This morning, before I leave home for work, I get a phone call. I pick up the phone and say hello.
A recorded voice on the other end says, “Please hold. This call has been placed in priority sequence and an operator will be with you shortly.” Then the message is repeated in French (I’m in Canada), then the English version comes on again.
I listen to the English and French versions alternate for a while, then it clicks: this must be some kind of telemarketing call. Not being a fan of those and in a hurry besides, I hang up.
But I wondered–was it a telemarketing call? Or something else, like a survey? In my experience, telemarketers have never used this “Please hold” tactic before; is it new? And why would they be calling in the mornings when people are busy trying to get ready for work? I would think the mornings would be one of the worst times to get people to listen to your spiel.
What do you think the call was? What do you think it could have been? And if you think it was a telemarketer, what do you think of this “Please hold for an operator” method?
(Mods, I guess I’m looking for opinions from others on what they think about this, so IMHO seemed the appropriate forum. However, it could have the makings of a Great Debate–if necessary, move it there.)
A while back, I got a couple of calls where a recording said “Please hold for an incoming call.” Hmmmm, my phone rang and I picked it up - I know it’s an incoming call!!! Sheesh!
I just hung up - I have no idea what they were trying to sell me, but I wasn’t interested in finding out. I’m going to WAIT for you pitch? I think not!
a new reason to feel sorry for our neighbors to the north. You get telemarketing calls in two languages?
If my super secret sources in the telemarketing world are accurate, what you have received is part of a telemarketing ploy. They attempt to maximize their staff time by only having them call phones that are : in service and a person will answer. It does them no good to call and get an answering machine, a boop boop boop ‘the number you have dialed…’ recording or no answer. So, the ‘auto caller’ dials the call (and actually is dialing several #s), and when a human (not answering machine) answers, their staff will come on the line (or in your case where you hung up, will probably call right back, you lucky pup).
FairyChatMom, I’m with you. I’m not waiting for any sales pitch–and any telemarketer who thinks otherwise is very, very naive.
Wring, we don’t normally get such calls in two languages in my location, but I can just see some telemarketer thinking, “No sense making any French-speaking prospects feel left out–we’ll waste their time too.”
I’ve gotten a few of those “We have an important phone call…” deals before and I always reply with “I have an important answer for, please hold” and then I hang up.
I’ve gotten two types of calls like that. Once, it turned out to be a credit card company (or something else I owed money to), the other was a telemarketing call. I just hang up now when I get that automated “important message” call.
