# The crooks keep calling **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 9, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735 "2014-04-09T17:26:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/21 "2014-04-10T00:01:43Z")
> [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](#): > > Staying on to ask for the company’s name and number seems like a waste of time. Just my 2 cents. I did enjoy listening to **Musicat** being accused of being a terrorist; somewhat amusing. I’m a little new at this harassing-the-telemarketer thing. Next time I’ll tell him I have a large balance on 3 credit cards and I want help, then give him false numbers, names and addresses until he gives up. Maybe I’ll prevent him from claiming another victim that day. I’ve actually found it hard to get to the real person stage so this was a chance to have some fun. So many other times they hang up way before that. How can they make money by hanging up? ---
**Author:** ![Askthepizzaguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askthepizzaguy/32/9405_2.png) [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/22 "2014-04-10T00:21:35Z")
Working telemarketing was the single most soul-crushing and worthless job I ever had. Didn’t stay with it long. Genuinely tried to do what the company asked of me, but it was clear the company viewed us as disposable, as cattle, and not really part of their company. We were just slave labor to do a task, given an extra carrot if we did really well. There was no real concern about the worker or loyalty- as soon as your numbers dropped, your pay did. Didn’t matter if you had been the top seller the day before or for months at a time. All we were doing as offering free stays at certain resorts in exchange for making people wait through what I would guess is timeshare presentations targeting rich folks. We would call around dinner time, which people hated. Almost nobody would even answer the phone- smart people, those. Those who would answer would give me the not interested within a few seconds of the spiel. When someone actually sat and listened, I was disappointed. I didn’t want anyone to listen to my sales pitch, because then I had to make it for them and pretend like I was enthusiastic about selling them the idea of making a trip just to hear another sales pitch, one with far more high-pressure sales tactics than I was using. I tried to be as clear as possible about what they were getting in exchange, so that way nobody would be surprised they had to sit through hours-long timeshare crap just to get their “free” stay at a nice resort. As marketing schemes go, it wasn’t the absolute worst of all time. I mean, you did get something for your trouble, and you knew you were going to listen to a presentation first. None of that was a surprise. But it’s slimy. Interrupting countless people’s lives to try to woo them with sales pitches that almost nobody wanted to listen to, and those who did listen were mostly folks who have trouble saying “no” to people. Ultimately, it is the business of getting money from people who have very little willpower to deny your requests for money. It’s like televangelism. It only exists because people have trouble saying no. ---
**Author:** ![ricksummon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ricksummon/32/3333_2.png) [@ricksummon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricksummon)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/23 "2014-04-10T00:32:13Z")
Why can’t the NSA use their telephone-tapping powers for **good?** They could set up a Web page that would allow you to trace the real location of any telemarketer calling into your phone number. If the telemarketer was in a foreign country, the information would be relayed in real time to an automated drone launcher. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/24 "2014-04-10T00:45:09Z")
I just got a call from the Gallup Organization _on my cellphone._ When I answered, they hung up. How can they conduct polls like that? ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/25 "2014-04-10T01:00:21Z")
> [@Askthepizzaguy](#): > > All we were doing as offering free stays at certain resorts in exchange for making people wait through what I would guess is timeshare presentations targeting rich folks. FWIW, timeshares are intended for people who want to _feel_ rich. Actual rich people do not need timeshare bullshit, they take real vacations. I actually highly recommend everyone attend at least one timeshare event. It’s a masterclass in manipulative hardsell. TMYK. . ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/26 "2014-04-10T01:11:04Z")
> [@ricksummon](#): > > Why can’t the NSA use their telephone-tapping powers for **good?** They could set up a Web page that would allow you to trace the real location of any telemarketer calling into your phone number. If the telemarketer was in a foreign country, the information would be relayed in real time to an automated drone launcher. 😃 Yes, YES! Why a foreign country? Those drones are damned accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Strassia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@Strassia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strassia)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/27 "2014-04-10T01:23:43Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I just got a call from the Gallup Organization _on my cellphone._ When I answered, they hung up. How can they conduct polls like that? FYI, I have been told that some calling companies now have robo calls whose only purpose is to identify who to call and when. The goal is to reduce the time between waits for the live agent. Non-answers and answering machines are wasted money. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/28 "2014-04-10T01:38:42Z")
