In the last four hours, I’ve had four telemarketing calls. Is there some kind of quota they have to meet by the end of the year?
I’ve googled the numbers (yeah, I’m bored + curious, and we all know what that did to the cat), and they all come back to polling firms; one Michigan, one Stockton, two Utah. I’m not bored enough to answer the calls. But I do wonder – have I suddenly become some very important demographic?
I sometimes get four in ONE hour-the ones calling you are slacking! One from Waterloo Iowa
pesters me 4-6 times a weekday (and occ. on Saturdays).
here is a great way to get telemarketers to put you on their “internal” “Do not call” list.
First a bit of back ground on why this works. Telemarketers do indeed have a quota, a dual quota, actually. They have to make a certain number of calls per day, and make a certian number of sales.
If you ever Do buy something from a telemarketer, your name gets a star, and when they sell that list of names, “starred” items sell for more. On the other hand, poeple who waste their time, and cost them quota “points” get an X. (meaning not worth calling)
So here is what you do…
When the telemarkter calls ack delighted that they have phoned. Be excited about their product or service.
“Wow! is it ever great you called! I was just thinking about having my carpets cleaned!”
as they begin to go into their speil say something l;ike “Whups! Sorry to interupt, but the baby just woke up!”
Put the phone down with out saying anything more, and leave it for 5 minutes or so.
Come back, and if they are still there apologise and reaffirm your enthusiasm.
Then make up another excuse “hey, I’ll be right back, I have a pot boiling over!”
again, put the phone down and wait 5 minutes
If theya re still there… Keep playing the game.
Until they are NOT there when you get back. You just got an X beside your name.
Regards
FML
The above post explains the reason I don’t get these calls anymore. Too bad, I kind of miss them. It added some much needed shenanigans to my routine.
The magic words are: “Please remove me from your calling list.” If you just hang up or play a cutsey joke, your number gets bounced right back to the “call again” list.
Never understood why people want to torment telemarketers. Honestly, they’re just people trying to make a living. (Telemarketing centers are often located in economically depressed areas and they give jobs to people who dont have education/skills.)
I don’t like the calls, either, but I’m not going to be nasty about it. Just firmly, but politely say, “No thanks. Please remove me from your calling list” and hang up. Problem solved.
The above trick only works if BOTH the telemarketer and their employer are honest. If either or both are even the least bit shady, then it becomes incumbant upon you, the victim, to pursue the issue.
As a matter of fact, yes, we’ve received multiple calls from the same group after politely asking they remove our number from their list. We’ve tried making the follow-up complaints, writing letters, etc. with limited success. What a waste of time.
On the other hand, if you spend that time making the telemarketer hate their job as much as possible, then you’ll accomplish two things: you’ll encourage the telemarketer to do what they can to not call you again, and you’ll encourage the telemarketer to keep looking for a better (and more honest, and usually better-paying) job.
I should know, I’ve been in the telemarketer’s seat several times. I’ve seen how the system works. Two of the most soul-saving job moves I’ve ever made was quitting that one job, and standing up for the customer and therefore getting fired from the other job.
I’ll put up with second-hand smoke, and yammering dogs, and evangelical atheists, and nose-pickers, and fellow commuters with bad B.O. …but telemarketers - never!
Just to point out: there is a difference between telemarketing and polling/market research.
Federal law actually makes it a crime to sell anything under the guise of a survey or research call. Federal do-not-call restrictrions also do not apply to research firms, so being on the Federal DNC list does not exempt you from being selected for a research survey.
Do you automatically assume that they are? I have deep reservations about lumping an entire profession into the “shady” category. Just like with any stereotype, the behavior of a few “bad apples” shouldn’t give the entire group a bad name. The majority of telemarketing firms are legitimate businesses.
If you feel that you have been victimized, you should contact the appropriate authorities. Tormenting the employee calling you may give you a temporary sense of satisfaction but what does it actually accomplish? Most telemarketers are given a list and are required to call the numbers on it and go through their spiel-- and are often monitored to ensure that they do so.
