Ambulance chaser calls.

[Brandane]

I advertised my motorbike for sale on Gumtree about 3 hours ago. Since then, I have had 5 calls from different numbers (now all blocked) from the usual call centre nuisances enquiring about "the accident" I recently had, apparently. I have no recollection of this accident, so it must have been minor!
At least now I know where they are getting my number. The ad has now been edited to remove it. Pests!!!

 

[Milkfloat]

If you have the time and the inclination have a chat to them and talk about your accident - make it a competition to see how long you can string it out after you tell them that you were drunk and crashed into a Police car with the officers inside.

 

[gom]

A colleague told me he claimed (and it seems likely of him) that he was sold a faulty condom and is still paying for it 25 years later.

 

[Dave7]

If you have the time and the inclination have a chat to them and talk about your accident - make it a competition to see how long you can string it out after you tell them that you were drunk and crashed into a Police car with the officers inside.

I used to get them......not for a long time now.
When I was in the mood I did similar, normally got as far as losing both legs and one arm......but when I got as far as losing my head it seemed to go quiet.

 

[Profpointy]

They haven't necessarily "got your number" from anywhere as many/most of them are on autodialers which just cycles through dialling sequentially until one answers, and only then connects to the agent. They won't even know your name unless you tell 'em.

As an aside a guy who used to do plastering and light building work for us describes being cold-called about double glazing or whatever, said to that although he didn't need double glazing at that time he was glad he'd called and asked if he (the salesman) wanted any plastering done. The guy got quite huffy when he followed up by asking him if he'd ask around his colleagues to see if any of them wanted any plastering done.

And the owner of a dive boat was talking to the help desk guy for the firm that provided his web-site about some problem and actually managed to sell him a diving holiday. To be fair this was a happy coincidence as the techie guy was a diver so it was a good result for everyone.

But the all time classic prank might be this one

View: https://youtu.be/aOvXxnSEQKY
.

I do hope it was a real prank rather than both sides scripted as a sketch. Brilliant either way

 

[Chris S]

I just tell them that I got my willy stuck in a vacuum cleaner.

 

[Brandane]

They haven't necessarily "got your number" from anywhere as many/most of them are on autodialers which just cycles through dialling sequentially until one answers,

Seems a bit of a coincidence then, that I had 5 similar calls in 3 hours, when I normally get them at the rate of about 2 or 3 per YEAR! I strongly suspect Gumtree are the source of sharing my number with their carefully chosen business associates .

 

[roadrash]

i like to string em along for as long as possible then ask if i can claim for amnesia at which point they will say yes certainly, you can claim for that ,..my reply ..oh good because i cant remember having a fekin accident in the first place ...its usually them that hang up first

 

[Dave7]

I just tell them that I got my willy stuck in a vacuum cleaner.

Yeuk.....your willy stuck in Henry !!!! Noooo!!!

 

[sheddy]

^ might use that next time they call (just to see how wife reacts !)

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Not to advertise the company I work for but for 75p a month you can get an alternative number, which you can use for adverts etc. you can receive calls on your mobile or landline & see the number they are calling from, you can with a little bit of nounce also make outgoing calls with that number. Then when you have sold the item you just stop using that number

 

[oldwheels]

I used to ask them when they would like me to have the accident so that we could get the details right in advance.
Since I never answer unknown numbers I don't know if they are still trying.

 

[stephec]

The best one I know of personally is a guy I used to work with, he had a call about conservatories so strung them along for a quarter of an hour before coming out with, 'it's amazing what you can do these days, do you put it on stilts or something?'

When the caller sounded confused he added, 'I live in a second floor flat,' and burst out laughing as the phone suddenly went dead. 😂

 

[Jenkins]

If you have no recollection of the accident, then it must have been more than a minor one leaving you with concussion and therefore be in dire need of these companies