> [@Strassia](#): > > FYI, I have been told that some calling companies now have robo calls whose only purpose is to identify who to call and when. The goal is to reduce the time between waits for the live agent. Non-answers and answering machines are wasted money. If they think my non-answer should be put on their hot prospect list, boy, have they got a wrong number. I’m going to make a hobby out of wasting their time. I think I’ll program a voice-Eliza. That’ll do it! ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/29 "2014-04-10T03:59:28Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I’m a little new at this harassing-the-telemarketer thing. Next time I’ll tell him I have a large balance on 3 credit cards and I want help, then give him false numbers, names and addresses until he gives up. Maybe I’ll prevent him from claiming another victim that day. > > I’ve actually found it hard to get to the real person stage so this was a chance to have some fun. So many other times they hang up way before that. How can they make money by hanging up? If you’re going to do that, use [‘real’](http://www.getcreditcardnumbers.com/) fake numbers that will hold up for a little while. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/30 "2014-04-10T05:22:51Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I’m a little new at this harassing-the-telemarketer thing. Next time I’ll tell him I have a large balance on 3 credit cards and I want help, then give him false numbers, names and addresses until he gives up. Maybe I’ll prevent him from claiming another victim that day. Ask if you can increase the spending limit on the stolen cards you have. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/31 "2014-04-10T05:32:07Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > If they think my non-answer should be put on their hot prospect list, boy, have they got a wrong number. I’m going to make a hobby out of wasting their time. I think I’ll program a voice-Eliza. That’ll do it! That would be ten shades of awesomesauce. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/32 "2014-04-10T12:14:37Z")
> [@Strassia](#): > > The thing about telemarketing (and I speak from experience, telemarketing was my first, and worst, job), is it depends on speed. You need to make X sales per day to make it worth while. If X is 10, and only 1 out of 10 people go for it, then you better be able to get through 100 calls in your shift. If every person just started hanging on the line, the model will not be sustainable. > > As a telemarketer, you want one of two things on every call, a sale, or a no within the first minute. A half hour hard (or soft) pitch followed by a no, is crushing. Sixteen of those a day is your whole shift. Even if you have an automated system doing the dialing (I didn’t), even a couple of people a day stringing you along can have serious impact on your income. That is why with honest telemarketers (mostly calls from charity since I’m on a do not call list), I say no as soon as I can get a word in edgewise - or hang up - and let them move on. Special Olympics should get donations, even if they aren’t mine, and I will assume they are really collecting for special Olympics or at least the person working the phone has no idea if they are or not. I’m calling about your PC, your car, your credit card, your mortgage - all bets are off. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/33 "2014-04-10T12:37:07Z")
> [@andros](#): > > FWIW, timeshares are intended for people who want to _feel_ rich. Actual rich people do not need timeshare bullshit, they take real vacations. > > I actually highly recommend everyone attend at least one timeshare event. It’s a masterclass in manipulative hardsell. TMYK. > . I attended one as a kid during a family vacation…our plans for the day got rained out, and this place was offering Susan B. Anthony coins tho anyone who would sit through their presentation. They actually drove the whole group up to the “cabins” in the mountains…the kids (me included) had a blast running around the place, and my parents were amused by the sales tactics. The best part was when someone would actually make a sale…the entire sales staff would stop what they were doing to stand up and erupt into vigorous applause. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/34 "2014-04-10T12:43:43Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > That is why with honest telemarketers (mostly calls from charity since I’m on a do not call list)… The do not call list is a joke. I’ve received more calls since I put our numbers on the list than before. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/35 "2014-04-10T13:18:24Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I just got a call from the Gallup Organization _on my cellphone._ When I answered, they hung up. How can they conduct polls like that? If the poll was to just see how many people answer calls from Gallup, that’s all they’d need. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/36 "2014-04-10T13:25:25Z")
> [@ricksummon](#): > > Why can’t the NSA use their telephone-tapping powers for **good?** They could set up a Web page that would allow you to trace the real location of any telemarketer calling into your phone number. If the telemarketer was in a foreign country, the information would be relayed in real time to an automated drone launcher. 😃 If you have at least one ally, everywhere is “in a foreign country” to either you or them. Just sayin’… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/37 "2014-04-10T15:42:30Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > If the poll was to just see how many people answer calls from Gallup, that’s all they’d need. Either that, or the return ID was spoofed. Goggle the phone number and see what pops up. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/38 "2014-04-10T15:56:57Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Either that, or the return ID was spoofed. Goggle the phone number and see what pops up. Googling says it’s Gallup. \*69 verified the CID displayed number, and dialing the number direct resulted in a message that said it was Gallup and that they were conducting a poll, but there was no way to reach a human. Poll takers are legally allowed to ignore the DNC list. But there’s [this.](http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=80;t=000872;p=0) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/39 "2014-04-10T16:13:48Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > The do not call list is a joke. I’ve received more calls since I put our numbers on the list than before. My cousin is slightly paranoid about the list. He figures that the names on it are assumed to be people whose sales resistance is lower than average (people who would actually listen to a pitch and maybe buy something), so, by that logic, getting on the list targets you. I think the best response to listening to a long pitch is a slightly strained “What are you wearing?” ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735/40 "2014-04-10T16:14:20Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > If they think my non-answer should be put on their hot prospect list, boy, have they got a wrong number. I’m going to make a hobby out of wasting their time. I think I’ll program a voice-Eliza. That’ll do it! You should do that. And record it. With any luck, you’ll get a bot on the other end and end up with something like [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=invgqeawT0Q). :eek:🆒 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crooks-keep-calling/685735.md?page=3)