How to deal with telemarketers...

[Fedges]

this isn't a joke or anything I'm just bored and felt like being helpful. I'm currently working as a student caller for my schools fundraising department so trust me I know what I'm talking about. This guide is on how to make sure you're never called again from the same agency you receive a call from....

*Don't be rude or mean, if you are the caller will probably make sure you get a call again out of spite. Also remember even though these calls are annoying the person who's calling you is just trying to get paid.*

Ok so here we go, you get a call and the caller asks something like "Hello is Mr. Smith available?", now whether or not you are in fact Mr. Smith do not answer this question instead respond with you're own question which should be "May I ask what this call is regarding?". After they answer this question simply say "Oh could you please take me off of the calling list.". There you go thats all there is to it, also if you get a call again from a group you know you asked to be taken off the calling list for ask to speak to a manager or boss as soon as you find out it's the same group calling you again and ask the boss to take you off the calling list because you asked a caller to last time and they did not.

Thats all there is to it but make sure you follow this guide pretty directly because if not there are a lot of technicalities callers will use to justify not taking you off the list because doing so makes their stats look bad.

[Straight-Edge]

"Sorry, my house is going through a tunnel, I'll call you back later"

[Thimbles]

Some kid in my Graphics class told me that they can get fired for hanging up on you. I assume everyone understands what I'm getting at...

[ZekeySpaceyLizard]

I just lead them on for an hour with inane babble. Wasting their time and annoying them.

[Fedges]

At 11/24/08 07:12 PM, Thimbles wrote: Some kid in my Graphics class told me that they can get fired for hanging up on you. I assume everyone understands what I'm getting at...

It is true that a caller can be fired for hanging up on a person, but if you are clearly trying to make them hang up on you by being blatantly disrespectful or rude or something like that then they can hang up on you with no consequences. Also calling jobs are so boring it's actually great to get an angry asshole on the phone because it at least breaks the monotony of countless answering machines.

[yurgenburgen]

At 11/24/08 07:08 PM, Fedges wrote: even though these calls are annoying the person who's calling you is just trying to get paid.

That's no excuse. Getting paid for it doesn't justify harassing people. The people who work in telemarketing do so because they know they're getting paid to sit around on their arse, they're just too lazy to do anything more demanding so they go for the telemarketing career even though they know they are just another burden on society.

[Fedges]

At 11/24/08 07:29 PM, yurgenburgen wrote: That's no excuse. Getting paid for it doesn't justify harassing people. The people who work in telemarketing do so because they know they're getting paid to sit around on their arse, they're just too lazy to do anything more demanding so they go for the telemarketing career even though they know they are just another burden on society.

more info from people who have no fucking idea what they are talking about after this........

[Raguel]

At 11/24/08 07:29 PM, yurgenburgen wrote: Getting paid for it doesn't justify harassing people. The people who work in telemarketing do so because they know they're getting paid to sit around on their arse, they're just too lazy to do anything more demanding so they go for the telemarketing career even though they know they are just another burden on society.

That's not necessarily true. I had to take an office job when I injured myself before and the only thing I could get was telemarketing and quite frankly I had to eat. Most of the people who worked there were either women or physically handicapped in some way. After a couple of months I was given the choice to be moved off the phones and become a QA if I stayed working on the phones indefinitely until a position for a QA opened and the money was good so I stayed on and became a QA.

I'll admit that a lot of lazy bastards go for the job but it really made me cringe to hear people on the phone calling a wheelchair user a fucking cunt who was nothing but a burden on society.

In general telemarketers are less thrilled about making the calls than the people receiving them are but what the OP said is true. Nearly everyone who treats them like shit will be called back.

[wweerrdd]

Well Fedges I appreciate the your pragmatic solution to dealing with telemarketers. I've also abused these people in the past, either by getting annoyed with them or boring them to death with some techno babble. One memorable telemarketer was taken through the definition of temperature and how that related to a Carnot Engine. But, that was when I was young and stupid. Now that I think long and hard about it your advice is truly the best. There is no getting around being up front even if it does take a little bit of your time. So, again thanks for the advice.

[Pixmintro]

When my parents weren't home, I once answered a telemarketer yelling "My dick is caught in my zipper! Call the Coast Guard!" They immediately hung up and I felt great pride after that...

They called again two hours later, my mom answered but they didn't say anything... :P

[Rosenrot-I]

The best telemarketer experience I've had was when I was at a friend's house and one of em called. It was an Indian fella so my friend decided to mess with him for a bit. For the next 10mins she tried to convince him to buy an elephant off her. Fucking hilarious.

[BellClock]

"I'm busy making a shitty thread on a shitty site."

[xports]

I usually just tell them I'm interested, but I'm busy at the moment. I'll then ask for their home number. When they say, "Sir, I can't give that number out. It's private," I scream at the top of my lungs: "WELL WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK THIS IS!?!," before I violently slam the phone down. They seem to never call back after that...

Either that or act retarded.

[Cootie]

I tell them to give me their phone number, so that when they are trying to relax I can call them and we can talk about the product.

[thenewbies]

At 11/24/08 07:08 PM, Fedges wrote: This guide is on how to make sure you're never called again from the same agency you receive a call from....

Or you could sign up on the Do-Not-Call list.

[GoryBlizzard]

I loathe telemarketing calls because they waste my time.

But I haven't gotten any in a while.

[metalstorm]

I have a silent number so I very rarely get calls from telemarketers. On rare occasion that they do ring, I yell at them and ask them how the fuck they got my number and eventually they'll hang up and never ring back again.

The moral of the story is if you want to yell at a telemarketer and you never want them to ring back just pretend you have a silent number.

[Hancack]

At 11/24/08 07:45 PM, xports wrote: I usually just tell them I'm interested, but I'm busy at the moment. I'll then ask for their home number. When they say, "Sir, I can't give that number out. It's private," I scream at the top of my lungs: "WELL WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK THIS IS!?!," before I violently slam the phone down. They seem to never call back after that...

Either that or act retarded.

That reminds me of what Jerry Seinfeld said on his show Seinfeld, or it may just be a coincidence that the only diference is that you scream.

[Riraito]

There's a national "do not call" registry you can put your phone number on. Worked for me.

[Chdonga]

I just said random words in Spanish, it turned out the person spoke Spanish. I said something about cats farting on your flamigo cars.

[JKMonkey]

whenever a telemarketer calls me, i put the phone up to my laptop speakers and play a Mr. T soundboard or something

its soo funny

[Cardboardwarrior]

Have a meaningful conversation with them. That'll show 'em.

[Dangan]

At 11/24/08 08:49 PM, Cardboardwarrior wrote: Have a meaningful conversation with them. That'll show 'em.

Yes because there's nothing like human interaction with a fat twat who literally gets paid to piss people off with pointless products.

Simple answer: Trace his number or house address, and then bother him constantly until he either buys whatever you're selling or simply snaps and has a breakdown of sorts.

Doesn't provide a solution but fuck it is fun.

[ragingfred]

"sorry I no speak english"