Cold call from company after car accident

Ebe_Scrooge

Ergates wrote: »

If you do that they just hang up. Either just hang up on them or, if you're bored, string them along to waste their time. Make up the most ridiculous story you can think of and see how long it takes them to work out you're lying.

This is my favourite trick when they call me. I string them along for as long as possible, until they get to the part where they ask about what injuries I sustained.

"Pretty severe", I say, "In fact, I was killed. But luckily I'm a Buddhist so I got reincarnated". For some reason they usually put the phone down then :-)

I get these calls every few weeks - despite the fact that I've never been in an accident. I once asked them where they'd got my details from - they said "The RTA database". What a bunch of muppets.

eddddy

Dollyclaire wrote: »

They knew my first name which I only use on official business. They didn’t know the exact date of the incident but they knew that I was not responsible for the accident.

A couple of techniques they use:

• They have a list of, maybe, a thousand random names and phone numbers. They call and ask about "the recent accident that wasn't your fault".
  
  Of the thousand people they call, by coincidence, maybe 5 really have had a recent accident that wasn't their fault. You happened to be one of the 5.

• Was your car towed away from the accident and/or did you get quotes from a garage for repairs? If so, the tow truck driver, or a garage mechanic, or similar - might have noted down your name and number and sold it to the company that called you.

Ergates

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

"Pretty severe", I say, "In fact, I was killed. But luckily I'm a Buddhist so I got reincarnated".

Nice, I'd not thought of that one.

Mistral001

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

This is my favourite trick when they call me. I string them along for as long as possible, until they get to the part where they ask about what injuries I sustained.

"Pretty severe", I say, "In fact, I was killed. But luckily I'm a Buddhist so I got reincarnated". For some reason they usually put the phone down then :-)

I get these calls every few weeks - despite the fact that I've never been in an accident. I once asked them where they'd got my details from - they said "The RTA database". What a bunch of muppets.

If you did not play games with them, would you keep getting such calls?

They probably have heard it all before and might even use your number again for training or try to offload your number to a competitor so as to waste their time.

Best policy in my experience is to politely say that you are not interested and even thank them for their call. I get about one such call every 12 months now.

yellowbear

I love these calls. I usually tell them yes, I was in an accident, but it was my fault. I had just left the pub when I hit a police car...
They usually hang up.