Is abusing telemarketers wrong?
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 495
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by WheelMA1
If its wrong, I dont want to be right.
I love your avatar, that is a classic! I did that once when I was five. KA-ZAPP! I can hear my mother now, "Steve you little B*****d, get your butt away from that outlet!" For years we had that butter knife with it's tip melted slightly.
Telemarketers- I have different ways of dealing with them:
Her: "Mr. Shmutz?"
Me: "Oh, no, I'm sorry but Mr. Shmutz is in prison. He went off the deep end and opened fire on some salesmen. They just wouldn't leave him alone and, well, he couldn't take it anymore. Evidently he was not taking his medication at the time. I always take my medication. Perhaps I can help you. Can I come over to your house? Do you like guns? Would you play with me? No don't hang up, I'm so lonely..."
or:
Her: "Mr. Shmutz?"
Me: "Hello? Hello??
Her: "Yes, is Mr. Shmutz there?"
Me: "Hello? Hello???"
Her: "Yes, I'm here. Can you hear me Sir?"
Me: "Hello?"
I can be sooooo naughty at times.
-1bigsteve
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 18,787
Likes: 30
From: Melbourne, Aus
While I try never to abuse them... because its a human on the other end of the phone, one who is probably just trying to make ends meet. I genuinely feel sorry for them, because the job HAS to suck.
I always enquire who they work for, and call them back - try to get up the management chain as high as I can (and it is surprising how high you can).
Then I am as sarcastic as anything.
I will be honest, while I would like to think it would achieve something... I know otherwise.
But it does make me feel a heck of a lot better about "letting rip" and it not being on the poor person who has to make the cold calls in the first place.
Let thier bosses know how it feels to put up with what these people have to.
I always enquire who they work for, and call them back - try to get up the management chain as high as I can (and it is surprising how high you can).
Then I am as sarcastic as anything.
I will be honest, while I would like to think it would achieve something... I know otherwise.
But it does make me feel a heck of a lot better about "letting rip" and it not being on the poor person who has to make the cold calls in the first place.
Let thier bosses know how it feels to put up with what these people have to.
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,476
Likes: 224
From: Frequently frozen MN
I get too impatient to abuse them -- mostly I just say "we don't take unsolicited calls" and hang up.
I did get rightly PO'd about one,however. Discover got it into their head that I needed a business credit card. They kept calling back until I went through the whole spiel, saying emphatically no to all of their BS. Since I DO have their credit card, they can apparentrly keep calling. One of the many loopholes in do not call.
Wouldn't you like to have the number of a few telemarketing execs! I'd love to call them up several times a day. It would be even better if you could put your telephone earpiece and microphone together like they did in the old Laurel and Hardy films. Give them a taste of non Hendrix feedback!
Many thanks for the do not call re register link
ford2go
I did get rightly PO'd about one,however. Discover got it into their head that I needed a business credit card. They kept calling back until I went through the whole spiel, saying emphatically no to all of their BS. Since I DO have their credit card, they can apparentrly keep calling. One of the many loopholes in do not call.
Wouldn't you like to have the number of a few telemarketing execs! I'd love to call them up several times a day. It would be even better if you could put your telephone earpiece and microphone together like they did in the old Laurel and Hardy films. Give them a taste of non Hendrix feedback!
Many thanks for the do not call re register link
ford2go
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 384
Likes: 0
Wrong? WRONG? Good sir, it is your civic duty as a fine upstanding citizen to wreak havoc, cause utter confusion, and unleash total anarchy amongst the ranks of the telemarketing community WHENEVER that chance arrives. For if they truly detested the melee that ensued upon your answering of the phone, they would forever banish your phone number to the ranks of the uncalled.
I myself have often thought that helping others is the neighborly and truly just way of life. Therefore, if these glutton-for-punishment telemarketers are narcissistic, massosistic, and sadistic enough to call a house with the reputation of mine, is it not my responsibility to attempt to cause an emotional and mental breakdown of catastrophic proportions?
I myself have often thought that helping others is the neighborly and truly just way of life. Therefore, if these glutton-for-punishment telemarketers are narcissistic, massosistic, and sadistic enough to call a house with the reputation of mine, is it not my responsibility to attempt to cause an emotional and mental breakdown of catastrophic proportions?
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,254
Likes: 0
From: Location, Location.
I figure there are only two ways telemarketers are ever going to completely stop;
1) If people stop buying from telemarketers, making it a waste of time and money
2) If people make it so un pleasant to be a telemarketer that they can't get anyone to do the job.
There should be a national campaign encouraging the public to do both.
1) If people stop buying from telemarketers, making it a waste of time and money
2) If people make it so un pleasant to be a telemarketer that they can't get anyone to do the job.
There should be a national campaign encouraging the public to do both.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 47,280
Likes: 172
From: DELAWARE, The First State
A good come back to the telemarketer is, I have someone on hold, give me your home telephone number and I call you back later.
I agree with Fred. If they repect my time, then I will respect their presentation. Usually I let them go thru their canned speech, then say no. They get paid on the amount of calls that let them finish their speech.
If they continue after saying no, then I just ask to be removed from their calling list.
If they coninue after that, then I just hang up and add the number to my blocked calls.
Most of the time this takes care of the problem.
I agree with Fred. If they repect my time, then I will respect their presentation. Usually I let them go thru their canned speech, then say no. They get paid on the amount of calls that let them finish their speech.
If they continue after saying no, then I just ask to be removed from their calling list.
If they coninue after that, then I just hang up and add the number to my blocked calls.
