how do you........................

respond to telemarketers? Personally, I just say in a curt way " We are not interested" and then quickly hang up.

There have been a couple of good “Fun with a tele-marketer” e-mails that have gone around. A few of the suggestions: talking nasty, asking for a date, insinuating that you are a homicidal maniac, etc.… I have tried a couple and the talking nasty did not phase this one lady a bit. Another time they hung up on me. Most of the time I say “: Not interested” and hang up. Welcome “aboard” D. :slight_smile:

Well I spent 8 miserable months as a telemarketer so I have some feeling for these people. Often for low income people who aren’t able to work manual, telemarketing jobs are the only answer. You are told to make at least three tries or you are in danger of losing your job. If you get too many hangups before you try three times you risk being sent back to training or losing your job for not being personal enough. So as soon as they get into there pitch, I break and say I’m not interested, then they start again and I polietly say I’m still not and so forth until they have made their required number of tries(trying not to waste their time, cause you are judged on the number of sales per hour) Then I thank them for their time and hangup.
I’m a little more courteous than most people because I saw a couple girls have nervous breakdowns from having people yell at them so much.

please substitute “poorly educated” for “low income” and insert “labor” after “manual”.

Thank them politely. It costs nothing to be curteous and as wolfman said a lot of these people are doing what they need to do. It’s not their fault.

I always just say “No, Thanks”. Usually, they get two tries in before I hang up. But, now, considering what wolfman wrote, I might as well hang in there and let them get that third try in - what’s another couple of seconds? :slight_smile:

Gee.
I’ll let them get in their three tries before I hang up.
Thanks, Wolfman.

Must admit I am a pushover for telemarketers…not that I buy into what they are selling, however I have a hard time hanging up on them. I always give them their three times…unless they have a really thick accent and I can’t understand them. My husband gets annoyed with me when I let them take two-three minutes of my time, saying that I should respond within the first two seconds with … “Please remove me from your list”.

It depends on what kind of mood i’m in. Call me while i’m eating dinner or busy with something else and you are just asking to get hung up on without so much as a No Thanks.

If it’s just a normal day and i have the time i’ll say No Thanks 3 times before giving them the heave-ho.

That’s wild about the 3 tries thing. I never heard of that before reading that post. Now it’s gonna bug the hell outta me why i always chose 3 and not 2 or 4. Ugh, i’ll be up all night now, thanks. :smiley:

I’ve also had the occasion to sit there and play some serious head games with them, but my wife kept yelling at me for it, so i stopped doing that. :wink:

In general, it’s bad to be impolite, but I think that telemarketing is a terrible invasion of personal space. Interrupting people’s lives to sell them things they didn’t ask for should be against the law, and thankfully is where I usually live (Germany). But whenever I’m back in the States, it’s one annoying call after another.

To answer the OP, I usually say “no thanks” rather brusquely and hang up. If in a good mood, I will ask for the telemarketer’s home number, and tell him/her I’ll call back at my convenience. Then they hang up brusquely. Funny that.

Let’s not get too excited about the magic ‘three times’ - remember that was only at the call centre wolfman worked. This is how ULs get started; when enough people start repeating something they misinterpreted, it becomes accepted as a great truth. It’s not.

I ask to go on their ‘do not call’ list. I’m sorry if anyone out there thinks I should condone cold calling, because ‘people have to do it’ - I don’t like being disturbed at home to be offered services which I would have already bought if I was going to.

Russell

from the Sandman, “It’s just as easy to be nice as to be creepy. And it’s WAY more fun!”

I’m never rude to telemarketers but I don’t let them waste my time. If it’s a credit card or a home refinance thing. I don’t need it…I say no…I hang up.

A related tale however…

Set up: I live in the Blue Ridge mountains. Our place is 132 years old. Ready? Hang on…

ring ring

Me: Hello?

TM: Hello. May I speak to Jonathan Chance?

Me: Speaking!

TM: Hello sir. I with XYZ Termite control service. Are you aware that your original wood destroying insect warranty is about to expire? XYZ services would be glad to…

Me: HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA

TM: Huh?

Me: That’s SOME original warranty! This place is 130 years old! HAHAHAHAHAHA They sure knew how to get the job done back then!

