posted
I learned a new trick when telemarketers call. They say what they're selling, you say, "I already have one". Even if you don't actually have it they'll still say,"Okay, thanks for your time" And hang up. Quick, easy, effective, and I don't have to feel bad about hanging up on someone (I'm too polite, even to hang up on someone trying to sell me something). Of course, there's also the "I bought one, and it sucks, I want my money back" line. Which would be funnier, and probably cause THEM to hang up Posts: 3003 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
I feel no obligation to be nice to telemarketers. They knew when they took the job that it was a loathsome and intrusive occupation. I don't screw with them, but I don't hear them out, either. I simply hang up and get it over with.
Posts: 1814 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
That isn't being rude, telemarketers are fine with people hanging up. We understand things like that (I have likewise been a telemarketer)
Its being insulting when we have been as polite as our jobs allow us to be that's aggravating and unwarranted.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
It's not like the people manning the phones are in anyway related to the companies. Mostly it's just people who need money and find telemarketing an ok occupation with flexible hours.
Keep in mind, it's not all that upsetting when people are rude to you, you get used to it really quick. But somehow people have in their minds that they can be rude to telemarketers and it is not a reflection on their own characters because it's just telemarketers and that's not true.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
Well, I was joking about the "Gimme my money back" thing, but I don't see anything with politely telling them you have it, even if you don't. That wouldn't bother me, and I don't have to deal with a hang up.
Posts: 3003 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
In my defense, the telemarketer was offering me a subscription to a newspaper I already was intending to subscribe to for a much-reduced "introductory rate." I figured what the heck, since I was planning on buying the product anyway. But is is the principle of saying "yes" to a telemarketer that has me worried. Kind of like when a cute kitten shows up on your doorstep. The moment you show the slightest compassion and feed it, you're stuck with it forever.
Posts: 786 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
I changed long-distance plans based on a telemarketing call once. I was pretty young and had never "shopped" for long distance before, but it sounded really good. I called my dad and asked him if I'd made a good decision, and he ended up changing plans to what I'd bought. So sometimes telemarketing works.
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
It's when you end up saying yes, and all of a sudden Time Life is sending you (And billing you for) piece of crap after piece of crap. And I have to send it back. And it's TICKING ME OFF!!!!!!
Posts: 3003 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
I heard at one time from a teacher that most Tele-Marketers are inmates at prison... I've always thought it would be fun to get a call and say something like, "So, What'cha in for?"
I laugh when they think I own the house, I answer, they start talking about a deal on windows or something, then I say, "You know, I don't own the house, perhaps you wish to speak with my father."
They have been happy enough and kind enough to take their mistakes well with me though... Doesn't mean I don't hate the calls.
Posts: 1831 | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
I like when they ask if the head of the household is home. I'm trying to think of a funny way to convey the fact that we are a household of 3 headstrong, moody, egocentric girls.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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posted
I'm slightly sympathetic to telemarketers ever since I had to do my own cold-call survey a little while ago. So many people were so nice that I now make sure that I'm at least moderately polite to people who cold call.
Posts: 2245 | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I'm usually polite to telemarketers who call.
My brother, on the other hand, isn't.
Once we got a call in the afternoon (before Mom and Dad were home), and the telemarketer asked to speak to Dad.
So Jamie goes, "Sure, just one second." Then he took the phone away from his ear and yelled out (in a real redneck accent) "Daddy! Put the gun down, it's just a telemarketer!"
Needless to say, the phone line went dead.
Posts: 873 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
Back a number of years ago, (when I was a young lad of teenage years) my dad got fed up with this one company that kept calling after repeated requests for them to stop calling. So one night, right in the middle of dinner the phone rings. Dad picks it up and says Devil speaking! Who in Hell you want!? There was a silence for a few moments then a timid voice asks I..Is Ricky there? 10 minutes later, the phone rings again. Dad does the same thing. My grandmother just said, without missing a beat, "Lemme speak to Audry" (my mom)
posted
My brother once got a call from a telemarketer offering him a credit card. He went with it, and then started asking all sorts of odd questions, like:
Can I use the card to pay bills? How about other credit card bills? Does it work at every store? Even gun shops? Could I use it to buy something I needed like, oh, say, a shovel? And bleach to clean up blood...er, never mind that last part.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
The best way to get rid of calls is to let the person calling know they have found who they were looking for, and then tell them "remove me from your list".
By law they have 30 days from that point to stop calling you. If you say it politely telemarketers don't get offended, they remove you from the list, and move on to the next call.
Also, you can add yourself to the national "do not call" list. Keep in mind though, that small telemarketing firms, independent businesses who do telemarketing, and any company you have an account with, can still call you.
Posts: 995 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
I worked as a telemarketer, so I have sympathy for the person on the other end of the line.
I do agree, however, that the telemarketing companies need to be discouraged. As a result, I absolutely refuse to buy something because of a telemarketing call/spam email/etc.. Even if it's something that looks or sounds really good, I refuse to do it out of principle.
