How do you deal with telephone sales people?

Paul_Varjak

I block unwanted sales calls using www.truecall.co.uk. I also register ALL my phone numbers with TPS.

For anyone else calling me, I politely ask them to remove me from their contact list. That works with everyone (except TalkTalk)

For Talk Talk I have given them their own contact number (I got free from Flextel) which goes straight to voice mail that I never listen to. If they ignore that contact number and call me on my Talk Talk landline they have to ask me the security question on my account. That security questions reads:

"How may Talk Talk contact me?". The answer is "IN WRITING ONLY". That has finally put the stompers on their calls.

gar123

imagine it was your brother or sister making that sales call

say something like thanks for calling but not for me right now, thanks and bye

karma comes back to you

System

Grab a plastic bag and start rustling it...then going.."hello..you're..brea..kin..g..u..p" then hang up

My brther and sisters wouldn't do that job, thay have ethics.

cally6008

Told the bloke I was only 10 years old when he asked what financial obligation thingys I had. Good job I sound young on the phone.

dasim

Used to lose my cool when they wouldn't take "NO" for an answer but then I felt bad about being so rude. Now I find "Sorry, the homeowner is not in" gets rid of quite a few. If that doesn't work I just hang up if the first two "NOs" don't work.
I don't feel guilty about doing that as I think they're plain rude if they don't accept "NO" in the first place.

hc25036

We are TPS registered and I usually try to be polite after telling the caller that they are breaking the law and please make sure it doesn't happen again.

Last week we had a call from some outfit "doing a review to see if we have been given incorrect financial information". This plank did not know what TPS was and seemed incapable of understanding when I quietly and calmly explained it to him. I gave him the option of hanging up or continuing the call - which he insisted on doing.

Complaint sent to TPS,

Sublime_2

I always call screen. Telesales people can talk to my answering machine as much as they like. :rotfl:

RHemmings

gar123 wrote: »

imagine it was your brother or sister making that sales call

say something like thanks for calling but not for me right now, thanks and bye

karma comes back to you

I have discussed this with my brothers and my sister, and they tell me that they'd expect this sort of thing to happen, and would give as good as they got.

luxor4t

We're TPS registered but still get the odd (as in peculiar) 'international' calls.

Last one wanted to let us know that the car accident we'd been involved in during the last three years (?) meant that we were entitled to compensation.
DH played the caller along for a bit as this was definitely a new approach, conversation as follows:

- yes, you could gain £3,000 to £4,000!

DH: what for?

- for the injuries you had in the accident!

DH: I wasn't in the car at the time, it was parked - do I still get the money? Can you send it to me?

- please give me the details.

DH: no, you know about the accident, so you send me the details in writing & I'll reply! ...etc etc

We had not had an accident, just an old lady reversed into our car in the GP's carpark then drove off, leaving a dent in our car. It was reported to the police by witnesses.

Not sure where they cold-callers got the details from!

marleyboy

I usually hand the phone over to my 1yr old, depending on his mood, he will either burble down the phone for a good half hour, or be too busy bawling and shrieking down the phone. eventually they do hang up, baby loves it.