Spammers, cold callers and those that accosts you

xangeleyes

DON'T CALL BACK!

This happened to my husband, please call such and such, so he did, they take down you information and then you get billed for the text messaging service they sent you. He got a bill for £70 odd!

This could be something else entirely, but I thought I'd quickly write this - I haven't even read the entire post yet

Another thing! Google 'Telephone preference Service'. There is a company where you put in your mobile number - and now you can do it for email, land lines, letters too - and when someone phones you, just say to them, my numbers on the telephone preference list and what your doing is illegal, and I will contact them which will get you a £5000 fine'

I LOVED telling them that.

Good luck!

m p s o n l i n e . o r g . u k / t p s /

minus the gaps

danothy

Rachel_murray wrote: »

DON'T CALL BACK!

This happened to my husband, please call such and such, so he did, they take down you information and then you get billed for the text messaging service they sent you. He got a bill for £70 odd!

This could be something else entirely, but I thought I'd quickly write this - I haven't even read the entire post yet

Another thing! Google 'Telephone preference Service'. There is a company where you put in your mobile number - and now you can do it for email, land lines, letters too - and when someone phones you, just say to them, my numbers on the telephone preference list and what your doing is illegal, and I will contact them which will get you a £5000 fine'

I LOVED telling them that.

Good luck!

m p s o n l i n e . o r g . u k / t p s /

minus the gaps

It's OK, panic not! I'm well aware it is a huge heap of bull faeces and I don't intend to get drawn in. But thank you for your concern none the less, it's very comforting.

Incidentally I've registered with the TPS and my spam filters are fairly good, there's always some leakage though. I guess I can live with that.

On reflection I feel I have grown callous enough to not feel too bad turning down charitable appeals, I just wish there was some ubiquitous way of letting everyone know that I would rather not even be asked so I didn't have to do it three times an hour when in town. I feel that being approached by a person is a lot more engaging (maybe I should say violating) than passive advertising material and it seems unfair that we have no mechanism for preventing it if it's unwanted.

I've definitely got the leafleters sussed though, just keep your hands in your pockets and tell them you're allergic to paper.

anotherbaldrick

I just wish there was some ubiquitous way of letting everyone know that I would rather not even be asked

Wear purple, and carry a handbag that looks as it may contain a brick. Worked for Maggie Thatcher.

SplashWellyKid

Difficult, especially if you're not a naturally rude person - body language is usually the best bet as others have already said. I try to avoid eye contact by looking way past them somewhere over their shoulder: if you do that & ignore any requests as you walk briskly by that usually saves you!

Had a new one this afternoon when in my local Poundland - busy looking at the DVDs, texting a mate to see if he'd like one & listening to my mp3 player, I was interrupted by a young woman who asked if I was okay & said she'd been asked to speak to all the customers in store today. Naturally assuming she was a staff member, I politely ceased what I was doing,unplugged my headphones & then she got out her pack - yes, it was a chugger!

I firmly waved her away with a polite but abrupt 'no thanks ', walked straight over to the nearest staff member & asked if the manager had approved someone in store going round asking customers for money.

The chugger then came back & complained that she'd been polite & tried to make me feel guilty by saying I'd end up getting her thrown out. I countered that, if she were there with permission, then there wasn't an issue. It's lucky I knew I was in the right & wasn't intimidated by this, but not what I wanted when just expecting a quick shopping jaunt.

Having had my shopping interrupted & now irritated by the invasion of privacy I then left without making my purchases. I really felt it was inappropriate; a lot of people may not have money to spare but feel obliged to give when confronted in this way. I'd been interrupted from choosing items & then didn't have further time to spend in there, so they'd lost sales.

I've already sent a comment to Poundland's Customer Services explaining this policy will lose them customers & rung to find out when the manager will be in tomorrow so I can get the name of the charity to complain directly. I was told that my complaint will stop her being allowed back into the store to harass others & suggest anyone who finds this happening in their local shops does the same to nip this in the bud before it takes off. It's much harder to escape someone in a shop than to swerve away from a chugger with a clipboard in the street!

Good luck in reducing the unwanted contact - it may take some while but it will eventually work for most things.

Splash.

MothballsWallet

Best. advice. ever.

50 calibre chain gun with HEAP (High-Explosive, Anti-Personnel) ammunition.

Works a treat on chuggers.

hansi

danothy wrote: »

I suspect that swearing at strangers is not going to restore my sense of equilibrium somehow. I also suspect that it wont help that much.

I'm considering wearing a sign round my neck informing people not to approach me next time I venture out.

Good idea, especially in Queen Street:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Kilty_2

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

You would be surprised, as for equilibrium , it does wonders for mine. Remember these chuggers are doing it for money so if you wish to contribute to charity ,give it to charity , not the fee earning chugger.

Oh you're one of those are you.

I worked in Market Research for a couple of weeks (temporary job) - long hours, crap money and was not selling anything - yet the amount of rude c***s like you that would give me verbal abuse for doing my job was unreal.

dreavi

I dont mind the chuggers, when i see one I just clock the charity name, smile and say I already give money to whoever (sometime true, sometimes not)

They then smile and sometimes give me a high five, if they are pretty sometimes i stop and chat and maybe get a number

Everyone leaves happy

anotherbaldrick

Kilty wrote: »

Oh you're one of those are you.

I worked in Market Research for a couple of weeks (temporary job) - long hours, crap money and was not selling anything - yet the amount of rude c***s like you that would give me verbal abuse for doing my job was unreal.

You got a job and ceased being a parasite then !

fadetogrey

MothballsWallet wrote: »

Best. advice. ever.

50 calibre chain gun with HEAP (High-Explosive, Anti-Personnel) ammunition.

Works a treat on chuggers.

what a ridiculous statement.have you seen the cost of heat ammo lately?:eek::eek: