Spill the beans... on Jedi mind tricks salesmen have played on you

grahamm

craigsville wrote: »

One point to note, these people are just doing a job and trying to earn a living,

So are the ones who phone you up claiming to be from Microsoft and telling you that they've detected problems with your computer. Should we be polite to them too, even though they're trying to con you?

they know from experience that their time is better spent persuading some gulible person down the street.

Oh, right, so be polite, get rid of them quickly, so they can con someone else!

spandit

If you live in a semi-rural area there is the honest comment that a friend said to a telesales person:

Salesman: Would you be interested in covering your central heating against breakdown?
Friend: Yes, if you think you can!
Salesman: What is your central heating system - electric, gas?
Friend: Gravity powered, coal fired central heating.
Salesman: Erm ... is that electric or gas?
Friend: It's gravity powered, coal fired central heating.
Salesman: Oh, erm ... thank you, goodbye!

Just found a link for the system if anyone wishes to use it:
http://www.askthebuilder.com/689_Gravity_Furnaces.shtml

grahamm wrote: »

So are the ones who phone you up claiming to be from Microsoft and telling you that they've detected problems with your computer. Should we be polite to them too, even though they're trying to con you?

I normally go along with it sounding very concerned, and then sit at my computer, until they ask which version of Windows I have (XP, Vista, 7). I then answer "it's none of those as I use UNIX". Each time I get politely put on hold then they cut me off after a minute. Although I'm not a UNIX user it's one of the most virus/trojan-free operating systems and so they're very unlikely to be able to continue the conversation.

Bikertov

I got 'tricked' into going to see a life insurance / pension salesman, for a not too reputable company - it was an old friend who just started working there.

As he was new there, he had his sales manager / mentor with him, and they tried all the patter of imminent tax break changes etc to get me to agree and sign up.

I was having none of it, and their final attempt was over half and hour - yes 30 minutes - of silence from them, waiting for me to give in and say something. I just sat there saying and doing nothing, and managed to walk out in the end without signing up for anything.

Indigomoon_2

Another trick some companies try to use is sending those texts that start with 'we've learned that .........to continue send yes, to stop text no' or something like that, which they send blind hoping to get some replies and so learn which numbers are active so they continue to bombard them with more texts.

purpleweasel

I_Love_Shoes wrote: »

What's worse when you open your front door- a salesman, a chugger (charity mugger) or a jehovahs witness?

(Cynical me) - they're all selling something, one way or another

I agree that the more people press, the less i am likely to agree to cold-selling. Shops is different as i have normally decided what i am going to buy before i go in.

A friend of mine who works in sales says there is little point in doing the smooth-sales patter in this area (a semi-rural district) as it cuts little ice and you will get told to *** off. A more direct approach works better.

Was asked by my bank when i went in for a routine transaction if i could spare some time for a review of my account. They made it sound like there was a problem so i agreed, even though it was in my lunch hour. As we waited for the computer to fire up the bloke asked me (casually i thought at the time) if i had my mortgage/insurance with them. Next thing he said "Won't be long now i can give you a quote". I said "What quote? i thought i was here for a review of my account? I do not want any quotes and you are wasting both your time & mine!" Needless to say, this is now my EX-bank!

pennypinchUK

These sales people are just doing their job. In most cases it's not a very good job, and they're often not paid very much. Invariably, they don't do the job for long - it's often a fill-in job until they can find something better. So why be rude to them? Why try and be ever-so-clever with smart put-down replies?

Isn't it just enough to say "Thank you for calling, but I'm not interested". I've never found it a problem, even if I've had to say it several times, and then if they're really insistent I just say "Thank you for calling, but I'm going to put the phone down now. Bye". Say it with a smile on your face, and then get on with your day. No-one is hurt, no-one gets wound up. It's common decency, that's all.

xtopher

I had the 'Microsoft' one. With no laptop in sight kept telling him 'blue screen'! He waited for 'my PC' to reboot only for it to happen again and again.....Wasted 20 minutes of his miserable life whilst watching my football match. Eventually laid the phone to rest....

