# Have you ever welcomed a cold call? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 3, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735 "2013-04-03T15:21:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/21 "2013-04-03T19:43:06Z")
Yes, at work. Toshiba called me to sell me a deal on printer cartridges/service. I had them come in, got their info, did the research, and found out their service was substantially better than what it had been before and cheaper too. I talked to my managers and we switched, and I got an excellent review that year. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/22 "2013-04-03T19:44:42Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I got my first job in the IT industry through a cold call recruiter (and the job also sucked.) But I still did not welcome the call at first because I assumed it was a sales call. This was before caller ID, and before I got a lot of junk calls, so I was neutral. And he identified himself and why he was calling pretty quickly, so I never thought it was a salesman. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/23 "2013-04-03T19:44:45Z")
Not too long after I moved into my apartment a kid knocked on my door asking if I wanted to subscribe to the newspaper. I did want the paper and hadn’t gotten around to subscribing yet, so I let the kid sign me up. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/24 "2013-04-03T19:49:48Z")
Sure. I used to be a print buyer, which is a person who orders the printing of (in my case) store signage, price tags, direct mail, and catalogs. Lots of printers called me, and if I wasn’t too busy and it was before 9 or after 4 (company policy), I’d take the calls, and in a number of cases I did use that printer. New printers would often give me a better deal than the established ones, and my boss said it was a good idea to keep everyone on their toes. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/25 "2013-04-03T20:27:47Z")
After I graduated from high school I started college. I was working almost full time to pay for it, and still living at home. I was tired all the time. The summer after my first year I got a phone call from an Army recruiter. I think he was going down the list of my graduating class. _“You’ve been out a year now, how are things going, wouldn’t you like to hear about the opportunities in today’s Army?”_ I’d never thought about joining the military, but when he started mentioning school benefits after discharge I started listening, and ended up in the Army for three years. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/26 "2013-04-04T05:51:50Z")
Nope. The fact that they are having to cold call instead of use other methods is itself an indication that what they are selling is not worth anything. If your item has value, you don’t need to do things that actively annoy other people. And, yes, that applies to the Army as well. I’ve even compared the rosy picture they gave me in the call to what real people say, and it was definitely all a lie. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/27 "2013-04-04T05:56:19Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Nope. I hate the whole idea, so even if I’m seriously interested in what the salesman is hawking, i deal with someone else. I even go a bit further. I scope out a competitor. I do the same thing for annoying ads (i.e., the vast majority of them.) ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/28 "2013-04-04T06:15:57Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Depends how “cold”. At work I’ve had service reps and books reps cold call me for products I’ve never needed before, but after the call discovered would be useful. Some reps were ones I’ve done business with before, but some were cold, but in areas related to what I do. > > At home? Absolutely never. This. I MIGHT be interested in a legit cold call for business. The ones who want to know about my ink and toner can go pound sand, though. If a salesperson clearly says that s/he’s calling to see if I’m interested in a product, FOR MY BUSINESS, then that’s OK. If someone says that they need to confirm what sort of toner or ink I use, or the kind of printer I have…that’s usually a red flag, as they will try to convince me that we’ve got some sort of contract for them to supply my company with those items. At home, though, even if I’m thinking of getting my carpets cleaned or getting holiday photos of my cats, I will never use a company that calls me first, or one that is doing door-to-door sales. I want to use a company that is established, that I can get hold of later on if I have problems. Most of the time, the callers are with another company entirely and aren’t connected with the company that will do the actual work. On the other hand, a hot call (if I’ve called a plumber, for instance, and left a message) is eagerly anticipated. It all hinges on who initiates the communication. If I initiate the communications, great, call me, I"m interested. If the company or the company’s agent calls me first, and I haven’t asked them to, then I am profoundly Not Interested. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/29 "2013-04-04T06:26:38Z")
Never. Not for home or business. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/30 "2013-04-04T07:08:33Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Never. Not for home or business. +1! NEVER! Not NO, but _ **HELL, NO!** _ :mad: ---
**Author:** ![RedBloom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@RedBloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedBloom)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/31 "2013-04-04T14:19:10Z")
ONLY if they have soft, soothing voices that give me tingles to listen to. Some people are blessed with this, and I highly recommend hiring them to do your cold calling. I could stay on the phone for hours with a good voice. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/32 "2013-04-04T15:48:03Z")
Not a cold call, but I was at a concert (Neville Bros) and was exchanging comments with the lady next to me. Right away she tells me she’s a realtor and hands me her card. Wound up buying a house from her. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/33 "2013-04-04T16:19:38Z")
Once and it turned out to be a big mistake. We needed major repairs done to our home quickly and couldn’t find anyone available. This was during the housing boom. Then we got a cold call from a construction company. I check out the company with the BBB and they looked really good. The company gave us a $20k estimate and we went with it. They did a horrible job. Had to hire someone else to fix it for $5k more about a year later. That guy said that he could have done the original job for $10k. The first company went out of business so no redress there. The BBB was filled with fresh complaints. Seems that the owner had purchased a business with a good reputation and quickly ripped off people by doing lousy work then declaring bankruptcy. Evidently this is a somewhat common practice and therefore things like BBB ratings have to be taken with a grain of salt. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/34 "2013-04-05T03:11:37Z")
> [@PacifistPorcupine](#): > > Once I got a phone survey about tissues, an hour’s worth of questions about Kleenex vs Puffs vs Scotties. Well at the time I was in a bit of a pickle in having to chose between my then gf and my best friend. I welcomed the distraction. And if you dumped the girlfriend, those tissues would come in handy. I have to hope I would never buy from a cold caller. That’s what makes them keep calling. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/35 "2013-04-05T17:17:58Z")
Never received one I wanted, gave a few though. I worked for a company cold calling IT managers of businesses selling them backup software and hardware. No one was really hostile to the call, but most were not interested. One guy I called acted like I had just thrown him a life preserver as he was going down for the third time. We ended up replacing all the servers and backup systems for a whole school district. ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/36 "2013-04-05T22:51:56Z")
I used to get cold calls for long distance plans, and once I got an excellent one. At the time the guy I was talking to the most was working out of town, so it saved me a bundle of cash. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/37 "2013-04-05T22:58:16Z")
Sure. I was in manufacturing so we’d get calls all the time from suppliers of various products or services and they were useful at least some of the time. These were on the phone and in person. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/38 "2013-04-05T23:13:41Z")
Like a few others, I don’t mind getting calls from recruiters too much. What’s annoying is when they go through the switchboard at work and I don’t know who it is until I pick up. ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/39 "2013-04-06T05:45:07Z")
Yes. At a time when I wasn’t looking to refinance our house I got a call from a major lender with a super great rate and we refinanced. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735/40 "2013-04-06T13:10:55Z")
I plead guilty. Twice and a half. Completely cold: At one point, maybe 10 years ago, we had decided we wanted to add an alarm system to the house, but we had not followed up on it. Then a few weeks later we got a cold call from a small, local alarm system company, and we invited them to come and evaluate, and eventually signed with them. Somewhat cold: A roofing guy came knocking and told us our roof was in bad shape, which we knew. We got a quote from him and from somebody else, and eventually went with him. Oh, and I had him do my other house too. Semi-warm: Our cable and Internet provider (Vidéotron) also offers home phone service, cheaper than Bell Canada. A few years ago we had poor Internet reliability in our (remote) area (so phone service would be unreliable too) and they were renowned for poor customer service, so we put it off. But things have improved considerably on both fronts these past few years, so we had decided to look into it, and then I got a call from them offering phone service with various sign-up bonuses. I figured I might as well switch right then and there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-welcomed-a-cold-call/654735.md?page=3)