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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 12:47:04 PM   
NuevaVida


Posts: 6707
Joined: 8/5/2008
Status: offline 		myotherself, When I was 19, I was a bank teller.  The bank chose to remain short staffed and on a busy Friday afternoon, there were only two of us tellers, trying to service the line that went out the door.  Trust me when I say we took our abuse from justifiably annoyed customers.  But I didn't blame the customers for it, I blamed the poor practices of the bank.  After a time, I started telling complaining customers to please go talk to our branch manager - see, that's her sitting right over there, her name is Julie - and I'll be damned, they did!  I'd get nasty looks from the manager, but I was ok with that. 

I only lasted 7 months there and then I quit.  They didn't pay me enough to take that kind of abuse.  I found another job, instead.

Two things I took from that - That kind of abuse came with the nature of that job, and I could choose to stay or go.  Even in a tough economy.  I traded a bank teller job for a part time file clerk job and a part time waitressing job.  And made more money.


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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 12:55:08 PM   
myotherself


Posts: 7157
Joined: 3/9/2006
From: The cold bit of the UK
Status: offline 		I was a telemarketer for about a year. I took the crap and although it wasn't fun, I did understand. For me, it was a way to make money. I did ok - I guess I'm what my line manager called "a natural salesman". But in the end, I moved on.

This experience has made sure I've never been rude to people, never sworn or abused people, only did a bit of gentle piss-taking. To be honest, if someone had done the same to me when I was trying to sell them window blinds, I'd have probably peed myself laughing. But then again, I've always had a twisted sense of humour.

Some of the people I tried selling to ended up laughing with me. Others hung up. That's cool either way. I don't mind what their reaction is.


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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 1:01:09 PM   
NuevaVida


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quote:

ORIGINAL: myotherself

This experience has made sure I've never been rude to people, never sworn or abused people, only did a bit of gentle piss-taking.


My experiences, both at that job and others, and in life in general, has me very aware of not being abusive to others, as well.  Probably why I react so strongly when others behave abusively.


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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 1:03:33 PM   
Arpig


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From: Increasingly further from reality
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quote:

It may be a crappy job, and it may not be the best job in the world, but it is their choice.
You're right, they do have a choice. They can do the crappy job, or they can not feed their family. A bit of a Hobson's choice, but a choice all the same.

I'm with Heather on this one, because I did telemarketing, I took the job because at that point it was the only job on offer. I did it for 4 months. I stopped as soon as I found something else. It's a horrible job, but my kids wouldn't stop shitting and pissing, so I had to buy diapers. Abuse doesn't come with the job, abuse comes from dealing with ignorant people. The responsibility for the abusive behaviour is entirely on the head of the one doing it. The annoying nature of telemarketing is no excuse, just hang up.

If the company doesn't honour the no-call list, report them. It's not the fault of the guy on the phone, he isn't in a position to know if the number he is calling is on a list, he is given a number and he calls it. Instead of just picking on the least guy in the chain where it will accomplish nothing but make a guy who is having a shitty day have an even shittier one, why not do something to actually address what is bothering you?


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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 1:09:17 PM   
Iamsemisweet


Posts: 3651
Joined: 4/9/2011
From: The Great Northwest, USA
Status: offline 		One of the worst jobs I ever had was as a telemarketer.  I really feel for people who have no options but to do that job, and at least they aren't on welfare, right?  They deserve common courtesy and civility, like all the rest of us.  Instead of wasting their time and making them feel even worse about themselves, you could:
1.  put your number on the "do not call" list, if you live in the US.
2.  Don't answer your phone.  This is why god invented caller ID.
3.  Politely and quickly say you are not interested.
What goes around comes around.


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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 1:10:37 PM   
Andryanna


Posts: 42
Joined: 8/11/2011
Status: offline 		When I was younger I worked as a telemarketer part time, to supplement my income.
I was let go after one day, they stated that I was not cut out for the work, and I had to whole heartedly agree. It was a shitty job.

When they call me, they always ask to speak to <insert your name here>, I tell them they have the wrong number. When they ask to speak to the owner of the household, I tell them they aren't in.
Basically I don't have to resort to anything that demeans them and they promptly let me go.

