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'Grrrr... Spam called by an Indian company with AOL’s data?'

124

Comments

  • I had a call tonight. I didn't catch the name but it was an English name with a heavy Indian accent. He said he could get me free calls with Global something or other. I talked over him said not interested and hung up. Then I had another call which rang out when I answered it. He has not called back since then. I didn't give him a chance to say anything else but I was once with AOL. Since then I have changed my phone number so unless the previous user of my number was an AOL user there is no connection.

    :mad:
  • Some years ago, just after I had moved into my previous (2nd floor) flat, I received a phone call from a company trying to sell me a conservatory. Being in a mischevious mood at the time I let the person go through all their blurb and then asked the killer question

    "I could be interested, what are you going to do about the fact I'm in a second floor flat?" :eek:

    Needless to say, I didn't get any more calls from that particluar company :rotfl:
  • Morporkian
    Morporkian Posts: 120 Forumite
    Gordon861 wrote: »
    A few years back I had a number of calls from Zenith windows in one night, to the point where they were doing it to wind my up, they kept asking for a person that had been dead for 10 years which didn't go down to well. In the end I contacted their head office and sent them a fax stating that if I received any more calls from them I would be reporting them to the police for harrassment, they stopped.

    Oh my goodness!! Do not even get me started on Zenith Windows. I hate them - with a passion. I believe the word "hate" to be a very strong one and use it only where I feel it is true.
    For Zenith Windows, it is!

    When I still lived at home with my Mum, they would call constantly. My Mum has ALWAYS had an ex-directory number, ever since we were babies (well, when she first got a landline phone). There was no legal way they should have ever had her number. It only started a while after we had moved up here (Suffolk) and they were just evil.

    During my school holidays, when I was indoors, Id be answering the phone at least twice a day to them. Then, other people would answer it later in the evening and it was them again.

    Everytime I would say, "No thank. We dont need them. I am not the home owner." If they asked when they would be back, I would say, "They're on holiday. Thank you, goodbye." and hang up.

    Well, one day a lady phoned from Zenith Windows (someone had phoned a few times the previous day!) and by this point in time I was going through the ""You should not have this number. Please remove it from your list. Now." Anyway, so this woman phoned and I said that to her. She said, "We work off of different sheets, if you asked someone to remove it, it will not have been removed from the main list." So I asked her to remove it from there. She told me she "couldnt". That it "wasnt her job".
    I told her she HAD to remove it and I wanted to speak to a manager. She said there wasnt one available, but "promised" to have it removed. I was frustated so said, "Yes, you better!" and hung up.

    5 MINUTES LATER: The SAME woman phoned. "Blah blah, Zenith Windows. Yadda Yadda."
    I was not amused. I stated very firmly and probably quite rudely, "No. We do not want anything. I have told you this before. You phoned a few minutes ago. Goodbye." Before I could hang up she said, "Oh Sorry!" in a sort of snooty, p*ed off kind of way and hung up on me :o!
    Thankfully, no more calls from them were ever received. Woooo!

    Bearing in mind, I was probably about 15 at the time this happened, I think I did fairly well. My Mother taught me and Im like it now. Trying to teach the other half the same. Bless him, he's useless!

    Im a bit shocked they were trying to sell things to me though, a teenager! (at the time) *ponders*


    Oh and the best response to these kinds of calls (actually, it WAS Zenith Windows) is from a friend of mine.

    The "shanty shack" (built in the '40s for US service people) they were living in was due to be demolished, as new homes were being built. They would be moving shortly.
    Zenith Windows kept phoning and my friend one day just said, "No thanks. Our house is being demolished in a few weeks." They replied, "Oh, ok. Goodbye." and off they went. No more phone calls. Obviously, it was true for her, but its still a good line to use ;)

    My brother: Barclays constantly phones him asking if he wants "accident insurance". His reply? "I dont plan on having an accident. Thanks. Bye." and hangs up! haha!

    Someone phoned me once, for something to do with a TV, and we didnt have one - that was good :D

    Moral of story: Make up a lie - or truth - to tell them that they cannot reply to, or question.
  • nic62
    nic62 Posts: 25 Forumite
    i used to work for a tele sales company( YES i may have rang you im sorry) mainly we rang orange custmers but to get people details was quite 'can you confirm your post code and house number' 'how long have you lived there' by this point they will saying who are you? how have you got my number? then would put the phone down we would then type into our computer those details house number your address and name would come up on the electroll ( im not to sure what it was) and ur name would be there!! wait a few days ring back its so scary how easily done it is they could be just giving it a shot with aol if you say no you havent been with that they make a note ring back with some other companys name its so horriable!
    i may i add only lasted 2 weeks in this job and only made my basic!!
    Another thing how did they get there dater well.... they used the same set of numbers just changed the last digits even in the other room where they did land lines half the time the numbers where dead but they want the deal so they will go threw the sheets make notes on a bad day check the noted a ring back the person with the most information on them.
    This company is now closed down now lol i cant think why! but i sure there all the same some times one office is calling your area and it can go on for a month then thats it for a year!!!
  • Lexis200
    Lexis200 Posts: 272 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Some of these suggestions are great - I've been chuckling away here:D

    I'm not sure where I saw this originally, but it's just the best cold caller hoax ever. I think I may have done the snorty laugh at one point when I listened to it:rotfl:

    http://thebestbits.com/dealing-with-cold-callers/
    Te audire no possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure.
  • Fran
    Fran Posts: 11,281 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I got a (similar) call from someone (again an indian call centre) selling telecoms, so I told him I didn't have a telephone and hung up.

