Got a call yesterday. It was out-of-area, so I knew what was coming. A man with an Indian accent asked for me.
TM: Is [Mr. L.A.] there?
Me: Please put me on your do-not-call list.
TM: You don’t understand. This is a marketing call! You can save money on your mort…
Me: Which is exactly why I asked to you put me on your do-not-call list.
TM: Why is that?
Me: Because I don’t accept marketing calls.
(Another two weeks until I’m on the official list…)
I had the opposite happen the other day. Got a call for my hubby about a new account he’d recently opened. Which is fine, except that it was the fourth day in a row they’d called during the day, and I kept saying, “He’s at work. Please call back in the evening if you want to speak to him.” The one the previous day had assured me she’d noted it on his account so that anybody else looking at it would actually be able to see that information.
So after repeating this for the fourth day in a row, the woman starts with, “That’s fine, we’ll call back tomorrow.” So I got a little peeved at her ignoring what I had just told her and said, “Look, I’ve been telling you people every day that he’s at work. Like most people, including you, he works during the day. If you want to speak to him, *do not call *during the day, call *during the evening *when he’s actually home to speak to you!”
So what does the idiot woman do? Immediately insists I’ve just instructed her to put us on their do not call list because I used those words. In an entirely different context. I nearly spent five minutes arguing with her that she was a complete moron to deliberately misinterpret what I said, but then I came to my senses and told her, fine, go ahead.
So we’ll never know what important information they had to pass along to him. 
Hey, at least you get to fuck with their heads. I miss those days. Since the federal do-not-call list came out, the only telemarketing calls we get are the incredibly annoying automated ones (usually about mortgage rates, and often with the fake, “Hey there, I guess you’re not home, but I had to call you with this great news” buddy-buddy B.S.) that are meant to be left on our voicemail.
Our phone is configured to have a special ring for these calls–I usually just pick up the phone then hang it right back up again. They don’t call back.
But then I can’t tell them about fucking their daughter!
We’ve gotten several on our machine where the calling computer obviously began “speaking” as soon as the phone was answered, so all we ever got was the tail end of the spiel. It’s not like we have a long message - maybe 10 seconds. So we have no way of knowing if we are interested in what they’re selling.
OK, yes we do. No we’re not interested.
For a while we had a voice mail box for a ficticious employee. When we’d get salespeople we didn’t need, we’d say “oh, you need to talk to Paul Anderson, I’ll transfer you.” They’d get Paul’s voicemail. Paul was really lousy at returning calls - perhaps due to the fact he didn’t exist. Every few weeks, the telecom guys would dump the vm box.
How do telemarketers justify being rude?
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As someone else said: how does the phrase “honest work” apply here? They produce nothing. They sit in an office mindlessly following a script doing something they understand is an intrusive nuisance.
Oh please. The whole point is that telemarketing is completely different from proper selling. :rolleyes:
Telemarketers do no market research, they have no training (apart from mindlessly mouthing a script), have no career prospects, genuinely annoy almost everyone they come into contact with and have had Government legislation passed to restrict their activities.
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The companies they work for are often some of the dodgiest around. They use tactics a used car dealer would be ashamed of.
All telemarketing companies annoy people. Their tactics are always despicable. And some of them are crooked too.
Wow. This is a justification for annoying millions of people?
You might as well say that prostitution benefits young women from deprived societies without qualifications.
Of course prostitution is different from telemarketing, since customers enjoy it. :smack:
Well, DUH…is it still totally inconceivable to anyone that a WOMAN can be in charge?
No offense to the OP, but neither is a tax business.
If I’m not busy, I often tell telemarketers they have to speak to Mr. Meoff. First name Jack.
I’ve been cussed out a few times for it.
I’m not entirely sure I understand the question.
No! No! Stop hitting me! I’ll be good, I swear!
I hate telemarketers, but there are two that I love to fuck with. One is a Windows and Doors company, the other is a window cleaning company. Ordinarily I’d ask them to remove me but they call so damn often and never remove me that now I’ll usually go on like I’m all interested, then they get to taking my information.