I once had a call from a credit card company; the caller was persistent that I needed their credit card. Since I was already in enough debt and didn't need any more, I told her that my b/f would not allow me to have a credit card. He was the voice and the law in our house and if I went against it, he would be very angry.
She laughed and told me that was the best story she heard in a long time.


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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 1:14:04 PM   
myotherself


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Joined: 3/9/2006
From: The cold bit of the UK
Status: offline 		As I said in my post, I tried to do this. I asked to speak to someone in authority and was told, basically, "no".

I was never abusive. I would never call someone names, swear or shout at them. I'm not that kind of person. Even when I asked the person calling to please leave us alone because my dad had just died and he continued to try to sell us a new conservatory, I did not lose my temper.

What I WILL do is waste their time as much as they waste mine. They want to sell me something I don't want, I want to sell them something they don't want.

In the UK a company which cold calls is obliged to give you the name and mailing address of the company they represent if you ask. That way you can contact them, remind them that you are on a "no call" list and to desist. Or you can report them to the relevant authorities who will kick ass on your behalf. Usually if you ask for this, they either hang up (and you can be sure they'll call back again) or they'll just flat-out refuse. Only one or two have ever given this info, and I have followed up through the appropriate channels.

The ones that refuse -these are the companies I will indulge my time-wasting activities with. As I also said, I have done this job. It's shitty, it's thankless, but it's a job. I got out after a year, and moved on to something else. But I always understood when someone was annoyed and frustrated because they'd had multiple calls despite having said in many different ways they did not want cold calls.

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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 1:25:47 PM   
Iamsemisweet


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Joined: 4/9/2011
From: The Great Northwest, USA
Status: offline 		This I gotta agree with though.  I am not very nice to solicitors or missionaries who come to my house.  I live way out in the country and I have several no trespassing signs at the bottom of my driveway, and my dogs are not exactly welcoming to strangers.  I don't see how I could be any clearer that I don't want people coming to my house. 
quote:

ORIGINAL: NuevaVida

I feel the same way about solicitors who show up at my door uninvited.  It's their job to interject themselves to my personal space and it's my prerogative to react to that.

I, however, don't bother with 'em.  I don't answer the calls and I don't answer the door to people I don't know.  I like my personal space - my home is my place of respite - and I resent people who decide it's OK to intrude on that.



< Message edited by Iamsemisweet -- 8/23/2011 1:26:33 PM >

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The Cat: Oh, you can't help that. We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.
Alice: How do you know I'm mad?
The Cat: You must be. Or you wouldn't have come here.

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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 2:07:11 PM   
zephyroftheNorth


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quote:

People who do this sort of thing are selfish and ignorant.


Telemarketers who call knowing it's suppertime get what they deserve.

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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 2:29:53 PM   
Arpig


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Joined: 1/3/2006
From: Increasingly further from reality
Status: offline 		First of all, the person actually calling you doesn't have the option as to when they call, they are sort of restricted to calling during their shift.

Secondly, how on earth are they supposed to know when you have supper? When I was doing surveys, I got told off for calling at suppertime anywhere between 4 PM and 9 PM. So, "suppertime" is a vague thing that varies from household to household. Sorry, you have no leg to stand on, if you rag on them, you're just being petty and vindictive.

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Why do they leave out the letter b on "Garage Sale" signs?

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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 3:11:02 PM   
Termyn8or


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Joined: 11/12/2005
Status: offline 		FR

I think what alot of people do not understand is that these calls can wreck your phone number. When you have friends and family all over the country you can't just change your number every month, plus it costs money. It's impractical to call everyone you know to give them your new number, and just not answering unfamiliar numbers doesn't work because then they can't call you to give you their new number should they move or something.

Because of shit like this I can't use MY phone number for business. Same with spammail. I got rebates online ONE TIME and it wrecked my favoite email address (Zzactly, with noi numbers after it). I think it should be a capital crime to call someone you don't know to sell them something unless they have somehow expressed interest. Or even email.

Look, these people call from anywhere anyway, so it's simple, give all poll takers one area code and all cold callers another area code. But see that's a solution that would work so it will never happen. Of course you know if it comes from an 800, 866 area code. And if it comes in unknown you know damn well it's been CID spoofed so you don't want to deal with them anyway. Just like the ones that come in 000-000-0000.