TM: This is like the 3rd time this has happened to me tonight! Isn’t ANYPLACE in zip code XXXXX 3 years old?

Me: I doubt it! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

TM: Argh. click

Me: HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHA

at work, most telemarketers aren’t aware they’re calling a non profit - which means no sale anyhow. So I tell them. If, however, it’s one of the slime sucking office supply telemarketers, I muck with 'em “may I speak with the person in charge of your copier supplies?” “absolutely, will you hold please?” then, I go on with my day. eventually they hang up, sometimes, they’ll call back and I’ll apologize
“oh, you were waiting on hold THAT long? I’ll connect you right away, please hold…” the reason they get special treatment is because of thier practice of lieing (yea, I’m your copier guy and the price of toner is about to like, double, and …").
Now, at home, it’s a different story. SO is a night worker and delights in being rude and making telemarketers cry. So, if I happen to answer the call, I say, oh, gosh, it’s your lucky day, you got ME on the phone, I’ll just politely tell you, no, we’re not interested, please take us off your list, the OTHER guy who lives here would make it his lifes work to make you regret ever choosing to come to work today…" they end up thanking ME, and leaving us alone. and it doesn’t take the 3 "no"s before it happens, either…

Every now and then they ask if the lady of the house is in. I always reply, “Speaking.” At the very least it gives them a change of pace from having a person hang up.

As someone who used to do telemarketing (funniest thing I sold: Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance to JC Penny credit card holders), allow me to give you both my take and the best way to deal with them.

My take: When the day comes in my life that coming up with ways to bother, annoy or somehow fuck with telemarketers becomes a major thing for me, when this day comes where the biggest inconvenience I have to deal with is an ocassional phone call from someone who wants to sell me something, well, I can’t wait for that day.

Now, the best thing that I saw was what my Dad did. He listened to the initial pitch, and at the first paude meant for him to reply, he said politly, “Thank you for your call, please send me some information in writing - mail or e-mail or fax is fine.” If they balked, he simply said, “I only conduct business in writing,” and they never have a response for that other than to hang up.


Yer pal,
Satan

I HAVE BEEN SMOKE-FREE FOR:
Three months, one week, four days, 12 hours, 1 minute and 29 seconds.
4100 cigarettes not smoked, saving $512.50.
Life saved: 2 weeks, 5 hours, 40 minutes.

Depends on my mood. Sometime I actually say “I’m not interested” before hanging up without letting them respond. Most often, however, I just hang up the moment that I realize that its a telemarketer. I often think of games to play with them, just to waste their time, but really I’m just too annoyed to try. Hanging up in midsentance usually gets my point across.

And I know they are just “making a living.” That does not make me any more sympathetic to them than it does any other profession that I don’t agree with. Mafia hitmen are just “making a living” but I don’t have to approve of their job either…

I pick up the phone and I say ‘Im deaf & I can’t hear you & don’t call back, thanks’

Does it work? Try it yourself.

In California, perhaps nationally(?) outfits that do this kind of calling are required to maintain a “Do No Call” list. Ask and you shall be added. If they call you again after you request to be added you can sue in small claims court for something like $500 per call.

It means you have to write their name down and check and crap but you might get some money…

I do this every time. They all know about it and I have never had any “discussions” with them about it.

This is boring I know, but I just don’t have the time for the game playing…

Now if I did have time, I would always tell the newspaper/magazine sales people that I am blind. I Would always answer the door (LDS church recruiters) naked and ask them in to discuss MY religion, “You’re just in time for the sacrifice!” All those other telemarketers, hand the phone to the preschooler and let them strike up a conversation… :slight_smile:

The telemarketers are annoying and manage to call at all the wrong times. Yet, I realize that there is a person attempting to make a living on the other end of the line. It could just as easily be me, my wife, my daughter or my son doing the job to feed the family. Picture the situation this way, you are doing your job and a person with a higher income level is rude or hostile toward you, the reason, you aren’t as “good” as them.

My conversations go very quick…

TM: Is Goose there?

Goose: He’s not home now can I take a message?

TM: No we’ll try back later.

CLICK
The only thing is that if they dont get their three times and just hang up without asking they will call back EVERY night for MONTHS! The same people have been trying to get ahold of Goose for like eight months. Sheesh.