# What do you do to telemarketers? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 7, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970 "2010-02-07T00:26:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/61 "2010-02-08T16:27:55Z")
In my experience, the magic words seem to be “but thanks anyway.” If I say “Sorry, I’m not interested”, they usually keep talking. If I say “Sorry, I’m not interested, but thanks anyway”, they almost always drop it. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/62 "2010-02-08T18:02:27Z")
I am on the DNC list, and those sonsabitches at “Credit Card Services” keep calling me. And that British-accented bitch tells me to “consider this your final call”. Notice that she doesn’t say it **will** be my final call. I hate those people. I need to get a police whistle to blow in their ear. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/63 "2010-02-08T18:40:39Z")
I have a Texas phone number but I live in NY. I never changed my number when I moved. Because of this, the Republican Party for the state of Texas took to calling my phone 3 or more times per day. I finally went and looked up the number for them and called their office. I got someone on the phone and explained that I am a Democrat and I live in New York so they are wasting their time and mine by calling. I haven’t heard from them since. The only other call issue I’ve had is with a little old woman who lives in a retirement home somewhere in Texas. She thinks my number is her daughter’s phone number and calls 2 or 3 times a month looking for her daughter. The reason I know this is because when she started calling me 7 months ago I didn’t understand why she couldn’t get that I wasn’t her daughter so my SO answered my phone (I have her listed as “ignore” on my caller ID) “Hot Rod Cocks, what can I do for you baby?” She hung up and then called back a few minutes later agitated and confused saying that she was going to get in trouble with her nursing home for calling a sex line. I called the front desk of her nursing home and spoke to them so they could help her and it sort of worked but she does still call a few times a month. Better than the several times a day she had been calling I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Gustav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Gustav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gustav)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/64 "2010-02-08T18:47:10Z")
I don’t pick up. I have no interest in talking to them. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/65 "2010-02-08T19:04:55Z")
Okay. I’m going to say this once, and clearly, because a lot of people seem to not get it: The telemarketer is not the person setting the rules. Being a deliberate jerk in order to piss them off as some sort of strike at the company or the policies is asinine at best. I thought that was pretty hilarious, too. . .when I was five. I tell them quickly but politely that I don’t want to be called, that they should put me on their do not call list, and then I hang up. Keep in mind–people need jobs, and a lot of people say that one should take any job before electing to go with no job. If you advocate taking any job, then accept that some of the jobs that are available might annoy you. You’re not winning anything by being a jerk to someone who’s just putting in their eight hours. It doesn’t look like a scam from the inside, at least not to those who’re on the lowest rungs taking the calls. One should _always_ be courteous. Firm, certainly, but also courteous. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/66 "2010-02-08T19:05:41Z")
I buy everything they sell because they are hard working Americans and deserve to succeed. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/67 "2010-02-08T19:42:18Z")
Here’s what one guy does: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lmwbX9RkmEU/hqdefault.jpg "Funny prank call") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmwbX9RkmEU) ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/68 "2010-02-08T19:47:56Z")
I let the machine get it and listen to see if it’s a call I want. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/69 "2010-02-08T19:52:55Z")
> [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](#): > > Okay. I’m going to say this once, and clearly, because a lot of people seem to not get it: > > The telemarketer is not the person setting the rules. Being a deliberate jerk in order to piss them off as some sort of strike at the company or the policies is asinine at best. I thought that was pretty hilarious, too. . .when I was five. > > I tell them quickly but politely that I don’t want to be called, that they should put me on their do not call list, and then I hang up. > > Keep in mind–people need jobs, and a lot of people say that one should take any job before electing to go with no job. If you advocate taking any job, then accept that some of the jobs that are available might annoy you. You’re not winning anything by being a jerk to someone who’s just putting in their eight hours. > > It doesn’t look like a scam from the inside, at least not to those who’re on the lowest rungs taking the calls. One should _always_ be courteous. Firm, certainly, but also courteous. Irrelevant. They are still stealing my time. They are interfering with my life, intruding into my home, and attempting to scam me out of my hard-earned money. They are clogging up my answering machine, waking me or my wife from our sleep, and disturbing the cats. They deserve any and all abuse they get. ---
**Author:** ![Bloody\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bloody\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bloody_L)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/70 "2010-02-08T20:04:07Z")
I almost only get Spanish-speaking telemarketers calling for me, I suppose because my last name is an extremely popular Hispanic surname. I am only a quarter or so Hispanic and my Spanish vocabulary consists of “No más,” and “No me moleste,” for a reason. My family is on the DNC list but I remember back in the old days, they called for a “Mrs \_\_” and I lied told them that she was dead. They acted somewhat apologetic but then tried for another member of the household so I just hung up. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/71 "2010-02-08T20:16:15Z")
Depends, lately I have been favoring saying “What?”, sometimes in the middle of a sentence, I’ll sometimes say "Dear, I think your mother is on the phone, then go back to "what? with a “You’ll have to speak up” thrown in. ---
**Author:** ![CherryBlossomGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@CherryBlossomGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CherryBlossomGirl)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/72 "2010-02-08T21:28:47Z")
I try to end the conversation before they have a chance to ‘convince’ me to listen, because I’m not very good at saying no and don’t like to be impolite… My boyfriend on the other hand is known to repeat words like ‘cucumber’ after every question until they give up. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/73 "2010-02-08T21:48:10Z")
“No thank you.” Click. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/74 "2010-02-08T21:56:29Z")