Them: “And what is your name, sir?”
Me: “Mindfield.”
Them: “Thank you, and to confirm your phone number, is it (888) 555-1111?”
Me: “Yes, yes it is.”
Them: “Great, and can I get your address please?”
Me: “Sure. It’s 1234 Wherever Rd.”
Them: “Excellent, we w—”
Me: “Apartment 600.”
Them: “…”
Me: “Bring a tall ladder.”
I have also had supposedly reputable telemarketing calls (at least, pimping for reputable companies) outright lie to me. The one and only time I ever actually gave in to a telemarketing pitch (because it was from a cell provider I already do a lot of non-cell-related business with, and I was in the market for a cell phone anyway) I was told that the plan included a number of benefits that, in fact, it did not when the first bill came due. And stupidly I didn’t get the telemarketer’s name (a really bad habit of mine) so I couldn’t exactly argue “…but I was told” without the name of the one that told me. I wasn’t pleased, but I didn’t cancel my service – and am locked into a contract anyway so couldn’t if I wanted to.
I don’t agree that all telemarketers deserve the heaps of abuse they get, but there are some who enjoy the “game.” Hard-sell tactics piss me off, and repeated attempts at pursuasion also piss me off, so I will get very short with telemarketers who refuse to take no for an answer. Every time I hear “But…” I want to say “Not butt, ass, as in kiss my…”
Whenever I’m ready to hang up on a telemarketer I take the phone away from my ear and just say “Sorry not interested. Have a nice day” and hang up. It’s really easy to not argue with them when you can’t hear them.
Can you PLEASE make sure it’s a telemarketer on the phone before you hang up? Try listening to the person on the other end of the line. If they say they’re from a valid company (one who’s services you sought out), chances are pretty damn good that they are really from that company. Asking for Mr or Mrs Smith does not automatically make a person a telemarketer. I can’t count how many times I am hung up on because I don’t presume that my customers appreciate me being informal with them.
Example of my very frequent conversations:
Me: Hello, this is Congodwarf from the Home Depot in XXXX MA. May I speak with Mr Smith please?
Female on Phone: No you may not. We don’t speak to telemarketers.
Me: I am not telemarketing, I am calling about the flooring estimate HE REQUESTED AND PAID FOR.
of course they don’t hear that part because they hung up on my after I said that I wasn’t friggen telemarketing.
I had this conversation a few days ago:
Customer on Phone: What the hell are you people trying to pull? I paid for a measure over two months ago and the guy came out to my house and now nothing is being done. I want my money back!!!
Me: (after pulling up file), I’m sorry sir. I have notes in the file that I’ve have called you no less than 15 times in the last 6 weeks. I also have notes that every time I called, the call was disconected as soon as I identified myself. I have one final note that I was cancelling the quote due to an unresponsive customer.
Customer: But, I thought you were a telemarketer. That’s why I kept hanging up.
Me: Sir, that is exactly why I gave you my business card. So you would know who I was when I called.
I think you’ve been whooshed, dear.
Clearly, you and I are not going to agree on this. Most telemarketers aren’t rude. I’ve never had one treat me rudely.
Almost every single one of these traits could describe people who work in retail, or refilling candy machines, or taking orders in a resturant.
So do salespeople of all types.
Always? My goodness, the amount of research you must have put into cheking out every single telemarketing firm is staggering.
My interaction with them is usually thus:
Them: “Do you want to buy . . .”
Me: “No, thank you.”
Them: “But . . .”
“No, thank you.”
Them: “But . . .”
Me: “No, thank you. Please remove me from your calling list. Have a nice day”
No different than most salespeople.
And so are some doctors, some lawyers, some real estate agents, some police, some contractors, some car salesmen and, hell, even some priests.
As I said, it’s clear we’re not going to agree on this issue. I see telemarketing as, at most, a minor annoyance, but one which employs thousands of people who might otherwise have trouble finding work. You seem to see it as a Great Evil, on par with prostitution, and that everyone involved with it is depraved and dishonest, with the sole intent of annoying you.