I disagree. Firstly, if they are crooked, your numnber will be bounced back to the call list regardless of your behavior. There’s no guarantee that the same telemarketer you abused yesterday will be the one who called you today. They may have no choice in the matter of whether to call you again or not. Many firms are run on a very simple system-- not computerized. The operator often has no way of noting your behavior last time they called. Their choices are just to take the number off the list, note that a sale was made or to send it back to be called again.
Secondly, I think it’s a bit mean-spirited to hope that harassment will drive them out of gainful employment. (Again, most firms are not crooked.) What if their employment options are extremely limited do to scheduling problems, health issues, poor education, scarcity of opprotunity in the area or transportation? Those are not obstacles which are overcome simply by being made miserable.
Lastly, I simply don’t believe in being nasty to people.
As mentioned, this only works if the company is either a) honest, or b) competent enough to actually remove you from their list.
For 3 months we were getting (on our unpublished/unlisted number) calls from a firm out of the Denver area selling subscriptions to our paper. Each call was ended with a polite equest to be removed from the call list. The calls kept coming at a rate of about 2 a month. Exasperated I again asked to be removed. The person that called either didn’t know standard protocol, or knew it well enough to get it done. I was told the request had to be made to a supervisor to verify it. (Why the recorded call wasn’t enough I have no idea.)
Anyway, I spoke to the Sup and made the request and now no more calls. The fact I had to keep putting up with the calls until they were able to hit the delete button like they should have the first time just further fuels my desire to harrass 'em right back.
And the Editor of the paper got a letter from us to thank him for selecting such an outstanding company to be their shills.
I’m sorry but trying to make a living is simply not a good enough excuse to be an annoyance. If the only way you can make a living is by being an inconvenience to other people you deserve all the scorn you are going to get as a result.
Not every profession has a right to exist. If the overwhelming majority despises the job being done and it adds no true value to society, we do not have to honor the profession, nor respect the temporary members. Remember, it is not a career; it is usually a short-term nasty horrible job. It sucks to be a telemarketer; it drains the soul from what I have heard.
It is nice you do not believe in being nasty to people. **I believe that unsolicited phone calls into my home are far nastier ** than anything I could do or say over the phone.
I was on the Do Not Call List the day it became available. I tell every ‘pollster’ that calls that I am on the Do Not Call list and they should respect this despite the law not prohibiting them from calling me. I then tell then to ensure they put me on their do not call list.
If they persist or object in anyway, I get nasty and demand to talk to their supervisor. I have also reported 3 telemarketing firms the first year of Do Not Call for calling me anyway. I believe they were fined for the joy of calling me.
Do you defend drug dealers also; after all it is one of the few good paying jobs in really terrible neighborhoods?
Did you use to be one or somebody close to you?
Telemarketers are doing a job that should not be done. At best they end up preying by tactics on the elderly and the stupid. They can go do honest work somehow I am sure.
Jim
I listened to that it was funny as hell, but even I think think that was far too cruel.
Mr. Mabe is truly brutal.
Jim
Yeah, it is way too much. 
Still, telemarketers are spammers. Just with a larger industry.
Does this include IRS agents, bill collectors, and the like? I don’t see the point in heaping abuse on a hapless schmuck just trying to feed his/her family. I like to think I’m a better person than that.
Perhaps the reason why it drains the soul is the venomous attitude of some of the people they call.
I was raised to believe that bad behavior on the part of others does not excuse bad behavior on my part. Dealin with an ass does not give you license to be an ass in return, in other words. It’s my opinon that maintaining your poise when faced with an annoyance is a mark of maturity and “stooping to their level” indicates the opposite.
I disagree with this entirely. You do not have to answer your phone, after all. As soon as you realize it’s a telemarketing call, you’re fully free to hang up the phone after saying the “magic words.” Should they call back after the “grace period” allowed by the law, repeat the same and report them to the appropriate authorities.
