Get Your Own Back on Marketers

djdido2

this post made me lol several times. i have had to stop answering my phone as i get up to ten calls a day from these pesky mithering people. tried all tricks ie no thankyou, try to sound confused, speak in a foreign accent and pretend i dont understand etc but they still call. decided to try leaving the phone so they get sick of calling. i am running a business and have prob lost loads due to not answering calls. i'll try some of this and let you know what happens. i know they are only doing a job but how would they like it?? being mithered on a daily basis?????

mrs_baggins

After reading the threads I can agree with some of them! I have an unlisted number but of course every time you go on the internet or apply to someone the details get known. I have just this sec registered with TPS/MPS so maybe that will make a difference. As to being rude to telesales maybe I'm a bit sad but I just cant be rude to people evn on the phone. Usually i just end up saying sorry, not interested twice then put the phone down but I dont even like doing that!

bestyman

The posts about cold callers `only doing a job` is not an acceptable reason now and never has been . `Only following orders ` was a common excuse in history and does not make it alright. Individuals who have such jobs are morrally and often legaly wrong and should take responsibility for their own actions and they deserve the consequences.

When cold callers ring me my landline is often diverted to my mobile so I have to pay 15 pence a minute ( or £50- £100 a year) to listern to these fools, also Im often at work or driving so I need to stop to answer the phone. This is why I despise these people so much.

When they call me I do this.

1. Sound interested then put them on hold ( longer the better ) , Get name and tel number if poss.

2. Return and explain Im not interested. Advise them of the benefits of visiting the local job centre. Ask them if they regretted fooling around in school.

3. Tell them about their Mothers/ Wifes favourite sexual activities.

4. Tell them Im registered with TPS and they are breaking the law and I will report them.

5. Tell them after reporting them they will go to prison and experience point 3 above first hand.

A word of caution. When doing this these usually thick skinned people actually show emotion and have been know to phone back and be abusive themselves, this really dosnt bother me , at least it ties the line up so other cold callers cannot get through.



Regards

martindow

There was some correspondence in the Guardian on how people deal with these calls. One of the best suggestions was to say that you were sorry but as you were not expected to live much longer you were not going to be making any major financial commitments. Apparently this works very well especially if it is said in a weak, quavery voice.

hurrah

This recent Thread Started by MSE Martin is worth a read.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=248513

NickC_4

bestyman wrote:

The posts about cold callers `only doing a job` is not an acceptable reason now and never has been . `Only following orders ` was a common excuse in history and does not make it alright. Individuals who have such jobs are morrally and often legaly wrong and should take responsibility for their own actions and they deserve the consequences.

When cold callers ring me my landline is often diverted to my mobile so I have to pay 15 pence a minute ( or £50- £100 a year) to listern to these fools, also Im often at work or driving so I need to stop to answer the phone. This is why I despise these people so much.

When they call me I do this.

1. Sound interested then put them on hold ( longer the better ) , Get name and tel number if poss.

2. Return and explain Im not interested. Advise them of the benefits of visiting the local job centre. Ask them if they regretted fooling around in school.

3. Tell them about their Mothers/ Wifes favourite sexual activities.

4. Tell them Im registered with TPS and they are breaking the law and I will report them.

5. Tell them after reporting them they will go to prison and experience point 3 above first hand.

A word of caution. When doing this these usually thick skinned people actually show emotion and have been know to phone back and be abusive themselves, this really dosnt bother me , at least it ties the line up so other cold callers cannot get through.



Regards

Bestyman. I find your attitude disgusting.

Calling you may be immoral and even illegal if you have asked not to be through TPS etc. - but the person on the other end probably does not know you and will not know if you are registered. For all they know, you have filled in a questionairre saying you are interested in their product.

I'm sure there are certain companies who flout the rules regarding TPS, and these companies deserve to be taken to court.

My wife has just started working for a respectable company that uses cold calling, but the circumstances meant it was a necessity, not a choice.

If you choose to pay to receive calls, that is up to you and not the fault of the person calling. I find it interesting that you hate being called once, but do not mind being called twice.

We get cold calls and have a method of dealing with them:

1. Say "No thanks, not interested".
- Any decent compnay will say OK and hang-up.

2. If they carry on, firmly say "I am NOT interested", and put the phone down without hanging up.
- This is what I do with the really annoying foreign sounding people who seem to be ringing us a lot lately because we dared to apply for a loan last year.

3. Hang-up when the caller has gone. Hang-up sooner if you need the phone.

To do what you suggest Bestyman is definitely immoral and illegal. Quite simply, points 3 and 5 are sexual harrasment and threatening behaviour.

Finally, a word of caution for you... If you were to do this when my wife phoned, it wouldn't be her who called you back, but the police. Remember - all phone calls are recorded.

Nick.