No land line here, and I never answer a call if I don’t recognize the number, so it’s rarely an issue any more. Back in the day, I’d usually just respond with a simple “No, thank you,” and hang up. Sometimes, though, if I had time to kill, I’d listen to the whole pitch, then say “No, thank you,” then listen to their secondary pitch, say “No, thank you” again, and so on. They might be scripted to counter with something like, “May I ask why you’re not interested?” and I’d say - yep - “No, thank you.” This could go on for quite a while if I wasn’t the one to hang up. I think they are usually forbidden to disconnect the call before the “customer” does. But I was never rude about it; I just figured keeping them on the line for as long as I could might save a handful of other folks from getting bothered during this person’s shift. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/75 "2010-02-08T22:14:26Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Irrelevant. They are still stealing my time. They are interfering with my life, intruding into my home, and attempting to scam me out of my hard-earned money. They are clogging up my answering machine, waking me or my wife from our sleep, and disturbing the cats. They deserve any and all abuse they get. No, it’s not irrelevant. They’re still people, and they’re people working a shitty job. No one deserves to be abused for going to work. Does it suck when they call and you don’t want them to? Yeah. Sometimes life just sucks. That doesn’t mean that being abusive is the best course of action; it also doesn’t mean that it’s justified. Be a grown-up, tell them to put you on their Do Not Call list, and hang up. If it happens again, pursue resolution through the appropriate channels. Anything else–such as swearing at them–is just an indicator of the a certain lack of self-control. I mean, sometimes people do it because they slip, but, really, to brag about it? To be proud of it? That’s immature. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/76 "2010-02-08T22:26:59Z")
“Thank you very much, but I am not interested. Please remove me from this list!” ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/77 "2010-02-08T22:44:54Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I am on the DNC list, and those sonsabitches at “Credit Card Services” keep calling me. And that British-accented bitch tells me to “consider this your final call”. Notice that she doesn’t say it **will** be my final call. Who is Credit Card Services? I’ve been getting robo-calls from a local number that uses a British-accented woman, and I’m wondering if it’s the same company. Not that I ever listened all the way through. Once I identify it as a robo-call, I either hang-up if I was foolish enough to pick up a call from an unknown number or delete the message. I recently got a phone system that blocks numbers, though, so I no longer have to deal with this. Rings once and gets blocked. Ain’t technology wonderful? ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/78 "2010-02-08T23:53:43Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > But I see no reason to be rude to them. They are doing a soul-crushing job, and in my experience most are in that position because they have little other choice, not because they want to be. Why make it harder for them? I used to think that too. Then I came to understand: they (or their employers) are trying to steal my private time in order to make a profit. So I decided: no, they don’t have any politeness coming, no matter what a dreary job they have. I don’t expect vultures have a great life either, all told, and I genuinely find it hard to distinguish, in a moral or ethical sense, between vultures and telemarketers. I hang up immediately, without a word, when I recognise a telemarketer. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/79 "2010-02-09T18:53:01Z")
> [@](#): > > I honestly don’t get the hatred for someone just trying to make a living. It takes less than 30 seconds out of your day to say the magic words. THEN if that company calls back, you contact the FCC and that company gets socked with a hefty fine. I might be doing something critical, something that will be ruined if I take the time to drop it and answer the phone. Not everybody has the luxury of sitting down right beside the phone. Some of us are actually doing something that requires that we be in another room, or another section of the house entirely. What’s more, I’m a day sleeper. If I answer the phone, I WILL be awake for the next two hours. And for reasons that are none of your business, I DO need to answer “unknown caller” numbers. > [@](#): > > I do not agree that telemarketers are just doing their job and therefore deserve courtesy. Their “job” is to interrupt people without the possibility of being aware of what they are interrupting. That’s rude and invasive. It needs to go away as an allowable business practice. Just because I own a phone doesn’t give you the permission to use it unilaterally. It’s not 30 seconds. It’s 30 seconds multiplied by everyone who would call me if I did not take active steps to avoid being called, plus the time lost re-starting whatever I was doing (including sleeping) when I was interrupted. This, exactly. My time is MINE. Nobody is entitled to use my time, or determine how my time is to be used, except for me and my clients. > [@](#): > > Are you not able to grasp the concept of being partially handicapped and unable to stand for long hours? > > Youre response tells me all that needs to be said about you. I’m perfectly able to grasp the concept, as I’m supposed to be on complete bed rest now. Are you able to grasp the concept that you are interrupting my sleep, or causing me to ruin a project, because YOU can’t find some other line of work? Yes, you have problems and limitations. So do most people. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t have some issues to work around. You chose to take a job in a field that requires you to annoy and aggravate people. You make the world a worse place because of your choice. Work as tech support, or work for a call center that only takes incoming calls. I have made numerous calls to companies to buy their products. Take a job where the customer calls you. Are you not able to grasp the concept that almost NOBODY likes telemarketers, and no matter how you rationalize it, you are inconveniencing and annoying people all day long? Your response, and your continued defense of your field, tells me all that needs to be said about YOU. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970/80 "2010-02-09T19:09:27Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Who is Credit Card Services? I’ve been getting robo-calls from a local number that uses a British-accented woman, and I’m wondering if it’s the same company. Probably the same company. **Angel of the Lord** , here is the problem. I have already told these people that I want to be put on their DNC list. I have even reported them to the authorities. Under those circumstances, how should I treat the people who are ignoring my wishes and breaking the law? They call me about once a week. Regards, Shodan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-to-telemarketers/527970.md?page=5)