I agree with this tactic except for the “getting nasty” part. It’s unnecessary. There is no reason to abuse the person who called you today because of the actions of the person who called you yesterday. They may not even know that you were called.
Actually, yes. I have no problems with people selling drugs. I do, of course, have problems if they are violent or engage in other harmful acts in the course of their activities, but selling drugs in of itself is not a horrible thing to do. It’s illegeal, but that doesn’t necessarily make it immoral.
I have never sold drugs myself, but yes, I have known people who did.
The actions of the company are not necessarily the actions of the person making the call. The person calling may have no idea that repeated requests to be removed from the calling list were made. All they are doing is offering a product or service over the phone. If they accurately describe the cost and nature of the product/service then I do not see how they are being dishonest or that they are morally reprehensible because of the way they conduct their sales.
Not the same thing, while these might be unlikable professions, they are honest professions. In most cases, the person being called has ended up in a situation where the calls are being made rightfully.
That is part of it, the other part is most call centers are run in a very dehumanizing fashion. Look on-line for many of the exposes on how these places operate and what the turn over rate of even the supervisors are.
I hold the right not to receive unsolicited calls. I do not believe telemarketers should ever have had to right to begin their industry. The call is the disturbance in the first place. Before DNC, I received 4-8 calls per night. It was far too much. I also use to receive calls after 9pm occasionally. Please do not tell me about caller ID and Zappers, there should be no need as there should be no telemarketing industry.
You may have misread, I do not ever get nasty unless the person who calls tries to continue the sale pitch over my polite “I am on the DNC list and please remove me from your calling list.” It has nothing to do with prior calls.
Well, Ok, you are consistent at least. We disagree, but at least neither of us are hypocrites about it.
My fault on this, my question was in relation to telemarketing, not drugs. The way I structured my thoughts in that post, my question makes me look like a bigger idiot than normal and I apologize.
Jim {Sorry for the parsing, I usually avoid it, but it was the only way to address all the separate issues.}
I don’t see where calling someone attempting to sell a product/service is dishonest.
The same could be said about many chain stores, fast food resturants and other low-paying customer service jobs. The worst job I ever had-- the one in which I was treated the worst-- was when I worked for a Big Box store.
Since when? I can’t stop Jehovah’s Witnesses and Girl Scouts from knocking on my door. I can’t stop the people who leave those stupid coupon/flyer bags on my door handle. I, too, have joined the DNC registry, but I can’t stop pollsters, or charities or even wrong-numbers from calling me.
I do have the right not to answer the door bell or the phone if I don’t want to be bothered and I exercize it. If I answer either and find a caller I do not wish to recieve, I’ll say “no thanks” or the “magic words” and either shut the door or hang up.
So, should no one ever be allowed to dial a number without explicit permission? Sometimes, my grandmother calls when I don’t feel like talking. That’s a disturbance. Sometimes, an idiot gets the wrong number and keeps calling as if it will magically become the correct one given persistance. What is my recourse against him?
My point is that I don’t agree that there’s any sort of “right” to avoid annoyance. Annoyance is a part of life, and in the case of telemarketers, it’s a very minor one. Personally, I’d rather field half a dozen telemarketing calls than have a Girl Scout or JW at my door.
No need to buy expensive equipment when a answering machine functions nicely for this purpose. Turn off the phone’s ringer and check the machine occasionally to make sure you haven’t missed any important calls. Works beautifully for me. Even if there were no telemarketing industry, I’d still employ this tactic because frankly, I don’t want to be a slave to the telephone. I want to use the device at my convenience whether it’s grandma calling, the local paper shilling for subscriptions or a wrong number.
What you don’t understand is that it’s their job to persist. Each telemarketer is given a set of responses they are required to recite if they get a “no.” Since many calls are monitored by supervisors, they could get in trouble if they say, “Okay, then, have a nice day.” Look-- if you go to a car lot and just stand there, the salesman will keep trying to convince you to buy a car. You have to walk away to end the exchange. The same is true with telemarketing.