Wyndham

We can have a very 'British' attitude to this sometimes. We don't think it's polite to end a conversation abruptly. This stems from the past where the only people who would talk to you in the first place would be people you knew or were introduced to by a mutual friend etc. With cold calling, the caller is friendly and nice, so we don't quite want to say no to them - it's an in built reaction, reinforced by our upbrining of what is 'polite'.

The thing to remember is that no matter how friendly the person on the other end of the phone is, they have started off by being impolite by ringing in the first place. Therefore a polite 'no thanks not interested' from you is acceptable.

I'm with the TPS, and the only calls we get are pre-recorded ones telling us to ring back as we've won a holiday. They originate from abroad, so aren't covered by the TPS. We just put the phone down!

impster

Here’s what I did a while ago, which isn’t really very decent but it did do the trick for one persitant, ignorant, and rude caller. We only get INTERNATIONAL !!!! calls which are nuisance calls, and they all start very courteously. Ususally telling us that we’ve been selected for a great deal on a free(!!!!) holiday. Anyway, the best one I did was when I answered the call (Caller display) in an old man’s weak voice. On being told that the ‘free’ holiday would be a wonderful ‘retirement’ break for me and my wife, I pretended to get a bit flustered – suggesting that the caller was being a nuisance and that I regarded her call as a waste of my time, as I was to unwell to contemplate leaving the house let alone a foreign trip. Regardless of my so called ‘fluster-ation’ the caller got very pushy – so I pretended to have a heart attack. I dropped the phone on the table from about 6 inches up, coughed and spluttered, did some heavy breathing and then put the phone on ‘secrecy’ mode (i.e. microphone switched off). I listened to the caller get freaked out, call a supervisor, and then hang up.

About 5 minutes later got another call from (i guess) the same international number, with the lady on the other side asking for me. I pretended to be a carer, and told them to ‘get off the line’ as a paramedic was trying to revive the occupant. The lady the other side said ‘oh sh*t’ and hung up.

Please note I did this purely out of frustration at the caller’s persistance even though I (acting an elderly gentleman) told them in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t interested and was considering their call a nuisance.

I really hope I put a whole load of fear onto them.

When callers reply politely to my claims of not being interested I don’t mind, but this caller was a disgrace. Some may say it’s just a job for them, but they always have their own choice not to be rude and persistant.

Anyway – I’m not interested in foreign holidays for free. I’d rather get the cash.

I hope that this does not offend anyone, but it certainly gave me a lot of satisfaction under the circumstances.

Impster

bestyman

NickC wrote:

Bestyman. I find your attitude disgusting.

To do what you suggest Bestyman is definitely immoral and illegal. Quite simply, points 3 and 5 are sexual harrasment and threatening behaviour.

Finally, a word of caution for you... If you were to do this when my wife phoned, it wouldn't be her who called you back, but the police. Remember - all phone calls are recorded.

Nick.

Hi,
Firstly I dont sexually harrass people .( where did I say that?)
I dont threaten people, I simply explain what others may do to them if they continue breaking the law.
If they choose to break the law and call my phone then they cannot complain. ...or are you one of these people that think criminals have rights?

They wont go to the police as they are the ones breaking the law and if they did they would get little sympathy - Its an occupational hazard .

I like them phoning back the 2nd time cos they are mad and ranting and raving and I can have a good laugh at them , sometimes I can even make them cry and thats even better .

When you have £100s a year illegally stolen from you, hours of your time, and everyday parking the car in a hurry to answer the phone to a lawbreaker post back and tell me its ok.

NickC_4

bestyman wrote:

Hi,
Firstly I dont sexually harrass people .( where did I say that?)

BESTYMAN wrote:

3. Tell them about their Mothers/ Wifes favourite sexual activities.

I dont threaten people, I simply explain what others may do to them if they continue breaking the law.
If they choose to break the law and call my phone then they cannot complain. ...or are you one of these people that think criminals have rights?

If you are registered with TPS, the people who call you may be breaking the law. But Cold-calling is NOT illegal. Are you registered with TPS?

Bestyman wrote:

They wont go to the police as they are the ones breaking the law and if they did they would get little sympathy - Its an occupational hazard .

I like them phoning back the 2nd time cos they are mad and ranting and raving and I can have a good laugh at them , sometimes I can even make them cry and thats even better .

When you have £100s a year illegally stolen from you, hours of your time, and everyday parking the car in a hurry to answer the phone to a lawbreaker post back and tell me its ok.

I'm with Impster:

Impster wrote:

When callers reply politely to my claims of not being interested I don’t mind, but this caller was a disgrace. Some may say it’s just a job for them, but they always have their own choice not to be rude and persistant.

I will be blunt and I will be downright rude if I have to with cold callers, but I see no reason to make somebody I don't know cry without giving them a chance to be reasonable first.