 
I used to asked female callers what they were wearing and tell them I was naked. That was good for a quick hang up. (I wouldn't try this today, as this was 30 years ago. Different times.)

I have also used foul language after the beeps on automated surveys. Then, I grew up and got caler id.
 
If I have better things to do (usually), I just hang up.
Otherwise I keep them on the phone a bit, running up a huge order, and then say the only way I'll pay is cash ... they all want a credit card.

Peter
 
I'm on the Texas and National do not call list so I don't get telemarketer calls..
 
I have to chime in. I feel sorry for people doing a terrible job. Who would want it?!?!
So I treat them like humans who are trying to make a living. Let's face it if they had more options they would probably take them.... So I simply say "Sorry, I don't do any business by phone, have a nice day" then hang up... All in a calm tone... Do not call lists/caller ID are also great...

The real issue is what company thinks it is a good idea to market to me like that...NOW those are the people I'd like to tear a strip off.
 
We dropped our land line months ago and have had no telemarketing calls since....
Now, I've started getting them at my work number! They call me and I tell them off, then I hear a co-worker's phone ring, then another, then another.....
 
I used to get terribly cranky and nasty until I realized several students of mine worked for different businesses but they all had to make phone calls like these.

They didn't like it. In fact, very few of them lasted at their jobs because they couldn't put up with all the abuse they got.

So, I changed my strategy. If I pick up the phone before looking at the caller ID, I feign ignorance, ask them to call later, claim to be only house-sitting and know nothing about the owners, speak with a strong, phony accent, but in all cases they always say "Thanks" first and then I hang up.

In the past I used to let them roll their speech and then I'd say something like "You lost me after you said 'Hi.' Could you repeat it all?"

And then I used to hang.

Caller ID and answering machines make life easier.

But then, being in all kinds of No-call lists has made a slight difference. There haven't been very many calls since I added our names to the list.
 
We're on a no call list so we only get calls from "researchers" and that happens rarely. When they call I am civil to them but back in the day before the no call list I was often tempted to tell them to eff off.

Actually a creepy thing happened the other day. My mobile phone is on the no call list but last week I got my very first text message spam on it! :eek: :eek: :eek: The message included a link to a site flogging a Visa card. I was pretty ticked; I called the company and complained and they said they'd take my number out of their database. About three hours later I got another text message from them that it had been done... :mad:

Ray - have you been flogging my mobile number to marketers? ;)
 
I tell them firmly but semi-politely that I do not accept sales calls.

If they don't immediately hang up I ask them to please place me on their do-not-call list.

Yes, I am on the national do-not-call list but I do get these calls occasionally.
 
It's an unpleasant job and the people doing it probably would rather be doing something else. They're usually on a quota so I try not to waste their time. I just hang up quietly so they can move on to the next number on their list with as little delay as possible, while I go on with my life.
 
I feel sorry for them as well. I usually jsut say no thanks and hang up. Once I jsut hung up and within a minute my phone rang again; I picked it up, said hello, and they hung up on me! :)
 
I have found asking for a supervisor, getting an address and billing them for my time ($1,000 minimum) gets me put on a no-call list.

Peter
 
I have used the DO NOT CALL list ever since Ares started confusing me with Aphrodite amd calling all the time for a "date"!

But remember, for those of us who started using it when it was first introduced; we will soon have to renew DNC! It is a mortal solution; not an eternal one.

Oh, BTW, without telling him, I put my dad, Zeus, on DNC too. He's much too polite these days and doesn't want to just hang up the phone.
 
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