When I get a door-to-door salesman or telemarketing call, I just say "I'm not interested" and then hang up or close the door. I'm not rude, but I don't give them a chance to respond. I feel better about not being mean to them, and they didn't waste their time on somebody who isn't interested.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
Oh, and everyone who answers with what they think are really clever retorts, the telemarketer is just like, "oh, another dumb guy." I mean sure, I hung up on the guy who told me he was from Shangri-La, but he was the only one impressed with his cleverness. I just wasn't going to waste my time talking to someone who I obviously wasn't going to get a sale with. On the other hand, I also hung up on the countless people who said they weren't interested and asked me to take them off their list, and I was far more impressed by their politeness.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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quote:Oh, and everyone who answers with what they think are really clever retorts, the telemarketer is just like, "oh, another dumb guy."
Excellent point. Do all those "clever" people who like to mess with telemarketers really think that the telemarketers haven't heard it all before? Gee, pretending we're looking for a way to kill someone and hide the evidence. That's original. Posts: 1814 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
I mean no offense Blacwolve, but I don't think any of these people really care whether or not they impress the telemarketer...quite the opposite really.
I agree though that we should all try to be more polite to everyone.
Posts: 194 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
I never hang up on telemarketers, and I usually try to wait for them to stop talking before I say no (I never buy anything from a telemarketer). I am, however, quite willing to lie to a telemarketer. I've found that making up outlandish reasons why I don't want their product works much better than just saying no.
A few examples:
"Hello Mr. Sasajamamajama, I'm calling to offer you a coupon for fifty dollars worth of groceries just for trying our new product, which will potentially save you hundreds of dollars a year." "Oh, no thanks. I am morally opposed to the concept of saving money. And I like to spend as much as possible on groceries."
"Hello sir, may I speak to Michael Samagakajawaka?" "Speaking." "I'm calling to let you know that the Orange County Register is now available to you for less than half the news stand price." "I'm sorry, I'm not interested. I don't know how to read, so I wouldn't have much use for a newspaper."
"Good afternoon, may I speak to Mr. Saunagohoobadooby?" "This is he." "I'm calling on behalf of your cable company to let you know that you can now receive Cinemax for just $5 a month." "Thank you, but no. I have a phobia of channels that have the letter X in the name."
They usually won't try to argue with you when you give reasons like that. I'm always very polite about it, but I try to act like I'm serious. [Edit: I never used to do this, but I started having telemarketers call me and then refuse to let me say no. They'd keep trying to convince me that I wanted their product, and since I don't like to hang up on people, the call would go on for much longer than I wanted, sometimes as much as ten minutes or more. Giving a fake but unassailable reason usually gets around this.]
On the rare occasions that a telemarketer pronounces my name properly I always compliment them on doing a good job.
By the way, I have a question for all the former telemarketers in this thread. In general, if the customer has no intention of buying, would you prefer it if he allowed you to finish what you're saying or would you prefer it if he cut you off immediately so you don't waste your time?
posted
Thomas hung up on one for me the other day, which is cool. I normally wait for them to finish to say no. If they try and do a 'but wait there's MORE' I will immediately hang up. What, you didn't believe me? My in-laws try to be tricky, if it's home improvement stuff, they tell them they rent, etc.
Of course, with the do no call registry I don't have to do much of anything.
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
The no-call registries (national and state) and new regulations have done wonders, in my opinion. I don't mind the few telemarketing calls I get these days, as a simple "I'm not interested, may I please be removed from your list" has been totally sufficient. This is in marked contrast to how it used to be.
Posts: 2919 | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
Legally, once you say you want to be removed from the list, telemarketers can't continue trying to sell you something.
Posts: 995 | Registered: May 2003
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quote: I mean no offense Blacwolve, but I don't think any of these people really care whether or not they impress the telemarketer...quite the opposite really.
Well, there are two people involved in the conversation, and they're definately trying to impress somebody.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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quote: By the way, I have a question for all the former telemarketers in this thread. In general, if the customer has no intention of buying, would you prefer it if he allowed you to finish what you're saying or would you prefer it if he cut you off immediately so you don't waste your time?
Cut me off immediantly, preferably by hanging up. See, we're required to keep trying to convince you, and we have supervisors listening in on our calls, so we can't just let you off. It's so much easier when people just hang up.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
I worked in telemarketing for 2 1/2 days, and then I couldn't take any more. I wasn't even cold calling, either. I was attempting to get current customers to resubscribe to the magazines they had already ordered from our company. To top it off, 12 1/2 % of the money from each subscription went to the Special Olympics! I know, it's hard to believe I walked away from all that.
But I must admit that it did change the way I talk to telemarketers when they call me. Until recently, when my wife insisted, I was unable even to hang up on them.
Posts: 1652 | Registered: Aug 2003
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