What I do is this: As soon as I identify that it is a telemarketer, I say, “No thank you. Please remove me from your calling list. Have a nice day.” Then I hang up the phone. There is no need for continued interraction, since the telemarketer will just continue to try to sell the product. I don’t believe it’s rude to hang up: actually, it’s a small courtesy, since they don’t have to continue reciting their speil, wasting their time and mine.
Yes, I have known telemarketers. Actually, I worked as one myself for a few days.
Lissa, we have a fundamental disagreement. I believe the phone is a convenience for family and friends and my use. Not a convenience for corporations and political groups. Our laws are screwy that unsolicited phone calls were ever allowed.
Judging by both our posts, I see no compromise in our position and no middle ground. On this subject we will have to agree to disagree.
Jim
Legally, if you tell your grandmother to stop calling you, she’s not allowed to keep calling you. You can press charges.
Of course, this is only a valid comparison to the telemarketing industry if there’s a Legion of Grandmothers out there, somewhere, who all organize to call you so that you can’t block them all.
Contact the phone company, block his number. Telemarketers hide their identities when they call you, so that it’s much harder to do so.
If he continues to harass you, press charges.
Again, unless there’s a Legion of Idiots out there who have organized in an attempt to get past your efforts to stop them from calling you, this isn’t a valid comparison, either.
Once upon a time, in my student days, I worked for several years for a polling place. It was actually a pretty good job.
Now, I worked the phones only in odd and truly unusual circumstances - I was one of their data people. I did programming and data and statistical analysis. However, even the people on the phones weren’t beaten down soulless drones. At least half had worked for this place for over 3 years. Granted, they weren’t making anything over minimum wage, but the work environment was reasonably cheerful, the schedule was flexible, and the job didn’t require any degrees or skills.
Of course, we were a purely research firm. We did not sell anything - ever. Nor did we sell our call lists to anyone - ever. In fact, the vast majority of our call lists were provided to us by our clients. A large portion of our clients were businesses doing research to see what was and wasn’t working for their customers - customer satisfaction surveys. The rest were generally political surveys.
If someone didn’t want to talk to us - and said so - we just crossed them off the list with a little notation to the effect that they did not wish to be contacted. That meant that for the course of that study, they were never again called by our firm. Also, at the end of the study, as a courtesy, we returned all the lists to the client with a separate list containing only the numbers of people who requested they not be called again. The phone operators didn’t want to call someone back who’d already asked not to be called - there was no profit in it for them to leave a name on the list and there was considerable downside to it.
We had no way of knowing whether or not the person had requested not to be contacted before the current study, because it was in every contract we had with our clients that we would return the call list to them at the end of each project. We were not permitted (and frankly, not inclined) to keep the silly things - for reasons of client privacy (to prevent resale among other things) they were all returned. So if we did multpile surveys for any given client, unless the client was striking the names off of the master lists, we had no way to know who had requested no contact any time before the current study began.
I know there’s a lot of ill will against telemarketers - and frankly, I loathe the piebald sons of bitches to the depths of my soul. I’ve got nothing against survey people though. I cheerfully participate in the surveys when I get called if I have the time. I can tell you that lots and lots of people do. You know why? A good many people are interested in giving their opinions about politics - or telling their electric company what they’re not doing right - or telling their grocery store they’d quite like it if there was a bigger organic foods section or kosher meat available.
I know for a fact that in the 6 years I worked as a data analyst, the percentage of people we contacted who requested they not be contacted in the future averaged less than 10%. It was one of my tasks to compile that statistic. I also know that the percentage of people who agreed (without the hard sell - any operator caught doing the hard sell was either sent through training again or (if it wasn’t a first offence) terminated) to complete the survey the *first time * they were contacted averaged between 40 and 45%. An additional 30 - 35% asked for a reschedule to take the survey - and over 75% of them completed the survey when recontacted at a mutually agreed upon time.
Just sayin. For all the people who’ve posted that they can’t stand unsolicited contact (and really, your mom calls you on a schedule then?), there’s a whole lot of people who don’t mind or even welcome it in some circumstances.