“I’m sorry, but the number you called is at times used for business purposes, and we have a no-solicitation policy.”
My experience suggests they have no standard response for this.
You mean the telemarketing calls I occasionally get to my cellphone aren’t really there?
If you’re feeling mischievous, you could try something like this.
I hate cell phones. I have one, but I hate it. It’s just another damned electronic leash. My mother has Alzheimer’s, and she can remember my landline number, she can’t remember my cell number, she can’t remember that my daughter graduated from college and moved to another state some years ago. I’m keeping my landline.
I also don’t care how rough a telemarketer has it. Since I’m on the DNC list, any business that calls me up is either someone I’m already doing business with, or someone who isn’t interested in following the law. If it’s a business that I’m already doing business with, I make it very clear that I don’t want to be called for any offers they might have for me, period, and that there is NEVER a good time to call me. It’s only acceptable to call me if there’s a problem with something like a prescription refill. I follow this up with a phone call or letter to the company HQ, informing them that I don’t EVER want a telemarketing call from them or their associates again, and if they are going to insist that it’s their right to do so because we have a current business relationship, that I will terminate the relationship. One good thing about the current economic climate is that businesses are far more anxious to retain customers than ever before. Walgreen’s called up a few months ago, with an exciting new offer for me. I told the telemarketer that I wasn’t interested, and that no, there was never a good time for them to call me. Then I called up the company HQ, gave them my name, and told them just how much I spent on prescriptions alone each month. I told them that I usually spent some money on various goods and impulse buys when I dropped off or picked up prescriptions. Then I noted that there were various other pharmacy chains and supermarket pharmacy departments that were just as convenient for me, and that if I got another telemarketing call I WOULD be switching to someone else to fill those prescriptions. No, I don’t want to hear about how long it might take to remove my number from the database. I spend quite a bit of money in their stores, and by Og, they can put a rush on removing my number from their telemarketing list. I also suggested that before they started calling their customers, that they check to see who’s on the DNC list, as those are people who have indicated that telemarketing calls aren’t welcome. I’m sure that I came off as a crazy bitch, but I did give them the one chance to see and correct the error of their ways.
I use telemarketers as an excuse to practice my swearing. Fuck 'em sideways with a chainsaw. They deserve nothing but contempt and abuse, and they will get that in spades from me every time they call. It’s very cathartic, really.
I just hang up. There’s no point in yelling at the poor sap with the headphones on. It’s already the shittiest job in the world, and it’s not like they have any control over anything.
“Put me on your do not call list.” Click.
A counterproductive strategy, at least as far as one of the places I used to work. Our policy was to dump people right back into the to-be-called queue until we received a definitive rejection.
For me, assuming you don’t just hang up, this is the most effective reply posted for a neat and polite enough disconnect thus far…
nicely.
Exactly the same here.
**I say “Please don’t call again” the second I realize it is a telemarketer and hang up. **
Since you didn’t ask to be put on the DNC it just gets marked as a “no” and you will be called again.
Because of the Do Not Call List, telemarketers aren’t even supposed to be calling me.
The National DNC does not apply to non profit charities, schools, and political orginazations.
**I hang up without speaking once I realize what it is. **
Since you didn’t identify yourself, we assume no one is there and you get marked as a call back. If someone is particularly vindictive, they will mark to call Saturday at 8 am.
**I have a standard response: “We do not accept telephone solicitations of any kind at this number. Please put it on your Do Not Call list. Goodbye.” And then I hang up. **
Without us getting a verbal confirmation of your phone number, we do not have to add you to our DNC lists.
Please put me on your do-not-call list for this company and any other companies that you solicit for.
Probably the best response, if they ask to be put on the our company’s “master” list, we red flag the number and it is removed as soon as possible. No questions asked.
I’m not defending telemarketers, I’m just saying what goes on in the telemarketer’s end of the call. I’m just glad I do almost all incoming calls, those people actually want to talk to you.
However the people that tell me “if I had a gun I would come come there and shoot you…dumbass” or “fuck off” totally makes my (and most of the people I work with) day.
And if they knew the building you worked in was 4 blocks away?
:dubious:
There really is no way of them knowing that.
Telemarketers, however distasteful, are just doing a job to earn a paycheck. I don’t hate them, I hate the POS companies that they work for.
So as much as I am annoyed by a telemarketer, I always remember - it isn’t personal.
So as soon as I start to hear a sales pitch, even if I’m interrupting, even if said telemarketer doesn’t stop talking, I simply say “Sorry, not interested. Goodbye.” And then I hang up.
It’s really easy, once you’ve done it once or twice. Doesn’t offend anyone. If a telemarketer does somehow get the crazy and keeps calling to harass you, well, there are laws for dealing with that. I’ve never had that happen.
Telemarketers want to hit the easy marks. If you are able to just politely but quickly and firmly disconnect them, they move on. They’re not going to make any money off of you; it’s not worth their time or yours.
That’s usually my strategy.
But recently I got retrenched, which in a macabre way opens up some possibilities
for any financial advisor cold calling. e.g. to their usual question “Are you paying too much tax”, my answer is “No”. Add some more details about negative cashflow, a bit of pathos and they tend to want to end the conversation as quickly as possible … and don’t call back.
[aside]Man, I love my landline. It’s not subject to the vagaries of cell phone tower reception (or local bandwidth overload… I like my iPhone, but its popularity has helped expose the cracks in AT&T’s local wireless coverage), doesn’t need recharging, doesn’t have that annoying lag in audio. My 5302, Princess, and Trimline phones look great in the rooms they’re installed in. Costs me nothing a month to maintain the landline (thrown in free with my DSL), and is my preferred telephony experience, especially when it’s going to be a long conversation.[/aside]
Anyway, between the two Do Not Call lists maintained by the FCC and the state of Indiana, I am rarely disturbed by proper telemarketers. I get a call from a pseudo-charity (usually involving the word “Police” or “Sheriff” in some way) perhaps once a month, which usually lasts less than 10 seconds. A wonderful change of pace from a decade ago, when telemarketers called 10x+ a day, and even an improvement over just last year when the crescendo of “car warranty” calls were hitting my cell and land lines every day.
Thank you. I have done this shitty job for almost 3 years. There are very few jobs I am capable of doing physically, so… this is pretty much it. I have never been rude to anyone on the phone, I am just trying to make a living rather than living off welfare or the such.
Another situation a company is allowed to call you even if on the DNC list is if you have business with them or have HAD business with them in the past. You are effectively giving them permission to call, unless you specifically say the magic words- ‘Put me on your do not call list’.
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 guess some people have the need to make others feel like crap…must be a boost to their own ego.
The only “charities” I hear from are ones that pretend to be affiliated with the police or fire departments and, if asked, admit that they keep 85% of the donation. So they’re not really charities, but professional fund-raising companies. I’ve never gotten a telemarketing call from an actual charity.
I’ve been getting some recently that begin with "This is a free message…"
Well, it had better be free, seeing as it was unsolicited in the first place! I don’t know what the “free message” is about, because I’ve never got further than that without disconnecting the call.
It’s “personal” as soon as you ring my number.
You call it “a job”, I call it “sat on your ass annoying people all day”.