Christ, man, if telemarketers are the worst thing you encounter, you live a charmed life.
WRONG. It’s rude to interrupt what someone is doing by calling them on the phone and asking them to pay you money (unless it;'s money you owe them). Here’s what you’re not getting: THE INDUSTRY IS BASED ON A RUDE PRACTICE.
If it were not rude and annoying, people would not have been motivated enough to exert enough pressure on the government (remember, telemarketers are a huge lobby) to enact the DNC list.
Except in those cases, I am the one who has gone to the retail center, vending machine, or restaurant, to indicate I am interested in a service.
Really? Where do you do most of your shopping? Because for me, I NEVER have to tell a salesperson to take me off a calling list. They never come to my home with cars, vacuums, or power tools for me to buy, I go to them, when it is convenient for me.
And so are some doctors, some lawyers, some real estate agents, some police, some contractors, some car salesmen and, hell, even some priests.
As I said, it’s clear we’re not going to agree on this issue. I see telemarketing as, at most, a minor annoyance, but one which employs thousands of people who might otherwise have trouble finding work. You seem to see it as a Great Evil, on par with prostitution, and that everyone involved with it is depraved and dishonest, with the sole intent of annoying you.
Christ, man, if telemarketers are the worst thing you encounter, you live a charmed life.
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Aw crap…ignore everything after “convenient for me” in that last post…I meant to hit preview first.
Never? Not once? Really?
Because I sure have. I once had some bitch call me an idiot for asking (politely but firmly) to be taken off their list. I’ve had people call back after I hung up on them. I’ve had a number of telemarketers be downright abusive to me. Not the majority, to be sure, but it strains my credulity for you to claim that you’ve never once had a telemarketer be rude to you.
And if someone came into my house without warning or permission to recite the specials and encourage me to order a meal I didn’t want, I wouldn’t like them much either. The point is that telemarketing is inherently unpleasant; the great, overwhelming majority of people on the other end of the phones don’t want to be bothered by a telemarketer. Whereas, when I’m at a restaurant, I hope someone will take my order. When I’m at a store, I downright depend on a cashier serving me. All of the things you describe are necessary if we are to have stores, candy machines, and restaurants, and they’re all things that only impact on me when I choose to patronize a place of business. Not so for telemarketers.
I similarly view it as a minor annoyance, and I try to be polite to telemarketers. But the trouble is this is not comparable to other work. Other work needs to be done. It makes the world a better place. Digging ditches and scrubbing toilets and such are unpleasant jobs, but we need people to do them. Telemarketing actively makes the world a worse place to live. Even if it is just a minor annoyance, it makes the world just a little bit worse and doesn’t accomplish anything positive. It’s not honest work. I’d much rather someone was on welfare than telemarketing; at least on welfare, they’re using the world’s resources but not actively making it worse. Telemarketers use the world’s resources and in turn make the world less pleasant.
Prostitutes don’t bother me when I’m going about my life. While I have concerns over whether the sex industry is exploitive of women, prostitutes aren’t going around actively annoying the rest of us. Live and let live, eh? Telemarketers are much worse than prostitutes by any rational standard.
So, what? No one is allowed to be annoyed by anything unless it’s the greatest pain ever experienced? I’m not allowed to wish it wasn’t raining because someone else has cancer?
To be fair, the Green River Ordinance was in existance decades before the national DNC list was thought of. You don’t have Kirby Vacuum sales drones coming by your place?! :eek: They are pests in some areas of Kansas, the town I grew up in enacted the Green River Ordinance just to keep them at bay because there was an endless stream of new hires coming in trying to sell vacuums to places who just didn’t want one.
I had a downright pleasant TM call yesterday:
“Hi Annie, this is Shaw Cable. I see you have cable and internet with us. You know, we offer VoIP in your neighbourhood now…”
Me: “Already checked into it. I don’t make enough long distance calls to make it cost efficient.”
Shaw: “No worries, take it easy, bye!”
Now, let’s hope they don’t call back on a weekly basis.