    They didn't ring back.
    :rotfl:

    I love that! It's general use is very pertinent though, next time someone rings me I'll say the same or "I haven't got a gas supply", "I don't use electricity" or whatever. :rotfl:
    lillemy wrote: »
    ... or you can just talk at them in some made up language...
    Another good idea, must answer in Welsh next time with accentuated use of the "ll" and "Ch" sounds!
    Torgwen.......... :) ...........
  • mikki-b
    mikki-b Posts: 61 Forumite
    We had zenith install a window for us nearly 7 years ago. After that they rang every month, asking if we want this, that and the other doing. Couple of months after the window was fitted I got pregnant, so we were saving up and obviously weren't going to be spending money until I got back to work again. They didn't seem to understand the concept of 'don't bother ringing us until march 2003 because until then we won't be interested. (we did have a couple more windows needing replacement). It was always the same guy ringing as well (very distictive, nasal, brummy accent and always sounding like he was reading from a script). Once my daughter was born it got really annoying becuase he would ring just as I was feeding or changing her, or she had got to sleep and it would her up. So I said 'if you ring again before march, we will be taking our business elsewhere becuase we are fed up of being annoyed by you'.
    Didn't work. So I got really annoyed with him the next time he rang. Once I heard the voice I started ranting, ending with 'don't phone us again'.
    1 week later he rung again. He didn't get a word in edgeways, I couldn't believe he had rung back so soon. Even bigger rant ending in ' don't ever, ever ever ring us again, understand? NEVER RING US AGAIN!!
    That seemed to work for several years. However they have started again. I got a call so I imediately asked to speak to the manager. After describing the past exploits of his company, I then went to say that we had now had everything done by other companies. He asked 'such as?' so I told him and he hung up. Thought that was the end of it, but no. Another one a few weeks later. Husband took the call and asked to speak their manager. He told them not to phone and that we'd asked before not to be phoned and took his name. Hoping thats stopped it, but reading others stories I won't hold my breath.:mad:
    Currently having fun with British gas since we switched from them. Keep harassing us to change back. They keep ringing when we are out and leaving blank messages though!!

    Lexis, love the cold calling clip. I'm tempted to use it!!
  • nuttyp
    nuttyp Posts: 2,035 Forumite
    Hi re cold calling for double glazing - kitchens etc....

    I just either answer no were being repossessed next week - but halifax/abbey etc would love the new windows/ktchen etc to help seel the house for more money lol !!!!!!!!!!!! they always hang up saying sorry to have contacted you.

    OR

    I advise them that my house is part of a lndlords section of nearly 400 propertys and that the local council will always accept free items. They hang up so quickly

    HOPE IT HELPS SOMEONE
    :D:D BSC member 137 :D:D

    BR 26/10/07 Discharged 09/05/08 !!!

    Onwards and upwards - no looking back....
  • Newbird
    Newbird Posts: 488 Forumite
    Some great ideas here - I'm sorry I've not got any inclination to be polite to unsolicited cold callers, or the time rant on to them. I usually just say, "Hang on - I'll get him/her....:rolleyes:
    then I leave the phone line open and just go back to what I was doing until they hang up, if you do this every time they will stop calling you, cos they don't get anywhere or even the chance to engage you in their pointless questions.

    Got called once while in the middle of a shag, that was funny...Bf has to answer phone as he works for himself and could be a customer, anyway, - he apologised to me then said, to the caller "You know I'm busy here right now mate - just on the job OK?" the guy says "oooh sorry mate" a bit flustered, obviously knocked off his script and hangs up. We get back to it then...only to get another call a few minutes later where bf answers again and this time a girl caller asks for Mrs... he hands phone to me and she says, "Is that MrsXX?" I say no - we are not married," she says "Did you enjoy that then?" I said "Yes thanks, very much, apart from the interruption, we are always busy at it - so don't call again" :p

    They didn't. We laughed for days! they probably did too...hehhe :rotfl:
    Bless Martin's Little Cotton Socks. I thank him for giving us MSE. Look what its grown into!

    MFW = ASAP #124
  • Sapphire
    Sapphire Posts: 4,269 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Debt-free and Proud!
    Newbird wrote: »
    Some great ideas here - I'm sorry I've not got any inclination to be polite to unsolicited cold callers, or the time rant on to them. I usually just say, "Hang on - I'll get him/her....:rolleyes:
    then I leave the phone line open and just go back to what I was doing until they hang up, if you do this every time they will stop calling you, cos they don't get anywhere or even the chance to engage you in their pointless questions.

    That's quite a good tactic, because at least they are wasting money on the phone calls, which should act as a deterrent from calling you in future.

    Nowadays I say, 'Who's calling?' and hang up immediately I know it's a sales scam. There is no point in engaging in any conversation, since doing so just makes me more irritated, wastes time, and encourages aggression from the callers. I'm also signed up with TPS, which has helped, and I changed all my accounts with Lloyds after they persisted in cold calling me to try and sell me 'products', despite being asked on several occasions to stop doing so.

    I agree with an earlier poster that sending unsolicited post, phone calls and emails should be illegal. It is a form of harrasment and an invasion of privacy, which we have a right to in our own homes. :mad:

    I did write to the appropriate address to try and stop junk mail from being sent to me, but to no avail. :mad:
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