It is my right to get rude, even nasty or vile with ANYONE who calls me, known or unknown. I have mellowed over the years and found some ways to avoid that because I actually met a telemarketer once. Yup, sitting here right in mt house. She told me they expected some people to get nasty and that was part of the job. For a time I WANTED to make them miserable so they would find another job and then telemarketing companies would have trouble finding help.

But there are other ways than to get nasty with the caller and I found one that works really well. It'll get you blacklisted, you don't need a fucking national do not call registry, you'll get on their private one !

What you do is if you are eating of course continue to eat, noisily if you prefer, but you must go on doing what you're doing. Even if you are bullshitting with a bunch of people. Be nice. Talk with them, of course with many interruptions. Be sold. Tell them their product is the best fucking thing since salted butter, and how you have found that unsalted butter does not keep as long. It's healthier if you use alot of butter but it won't keep all that long. I freeze mine if I buy it, which is usually for kash, because then I salt the butter myself with twenty buck a pound sea salt. I also use expensive imported paprika.

But their product, oh yeah, that sounds great, where does that come from ? How can you give me such a deal on it ? Great. Hey, can you also get me ___________ and ___________. They'll have to ask someone probably, bugging the manager. But yes I would love to have that. Price ? Oh boy, that sound very reasonable, yes, I think I want that.

Keep them on the phone for a fucking hour and when it's time for the CC numbers to come out, either they ain't any good or you can't find the card or your dog just got loose, so they have to hang on. Leave them hang on for as long as possible. If you need to use the phone, just hang up but if you don't...............

Modern boiler rooms log the calls, many probably record them but at the very least they have a log of how long the call took and how much money it brought in. If it brought in nothing it is divide by zero. If the call takes a fucking hour it is divide alot more by zero. They will take you off the list themself. The problem is when they go out of business your number goes back on the list which then gets sold.

The best bet really is to just get an old style answering machine and screen your calls, but if you live in a big house that is not always practical, what you gonna wire it up to a PA system or something ? Seems to me there should be a technological solution to this.

T^T

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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 3:23:28 PM   
Arpig


Posts: 9930
Joined: 1/3/2006
From: Increasingly further from reality
Status: offline
quote:

these calls can wreck your phone number.
How?

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Profile   Post #: 32
RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 3:30:38 PM   
Termyn8or


Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
Status: offline 		Because most of the time my ringer is turned off. That means if a friend is stranded nearby, they have to call AAA. That's wrecked in my book. Unless they have a cellphone, what if the battery is dead ? In the days of payphones it was worse.

T^T

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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 3:30:58 PM   
DarkSteven


Posts: 28072
Joined: 5/2/2008
Status: offline 		When my daughter was 2 years old, she LOVED to listen to the phone.  Whenever a telemarketer called, I silently handed the phone to her.  She would get a big beaming smile on her face when she heard the voice talking to her.  But she wouldn't say anything.  Eventually, they'd hang up and she would get this sad expression on her face.

Ah, memories...


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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 3:33:05 PM   
Arpig


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From: Increasingly further from reality
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quote:

Because most of the time my ringer is turned off. That means if a friend is stranded nearby, they have to call AAA. That's wrecked in my book.
That's your doing, if it's wrecked, you wrecked it. You turned off the ringer, don't blame telemarketers for your choice of a stupid reaction to a minor inconvenience of modern life.

_____________________________

Big man! Pig Man!
Ha Ha...Charade you are!

Why do they leave out the letter b on "Garage Sale" signs?

CM's #1 All-Time Also-Ran


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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 3:36:10 PM   
Termyn8or


Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
Status: offline 		It ain't minor.

T^T

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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 3:36:15 PM   
NuevaVida


Posts: 6707
Joined: 8/5/2008
Status: offline 		Termy, This is where Caller ID comes in handy.  If I'm receiving a call and it's outside my area code and I don't recognize the number, it goes to voicemail.  Then I listen to the voicemail and if it's someone I know, I call back.

If it's a friend who needs help and I don't answer for some reason, they text me.

The last telemarketer I talked to was from the Mondavi Arts Center, asking if I wanted to purchase a package of concert/theater tickets again.  And I do.  So, not a wasted call on their part.  But I only answered because it was a local area code and I thought it might be someone I knew.  Prior to that, I can't remember the last time I answered and it was a telemarketer. 