juliamarsh

I have been plagued by those Microsoft scammers regularly for years. It doesn't matter how many times I ask them to take me off their list they still keep on calling.I have tried all sorts of responses including telling them I don't have a computer!! Last time one phoned up was just before Christmas - I kept him on the phone as long as possible, about half an hour I think, because I figured that the longer I held him up the less chance he might have to successfully con some other poor sod, and I told him this in no uncertain terms too but still he carried on trying to persuade me to switch on my computer! He took exception to being called a scammer and we had quite a long conversation about that, and meanwhile I carried on decorating my Christmas tree whilst we were talking so as not to be wasting my time as well as his, and I told him that was what I was doing. I asked him to make sure I was taken off their calling list yet again, and who knows, maybe this time they might, although I'm not holding my breath!

Lexis200

I_Love_Shoes wrote: »

What's worse when you open your front door- a salesman, a chugger (charity mugger) or a jehovahs witness?

Chugger (love that!) definitely.

A salesman will give up after a very short while if you offer the correct responses 'have you thought about new windows?' 'we've just had them replaced thanks'. Salesman looks at very obviously old windows, I smile sweetly, he thanks me and leaves. Works for all sorts of things. I find saying something utterly contradictory to what they can see is far more effective than a flat no as they don't quite know what to do with it. Doesn't work so well on the phone though:)

JW, or any type of religious person bent on imposing their views on me simply gets a (polite) no thanks and the door shut as I will not even enter into conversation with someone who thinks their views are so much more important than mine that I must be changed to their way of thinking. Imagine the outcry if I went knocking on their doors (always with a child who clearly would rather be doing anything else) trying to convert them to Atheism!

Charities though are intrinsically hard to say no to, or even ask to leave as you feel you're morally corrupt if you don't at least listen. The last lot we had round here were the RSPCA, who are actually one of the charities I will give money to if I see them out and about. These ones though first started talking to my kids before I got to the door, and had given them both a set of magnets. They then proceeded to notice my cat and from there it blossomed into their full spiel. At the end of which they asked if I'd like to donate. This was fine with me and I went to get a couple of quid, but no, I can't donate this way and must sign a direct debit mandate for them. When I wouldn't show them my bank details, the cheeky mare asked if this was my house! When it was clear I wasn't going to give my bank details to a random person, she asked my kids for the magnets back. So wrong.

These sales people are just doing their job. In most cases it's not a very good job, and they're often not paid very much. Invariably, they don't do the job for long - it's often a fill-in job until they can find something better. If you go into hard selling/cold calling you must know the reactions some people will have. It is not the only job out there, and if they're happy for something low paid for a fill in job then why not go for any number of other low paid jobs with less likelihood of being shouted at?So why be rude to them? Why try and be ever-so-clever with smart put-down replies?

Isn't it just enough to say "Thank you for calling, but I'm not interested". I've never found it a problem, even if I've had to say it several times, and then if they're really insistent I just say "Thank you for calling, but I'm going to put the phone down now. Bye". Say it with a smile on your face, and then get on with your day. No-one is hurt, no-one gets wound up. It's common decency, that's all.

In an ideal world yes, but when they won't take no for an answer it is not that easy.

I have had one cold caller who called during my meal. I have a Truecall machine so this person had to actually press to say they were an invited caller. When I said it was wrong for them to do that they actually told me I was being rude by having a machine designed to get rid of cold callers! I am always polite, but I will say no. Sometimes though they just can't be talked to, either on the phone or at the door. This is when people get aggravated as this random person is taking up your time trying to sell you something you don't want, and even when you have told them that over and over they keep plugging away.

Quite frankly if they are happy to badger people to the point that they are so annoyed they erupt, they can't then be upset about that. Whilst it's not something I do as it's not in me to shout at a stranger, I can well see why some people do and I can't say I disagree with them...

GrumpyWithMoney

When someone I don't know rings me up and tries to get me to do a survey, etc I say "Did I ask you to ring me?". This often throws them. I repeat the question until they say no. I then tell them I'm registered with TPS and that's normally the end of it.

If it's a cold caller at the door, I point to the sign that says no cold callers.

Otherwise I'll just tell them, thanks for their concern, but I am not interested. I prefer to do my own research.