Great 'Best Cold Caller Rebukes' Hunt

brewerdave

Had a cold call last night from my bank - apparently its time for my annual current account review meeting! Normally I tell them I don't require a sales meeting with them to refuse their kind offers of insurance (haven't had a meeting with them for x years) so strike me off the list but this time I decided to ask her MY security questions - colour of my mother's eyes? - reply er um...
Name of my first dog? - reply er, I don't have that information to hand.... me "sorry, then I'm not allowed to speak to you for Data Protection purposes..." - Bank employee apologies and rings off confused !!!!
Whats the betting I'll get a letter asking me to update my security information.??

sparky1982

I have found that trying to sell something to them instead works well as they get all confused and hang up

PoorPennilessMe

brandedcentaur wrote: »

What is the point of being rude to some poor wage slave who is just trying to earn a living? YES, we all hate receiving these calls and NO they should not be allowed.

I hate them as much as anybody else, but I always remember that, at the other end of the line, there is someone who has had the guts to go out and find a job (ANY job!) rather than sit in the house or pub, moaning about there not being any work!

Either say "No thank you, sorry" or buy a trueCall. There is no need to be rude or waste their time. Those people are paid commission and you are just breaking their will to work at all.

But it isn't as simple as that is it? This forum has clearly shown that the VAST mahority of cunsumers hate these methods of selling. So who do they sell to? The easily pursuaded.

In other words, these 'people' are preying on, and coercing money out of, the vulnerable members of our society, who need the protection of the more strong willed of us!

mrsmcdade

My two year old loves talking to telemarketers. They love talking to him for a few minutes until they realise he can't understand them and says "Uh-huh" to anything :rotfl:

spankygoodtime

Sorry haven't had time to go through this so may be repeating what someone else has said.

In the case of market research compnaies such as GFK NOP they are acting legally - they are not selling. A computer generates the numbers they call at random.

Ask how long a survey will take - many of them will lie and say it is "quick". Give them a couple of minutes then say you have to get on with whatever you are doing, they will beg you to finish because they won't get paid. String them along for a bit longer if you like then say you don't want to do it anymore and hang up.

Refuse to give your name and address. To get paid they will have to make them up and if a supervisor does back check to validate the survey they will be in big trouble,.

redux

new idea, how about:

hello, are you a homeowner?

no

oh, are you a tenant then?

no

oh, I don't understand

I'm a burglar

jh2009

If i get one of those silent calls that waits for 2 seconds then connects you to an operator, i operate my own silent call system on them.

I go quiet for the first 5-10 seconds while they say hello 2 times and then hang up myself!

Doesn't stop the calls but good revenge for their silent call system!

dina211715

0845 371 0507: this is the most irritating phone number in the world. They kept ringing me during my lectures and no leaving a message.

Eventually I answered and they're a personal loan service (which, at 21, I don't exactly need!). I decided to play along so I acted all interested in getting this loan - the annoying man on the phone was very excited - and told them I wanted it to invest in a killer whale pool, complete with Shamu look-alike for my back garden. They're so desperate for customers that he actually continued with the 'application' until I was like ok... joking... stop calling me please!!

It's great fun if you've got 10 mins spare :rotfl:

savemoney

Whilst I dont accept abuse should be given, your post does not address the fact that some of these calls no one is actually there to pick up the phone when there system rings you

Nor does it address that sometimes you get called umpteen times even though you tell them not to

It is against the law to misuse telephone network that can be sending high pitched tones to people on other end, but can equally apply to ringing someone and not answering all time ie silent calls

Hooda_Thunkit wrote: »

I am astonished at some of the drivel I have read here!
These are people who are trying to earn a living - why be so ratty/childish/objectionable to them? You say you get annoyed by their calls? Think how these poor devils feel at your childish antics! You get a call occasionally, they probably make a few hundred calls a day, and get snubbed by 99% of those they call - so think how they feel!
Try simply saying firmly but politely "I'm sorry, I'm not interested" and hang up the phone immediately.
That saves you wasting time on your childish and pointless pantomime act, and gets you off the phone and back to what you were so annoyed at being interrupted at in the first place!

davethorp

We have caller display so adopt the stance that if we don't recognise the number calling or it's withheld, unavailable or international we will let the answerphone get it. If the person calling believes their call to be important they may leave a message. We will then listen to said message and if we agree the call is important will either interrupt the answerphone and take the call or allow them to leave their message and get back to them at a later time.

Our answerphone greeting implicitly states that we will only get back to them, if we deem them worthy. Most of the time we don't