Cold Callers

[ufkacbln]

Inform them that they have breached Section 7.23 of the Telecommunications act 2005 and ask to speak to their supervisor, as you wish the details of the company and where they got your information - that always throws them!

 

[ufkacbln]

We used to be plagued by Bowater Zenith, double glazing firm, often calling three or four times a week

Then one night after a couple of glasses of wine, my wife asked if they were plastic windows, they replied yes, and after some 45 minutes we were getting our kitchen window free when we bought one for the living area

They then tried to arrange a visit, and were flummoxed when my wife offered to come and bring the tent down to them as they could replace the plastic windows and we would collect on completion

 

[summerdays]

I once answered one of those phone survey calls where they are fishing for who they could sell your number onto! I went out of my way to paint a very incorrect picture of myself. Obviously my responses (which I did make very difficult such as the pet question - yes I have a pet frog in my garden), meant that they decided to make up stuff. Since then I have been plagued by people trying to sell me stuff that I specifically went out of my way to avoid such as debts, and pension etc.

Now to get my own back on these people when they phone up .... "because you said you were interested in consolidating your pensions", "because you own a pet", firstly I let them know that they have been lied to and that their database is incorrect. Then I usually have a go at them for bothering my children and not listening to what they say .... so when they say "she won't be in till this evening", then there isn't any point ringing back every day at 1pm. And then I start trying to elicit information out of them about whether they would like to be bothered, and do they cycle ... it's good for your whole being, if they have a bike - what make is it etc. Basically I make sure I keep them on the phone for as long as possible but taking the call in random directions and every now and again stating I would like my name removed from their list as it is not worth ringing me up. I have tried mentioning telephone preference service to them but most don't seem to know how it would affect them! Now if I got a survey question type phone call, I would put the phone down on them and not answer it - well maybe after telling them how a previous survey had lied about the information.

I'm just not very good at just putting the phone down on them.

 

[screenman]

Call centre's are huge employers now in the UK, I am sure most of the people working there would rather be doing something else. Would you all rather they were on social? a polite reply and have a nice day is a good way to deal with them.

Being rude, or trying unsuccessfully to be funny is not in my opinion very clever.

No I do not enjoy cold callers, but I would lot rather leave every person I talk to or meet with a smile on their face rather than leaving them feeling worse than they did before meeting me.

Why does every cyclist jump red lights, and ride the wrong way up a one way street?

 

[PaulB]

I have the patience of Job with these callers and am very tolerant. I make a point of buying everything I'm offered as these people are merely trying to find their way in a tough world and I like to help them wherever possible. I'm like their dream recipient and I've been awarded the accolade of getting on to the lists of more and more cold-calling companies. It's great and I take it as a huge compliment. It provides me with a bit of a social life and some company....

When did I lose credibility on that?

 

[MarkF]

However - the instant someone lies then the gloves are off.

But don't they all have to lie? My lad's script is going to turn him into Pinocchio, it's one big lie from start to finish but he's had an induction.... so believes the spiel.

I like the ones that open with "Don't worry, I am not trying to sell you anything"

 

[EltonFrog]

This is a recording of my friend Richard Vobes dealing with a Windows scam caller.


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aJ12CiQh1M&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Richard is being very polite, amd leading the caller a merry old dance,

 

[matthat]

There is an app on android and probably that other fashionable phoney thing called Audio manager which shows as a volume app for your phone BUT it is also a Number blocker, Yes you have to receive the call in the 1st place but after that you just add the number to the block list and hey presto a silent phone!! I've now got 9 various companies on it and generally go a few weeks till a new number finds me.

 

[screenman]

I have the patience of Job with these callers and am very tolerant. I make a point of buying everything I'm offered as these people are merely trying to find their way in a tough world and I like to help them wherever possible. I'm like their dream recipient and I've been awarded the accolade of getting on to the lists of more and more cold-calling companies. It's great and I take it as a huge compliment. It provides me with a bit of a social life and some company....

When did I lose credibility on that?

When you started to try and be funny.

 

[Longshot]

Caller "Hello, I'm not selling anything..."
Me "I am! Do you have double glazing in your home?"

 

[Saluki]

I'm proper using that one

Something advocated by Mark Thomas that I'm adopting is returning spam pre-paid envelopes stuffed with as much other spam, takeaway menus and virgin broadband leaflets as you can find.

The spammers pay for the delivery, ok, as a bonus of course, the money goes into the Post Office so supporting its dwindling buiseness. Everyone's a winner.

I have done this for years.
I do it every Friday. I line up all the junk mail & envelopes, move the envelopes one to the left and then stuff them with someone elses junk. Cheers me up no end after a hard day. My Mother used to do it when I was younger and I thought that it was a right giggle. Dad thought that it was rude - no sense of humour.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

I used to get called by a company selling wine the idea was you paid so much every few months and they sent you a couple of cases of wine here and there, so one day I got sick of them phoning and agreed to a FREE tasting.

When the guy turned up my living room was full of some of my work colleagues, after that they never called me again ............ I cant think why ............. nice wine though

 

[summerdays]

I have done this for years.
I do it every Friday. I line up all the junk mail & envelopes, move the envelopes one to the left and then stuff them with someone elses junk. Cheers me up no end after a hard day. My Mother used to do it when I was younger and I thought that it was a right giggle. Dad thought that it was rude - no sense of humour.

I hadn't thought about doing it that way ... I just keep bunging the letters from Virgin back in the post box with a variety of business tips on how they could save some money!

I often wonder how the world would get on without all this advertising. Why does it make a good business case to bombard someone with their literature sometimes multiple times a week when they didn't react the previous week. Do many people get influenced by this. For me it is the opposite effect where I wouldn't pick that company even if I did want that type of product.

 

[asterix]

Once there was a company that was a household name. It was so famous that its bosses decided they were wasting their money advertising since everyone knew who they were. They slashed the budget. Sales plummeted. Advertising is something a business has to do.

ps I like the idea of telling Virgin how to save money! I am sure it's just the sort of advice a billionaire like Branson has urgent need of..

 

[summerdays]

Once there was a company that was a household name. It was so famous that its bosses decided they were wasting their money advertising since everyone knew who they were. They slashed the budget. Sales plummeted. Advertising is something a business has to do.

I'm not suggesting no advertising, just not this in your face stuff.... just had a phone call on my mobile .... no idea what it was about .... it started in an automatice voice ... "Nat West", I put the phone down.