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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 3:44:49 PM   
igor2003


Posts: 1718
Joined: 1/1/2004
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: HeatherMcLeather

Or you could do what I do "Sorry, I'm not interested, good luck on your next call. Bye" and then hang up.

It really isn't necessary to be an asshole to some poor Joe or Jane  who is just trying to make a living doing the only job they could find. You don't think they really want to be doing that do you? Have you ever spoken to somebody who does telemarketing, asked them how fast they would take another job if they found one?

I didn't think so.

People who do this sort of thing are selfish and ignorant. I don't often get really annoyed at people, but I'm sorry, this mindset is simply revolting. They should be ashamed of them selves. I sincerely hope they all loose their jobs and can find no way to pay their bills or feed themselves other than an endless string of telemarketing jobs. Maybe then they'll learn a little empathy.

People like this disgust me, especially since they can get their number put on a no-call list with no real effort. People are always telling me I'm too young and naive, that I don't have an adult's attitude or experience, well if this is the way adults behave, then I don't ever want to be one. I'll stick with young and naive, thank you very much.




I fully understand that these people are just doing a job, and I applaud them for that. 

However...the way I see it is that I am the one paying for my phone service.  I did not get it to make it convenient for them to do their business.  If they want to pay my phone bill then let them call.  Until then they need to stay off of my phone line.  To me it seems it is the telemarketers that are being rude by using what I pay for to do their business.

I am on the "no call" list, but before that came along my favorite thing to do was to listen to what they had to say, then say yes, I'd like to get their product and to please wait while I got my credit card.  Then I'd just lay the phone down and see how long they would stay on the line.

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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 3:46:56 PM   
Slavehandsome


Posts: 382
Joined: 9/19/2004
Status: offline 		You can't say "its not the fault of the poor schmuck making the call", because yes, they decided to work there, as opposed to down the street in another industry. The industry doesn't pay well for those people, because the bosses are more concerned about their own pockets. What you have on the other end of the line, is one of the people responsible for hounding you, much like the cop who 'enforces the law' at night when you made a right-on-red when nobody is in sight. The cop's going to say "just doing my job" even though the spirit of that law was to prevent an accident from happening, but the cop is not empowered to make a judgement call on the side of the road anymore like they used to. Its all about the numbers, and revenue. Therefore, in order to fuck with their numbers, keep that salesguy on the phone and ask open-ended questions about their products, available options, possible side effects or ramifications, any relevant safety issues or something in the news about the service or product, and whatever you do, keep them on the phone. You will find that you're removed from these lists faster than any no-call list can get you.

The other thing to do, is to say "while I've got you on the phone, are you looking to refinance your home? Because I've got some great options and today is a great day to lock in." Sell them on whatever you or anybody you know has for sale. It could be a used Johnboat or somebody's Mary Kay products. The person on the other end of the phone is clearly motivated for sales, so make a sale happen! Get their call list and tell them that they'd be doing both of you a favor since you'll plug their products too, and route qualified referrals back to his original number. Get his home phone number or cell and have your friends call him at odd hours, since he's clearly open to flex-time (i.e. your dinner time).





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RE: Best Way to Mess with Telemarketers - 8/23/2011 3:55:16 PM   
MistressDarkArt


Posts: 5178
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: NuevaVida


This actually reminds me - sidebar story - Years ago my home number was the same number as a resort hotel in Monterey, except the resort's was an 800 number.  Sillies living in CA didn't realize that just because they were in the same area code didn't mean they did NOT have to dial "800" first, so we'd get lots of calls from people looking to make reservations.  It was annoying because the calls would come any time of day or night.

Once, just for fun, I answered the phone, "Monterey Resort Hotel" and sure enough, someone wanted to make a reservation.  I was half tempted to pretend to take it (hmm, and get their Visa number) but I couldn't be that mean.  I started impatiently telling people, though, that 800 numbers still require the person to actually dial "800", no matter where they lived.



I get calls for a hotel in the southern part of my county that is 1 digit off from mine. If the caller is dumb enough to leave a msg on a generic answering machine asking about reservations, they don't deserve a call-back. On the other hand, I often get calls from/for a doctor's office in my city. They *always* get a call back to set them straight about the wrong number, because medical stuff is important, needs to be dealt with in a timely manner and should remain confidential.

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