# Oh dear, I've upset a telemarketer. Am I a bad person? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 29, 2001, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-dear-ive-upset-a-telemarketer-am-i-a-bad-person/90278 "2001-10-29T13:19:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-dear-ive-upset-a-telemarketer-am-i-a-bad-person/90278/41 "2001-10-31T03:47:53Z")
I used to like talking to them as if I was interested, while occasionaly making odd, quiet sounds, as though I might be masturbating. Makes _them_ want to get out of the conversation, which they, unlike you, are obligated to continue. Far more disturbing than merely being bothered on a Sunday morning. Wonderfully therapeutic. It is, in fact, **Mudd’s Magic Method[sup]tm[/sup]** for dealing with telemarketers. (Or anyone else you don’t want to talk to. Like your mom.) ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-dear-ive-upset-a-telemarketer-am-i-a-bad-person/90278/42 "2001-10-31T08:06:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by slackergirl \* > **A friend just moved and has been getting a rash of newspaper subscription marketers. She’s started telling them that she’s illiterate.** I’m dying for someone to try to sell me carpet cleaning so I can say, “We don’t have any floors”. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-dear-ive-upset-a-telemarketer-am-i-a-bad-person/90278/43 "2001-11-01T00:30:49Z")
**zut:** Maybe you were called by [this person](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=51270). ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-dear-ive-upset-a-telemarketer-am-i-a-bad-person/90278/44 "2001-11-01T01:54:07Z")
A roofing company rang and for some bizarre reason Mr P actually made an appointment for them to call round and view our roof. He told me and I said change the appointment to when I will not be here because I don’t deal with telemarketers. Plus we can’t afford to do the roof at this point in time. A few days later, I answered the phone and Roofing Telemarketer wanted to confirm the appointment. I said, nope cancel it. She said You Can’t. I said ummmm, yeah I can. Your Husband Made An Appointment and you can’t cancel it, she whined. After we did this do-si-do for a few minutes, I hung up on her. The conversation was stupid and she was getting heated. She rang back ten minutes later and got Mr P. She told him I was the rudest person she’d ever encountered. She must lead a sheltered life. Then she hung up on him. He got pissy with ME! Then we got to the true triumph of customer relations. Her boss rang and I answered the phone. Silly me I thought he was ringing to apologise for his rude employee. Errrrrr, no. He was ringing to tell me that when I need my roof done, under no circumstances was I to approach his company as I was too rude to deal with. I said, with pleasure, cackled like a loon and hung up on him. Since then, I badmouth that company at every turn. ---
**Author:** ![Redboss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8baadc/32.png) [@Redboss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redboss)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-dear-ive-upset-a-telemarketer-am-i-a-bad-person/90278/45 "2001-11-02T08:07:06Z")
You see when **Primaflora** speaks I can’t help but see Judy Davis in my mind’s eye. Now, because of frequent TV ads for “The Man Who Sued God” I will always see **Mr P** as Billy Connolly. **Prima** dear, did you ever have an odd experience in a cave in India? Redboss ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-dear-ive-upset-a-telemarketer-am-i-a-bad-person/90278/46 "2001-11-02T12:23:44Z")
BTW, what’s the malfunction with these newspaper telemarketers. I keep getting calls over and over from the newspaper that I already subscribe to? Don’t they wash their coldcall lists against their subscriber lists? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-dear-ive-upset-a-telemarketer-am-i-a-bad-person/90278.md?page=2)