Most of the time this takes care of the problem.
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 758
Likes: 0
From: Northern PA
We put our names on the Do Not Call list, and it cut way down on the number of calls.
If they do call here and call me by my first name, and I don't recognize the voice, I simply hang up. If they call and mispronounce my last name, I simply hang up.
I don't bother messing with them. It's a waste of my time.
If they do call here and call me by my first name, and I don't recognize the voice, I simply hang up. If they call and mispronounce my last name, I simply hang up.
I don't bother messing with them. It's a waste of my time.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
From: Charlotte
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 457
Likes: 0
From: Pittsburgh
I had a friend in highschool who was a telemarketer part-time. He said even though he was one, he still messed with any that would call him. Best part was, he'd heard all the stories people would string him along with, so he used them when he got the calls. Some of the ones he had were hysterical.
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,680
Likes: 1
From: Montreal Canada
I do telemarketing when construction is slow. It gives me a little something to top off my unemployment, and gets me out of the house and in an air conditioned building with lots of college girls.
I often end up chatting with interesting people from different parts of the country. The best is when you call up other salesmen and they're half pissed on beer and start telling you about their Amway or Herbalife or whatever and you can trade a few war stories. Debt consolidation you talk to a lot of soldiers. They're away for extended period of time while their wives run around on them and pile up the bills. It's an interesting line of work if you like people.
If you want to discourage them from this line of work, the best line is probably something like "get a real job ***-hole" and slam down the phone before they have a chance to respond. That one will leave a good lump in their throat and is the kind of positive reinforcement people in that line of work are usually lacking.
I often end up chatting with interesting people from different parts of the country. The best is when you call up other salesmen and they're half pissed on beer and start telling you about their Amway or Herbalife or whatever and you can trade a few war stories. Debt consolidation you talk to a lot of soldiers. They're away for extended period of time while their wives run around on them and pile up the bills. It's an interesting line of work if you like people.
If you want to discourage them from this line of work, the best line is probably something like "get a real job ***-hole" and slam down the phone before they have a chance to respond. That one will leave a good lump in their throat and is the kind of positive reinforcement people in that line of work are usually lacking.
Posting Guru
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,437
Likes: 0
From: Oak Harbor WA
I have a friend whose mother died 4 years ago, and he still gets telemarketers calls for her. After 2 years of telling them she had passed away, he finally became frustrated with one telemarketer and said: "Fine, I'll let you talk to the urn." Telemarketer hung up.
i ain't rite
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 65,447
Likes: 5,517
From: Marlboro Mental Hospital.
i never abuse telemarketers.
when the phone rings, if it is one, i wait for the autodialer to inform them that someone picked up. then just as they say hello, a hang up. this gives them 4-5 seconds to say something before i hand up without saying anything on my part.
then i report them to the do not call registry.
there was one butthead 2 towns over that did it from his own home phone. after i registered 15 complaints on him, besides all the other complaints received about him, he got arrested for creating a public nuisance, and fined $50 grand for not abiding by the rules of do not call.
when the phone rings, if it is one, i wait for the autodialer to inform them that someone picked up. then just as they say hello, a hang up. this gives them 4-5 seconds to say something before i hand up without saying anything on my part.
then i report them to the do not call registry.
there was one butthead 2 towns over that did it from his own home phone. after i registered 15 complaints on him, besides all the other complaints received about him, he got arrested for creating a public nuisance, and fined $50 grand for not abiding by the rules of do not call.
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 925
Likes: 0
From: northwest,sc
In the mid 70,s I sold life, accident and health insurance.
I had a debit that I would work durning the day but if I had a plan I wanted to show sombody I would make prior arrangements to come back to their house in the evening and make my presentation. I always knocked off work around 6pm but if I had an appointment I would keep it.
One night a little after 9pm as we were putting my daughter to bed there was a knock on my door. Some man selling grave plots Uninvited.
He mentioned my wifes parants names so I let him in and he started trying to sell us burial plots.
I told him I wasn't interested and we were about to go to bed but he wanted to be pushy.
I then went and got my books and started trying to sell him life and health insurance.
I didn't let him get a word in nowhere so he just got up and left, without saying goodby.
My wife got on to me about that, but she thought it was funny.
I had a debit that I would work durning the day but if I had a plan I wanted to show sombody I would make prior arrangements to come back to their house in the evening and make my presentation. I always knocked off work around 6pm but if I had an appointment I would keep it.
One night a little after 9pm as we were putting my daughter to bed there was a knock on my door. Some man selling grave plots Uninvited.
He mentioned my wifes parants names so I let him in and he started trying to sell us burial plots.
I told him I wasn't interested and we were about to go to bed but he wanted to be pushy.
I then went and got my books and started trying to sell him life and health insurance.
I didn't let him get a word in nowhere so he just got up and left, without saying goodby.
My wife got on to me about that, but she thought it was funny.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 284
Likes: 0
From: Alamogordo, New Mexico
I had a feller call one night wanting to sell magazines or something or other. I was nice enough (really) and told him no. He cussed me out hard! Threw the F bomb on me. I tried to do the *69 call back and all that stuff and even called the operator back to get his number and everything but they had a block on their number!. We have that do not call thing too but also screen our calls. If it shows "Out of Area" or is an 800 number, it just rings.
Oh and Dan, Samantha is long for Sam, aka Samuel. Sweet sounding Samuel. Something to think about next time "Samantha" calls...
Rich
Oh and Dan, Samantha is long for Sam, aka Samuel. Sweet sounding Samuel. Something to think about next time "Samantha" calls...
Rich