It's amazing how RUDE telemarketers are getting.

[Dogza]

I just got a telemarketing call from a guy who said he was with an organization representing the local police departments in our area. I politely told him that we handle our own business donations and that I wouldn't be interested. His response was "I don't care if your interested, I'm asking you to try thinking a little differently. Now can I speak to someone in your organization who can actually make a decision."

Needless to say, my blood pressure shot up so fast my head almost exploded. I just laughed and hung up.

This isn't the first time I've had this happen recently.. Do these idiots actually think they are going to get a sale after insulting someone?

[Essex_boy]

he actually gave me his number! - ROFL

[herewego]

I put them on hold while I go find myself - My phone plays a horrible, beepy mind-numbingly irritating version of "Greensleeves" when you put someone on hold.
It's nice to think they're being entertained while they wait :-)

[g1smd]

Two routines that people I know already use:

One has a cheap battery-powered doorbell chime on the desk, and a few seconds into the call presses the button and says "Could you wait a moment, I can see that there is some sales guy at the door", and then leaves them on hold for a while while he goes back to whatever he was doing.

The other has a similar routine, but says that the caller is his lawyer who has come with all the paperwork regarding his bankruptcy and possible house repossession; and then asks if the caller could possibly call back in a few days time -- they never do call back.

[davewray]

I remember a few months ago. Was the third freaking telemarketer that evening. That third poor guy, he asked me if he could have a bit of my time, I said, "Sure, but I really have to go to the bathroom..Do you mind talking to me in there?...Got bloody indigestion from eating all of that chili!". Silence.....it was priceless...then he hung up from what I could gather. Guess he didn't want to hear the fake noises of grunting and groaning, not to mention the flushing of the toilet...haha

Dave.

[Barb]

About the only good advantage to dialup - you can keep your phone line engaged. Our is in use just about 24 hours a day because my husband and I take turns on the computer.

When the odd call does come through, and usually it's a telemarketer, I let them know that they woke me from sleep since I "work" 3rd shift, or that they interrupted my dinner, or other important event.

I used to do telemarketing. I know what it's like. Hopefully, enough people will quit those jobs and companies will go under. I know it's a pipe dream, but one can only hope.

And the Do Not Call Registry does not work. It's been what - 2 years now or so - and we are still getting calls. We've complained to the appropriate places with no results. I think it was just a pretty bandage to please the public but actually doesn't do anything at all.

[Automan Empire]

It is MY phone and MY time!
I have empathy for the "underling" workers of the world, having been one for many younger years. THerefore, when I sniff a sales call, usually within the first sentence, I simply say, Not interested, thank you, goodbye, click.
Once in a great great while, one will actually call back, and launch into a tirade because I wouldn't listen. This was instrumental in deciding to drop phone service at my house, and after 5 years I don't miss it!
I am at my shop all day with the phone ringing off the wall; when I get home I cannot countenance the sound of a phone ringing for me!
The teevee was booted 15 years ago. I love having zero mental intrusions after a 12-hour day of nothing-but!
I have had onetime telemarketer friends describe these purgatories. It seems pretty universal that boiler-room operations are staffed by interesting freaks, sociopathic freaks, and bewildered newbies desperate for a paycheck who quit in tears within a month. The owner with a $70,000 car seems inevitable, too. Perhaps a good sanction for ignoring the do-not-call list would be to allow the victims to "key" said vehicle, preferably during his dinner.

[aleksl]

dogza: I just got a telemarketing call from a guy who said he was with an organization representing the local police departments in our area.

yeah, these bastards keep calling me, 7-8 times in last month. They are completely rude, to a point when I had to be rude and yelling back at them

...give me 20, soldier!...

basically, they pretend to be a police department, but in fact they are "fraternal order of police" i.e. a corporation - I had to squeeze this out of them by asking direct "yes" or "no" questions. My number is on a federal-do-not-call list, and if I understand it correctly they are required to conform to government regulations and remove your number from the list; they will tell you that "this does not apply to police" - but hey, they are not police.

The last time they called I had to burst laughing. They don't care. They won't take your number of their list - probably because someone before me paid them. It is just sad, I feel pity for the folks who had this phone number before me - they've been probably paying hundreds of dollars to these and other shmuks.

[jsinger]

Those police organizations have been around for decades. I've been told by real cops to never give money to them. Virtually all donations go to fund raising overhead.

Some would give window stickers to donors to put on their car windows. The implication was you'd be less likely to get a ticket if you had the sticker on your car. You'd see see old geezers driving down the road with their back windows covered with 'em.

Funniest was a car I saw with the stickers on its back drivers SIDE windows to assure that any approaching cop would see them.

[ganderla]

My best one was from a girl trying to sell me magazine subscriptions. I knew what I was going to do so when she started her pitch, I made it sound like I was going to make her day.

I kept saying how wonderful a deal it was and how excited I was to get my first issues.

When she asked me which magazines I wanted, I said..

"Which ones do you have in Braille?"
The 10 seconds of complete and utter silence told me that it was the least thing she suspected.

I never heard from her again.

If she really has any in braille, I would have bought them.

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Yesterday I got a call from a company trying to sell me business insurance. I was very busy at the time but I let the guy introduce himself then told him politely that I was not interested, thanked him and hung up. About half an hour later I got another call from the same company but a different person. I explained, this time rather gruffly, that they had already called me and I had already told them that I was not interested.

About half an hour later guess what?

On this occasion I will admit that I lost it. I screamed at the guy (same guy) to FO and stop bothering me. I didn't hear from them again.

[Marketing Guy]

We use a premium rate phone number in the office for client support (hardly anyone uses it) - it's £1 per minute to dial it - if we get over £25 in a month, the excess comes to us (in 9 months we've haven't seen a penny).

So I started handing that number out to telemarketing calls and asking them to call me back. At the very least it means we're getting £1 per minute for talking to the feckers. ;)

[vibgyor79]

Last month, a guy was on our local radio who married a telemarketer who was bugging him all the time. Apparently, she called him up to sell him a credit card. He cajoled the girl into meeting her. After meeting her a couple of times, he proposed to her and she said YES. But his credit card application was rejected by Citibank. Wierd story huh?

Nowdays, I propose to any telemarketer girl who dares to calls me up.

[ispy]

If you have not figured this out yet, telemarketers are poorly paid disgruntled employees who are paid to make calls, they dont care whether you buy anything.

[Raymond]

Nowdays, I propose to any telemarketer girl who dares to calls me up.

Haha, I am going to try that next time.

What really annoys me is when I am out of the country and I receive these telemarketing calls. Roaming charges can be as high as $5 a minute. I get these calls at least once a day and it adds up quite a bit.

[Essex_boy]

girl who dares to calls me - hmm must be nice (sighs)

[tedster]

Last year, for the first time ever, I actually bought something from a telemarketer -- a new calling plan. He was intelligent, well spoken, and directly answered everything I asked, just like a real person.

After we sealed the deal I complimented him on his skills -- and also his company for having such an excellent script that allowed him to interact so intelligently. He laughed and said "Thanks. I write the scripts we use and I was testing a new approach."

By the way, the new phone service has been excellent.

[ispy]

The reason telemarketing calls like this can be irritating is because you feel that you must respond to the person in some way. Such as listening to them, responding appropriately, having a legitimate reason to hang up etc. If something is annoying about it just hang up. Your "little" voice is guiding you and it is doing so for all the right reasons.