Unsolicited phone calls

[Kinky Gerbil]

Just tell them the person they are after is dead, that fucks em up big style.

 

[Arthur]

Follow mindyjaja's advice, Largy, and get yourself listed on tps (and mps for junk mail). They're the nuts, they'll cut about 90% of the calls out altogether, and anybody who does call then will hang up immediately if you ask them who's calling.

Granted TPS is worth joining for the immediate future, however soon the whole country will be on it and the government will move the goal posts to stop the phone marketers going out of business.

You can register mobile numbers to TPS however it won't stop SMS marketing and I don't know what the deal is with your service provider selling your number to their selected partners (I've lost count the amount of times someone has rang me on 'behalf' of Orange, guess I forgot to check a box somewhere!!).

MPS how ever isn't even worth the toilet paper it was devised on. Unlike TPS it is NOT a legal requirement for marketers. As far as I'm aware no one has ever been prosecuted for it.

 

[MXL]

BT offer a service (at a small cost unfortunatly) where if the caller is witholding thier number, BT block the call. I've used this for a few years now after getting fed-up with sales call - it works.

 

[Parson Henry]

...severely piss me off.

Just had a phone call from Fones Direct. As soon as they stumble over asking who you are, and before identifying themselves, you know you are going to be on the end of someone trying to sell you something.

So I stopped him by saying, 'look, whatever it is, I am not interested.' I didn't hang up at that point, because that would be TOO rude (not that I am above being bloody rude on the phone).

'How do you know what I calling you for?' came the grating Croydon-esque tones - the tones that sound like scraping your fingernails down a blackboard. 'Anyway, I'm calling to offer you mobile phone.' OK, I'll bite, you little bastard. 'I've already got a mobile phone. You just called me, remember?'

'Yeah, but this is a much better phone than what you've got, free of charge.'

'How do you know what phone I've got?'

'I don't. But it's better than what you've already got, innit?' He really did say 'innit'

'Oh right, anyway, as I said I'm not interested. Don't call me again. If I want a new phone, I'll call you...'

'Well f*** off yourself you wanker...' Croydon-like. Horrible.

By which time, I'd then hung up. He did call back, but I ignored it. Unscolicited calls, doncha just love 'em? So what are worse? Unsolicited phone calls for conservatories (sorry, mate, I live on the 16th floor), double glazing (already got it) or mobile phones (the phone rings, I answer it, I speak, I hang up. That's ALL I need John)?

Does your post lack credibility without the Croydon inferences?

 

[sparkie]

I don't answer any "number withheld " calls, just leave them to switch to the answering machine which is on all the time and trips after about 8 rings, much less hassle. If they leave a message and I want to speak to them, I call back. C'est simple

Pretty well all "salespeople" are on number withheld

Same here - although I go one further and don't answer calls from numbers not in my address book. If anything is urgent, people will always leave a message.

 

[gripper stebson]

Here's the answer...

When they say to you "Do you want a great new mobile phone?" don't go straight on the defensive. What you infact have to do is sound extemely enthusiastic, along the lines of "Do you know what i was just thinking of upgrading to a great new phone and then you called...". Follow that up with "I'll just nip to the kitchen and get an pen" then simply rest the phone on the side and leave it there occasionally popping back to see if you can hear breathing!

You will be amazed how long they will wait if they think they are gonna get a sale... and it's costing THEM money. Perfect.


Obviously though not fair on the poor sod at the other end who is just doing his/her job. Funny though.

 

[Icy Gull]

Listening to the whole spiel and then saying "sorry I wasn't paying attention as it sounded like you were reading that from a script, can you repeat it for me please?" pisses them off big time, if you can be arsed to waste a bit of time, easier to let them go onto answering machine though.

 

[bhaexpress]

Here's the answer...

When they say to you "Do you want a great new mobile phone?" don't go straight on the defensive. What you infact have to do is sound extemely enthusiastic, along the lines of "Do you know what i was just thinking of upgrading to a great new phone and then you called...". Follow that up with "I'll just nip to the kitchen and get an pen" then simply rest the phone on the side and leave it there occasionally popping back to see if you can hear breathing!

You will be amazed how long they will wait if they think they are gonna get a sale... and it's costing THEM money. Perfect.


Obviously though not fair on the poor sod at the other end who is just doing his/her job. Funny though.

I like that !

 

[The Large One]

Re: Re: Unsolicited phone calls

Does your post lack credibility without the Croydon inferences?

No, I could have said 'whiney, grating, blood-boiling, toe-curdling, pseudo-gangsta, irritating, ill-educated, vacuous, nauseous shit voice'. I just though 'Croydon' summed it all up nicely.

 

[Parson Henry]

Re: Re: Re: Unsolicited phone calls

No, I could have said 'whiney, grating, blood-boiling, toe-curdling, pseudo-gangsta, irritating, ill-educated, vacuous, nauseous shit voice'. I just though 'Croydon' summed it all up nicely.

Would that sum me up then TLO? I mean are we talking generalism or specifics on all residents of Croydon.

 

[The Large One]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Unsolicited phone calls

Would that sum me up then TLO? I mean are we talking generalism or specifics on all residents of Croydon.

If you're a Brighton fan, you at least have the distinction of your speech being understood.

 

[Scoffers]

Me and Mrs Wanderer joined the TPS last year, and initially it was great, the number of calls dropped dramatically, but we still get nuisance calls, and we just say we're on the TPS and they hang-up immediately.

I love the idea suggested above that you tell them that the person they are after is dead. How do you respond to that?

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

The TPS is supposed to stop everything -- but a lot of telemarketing calls just dial random numbers until they get someone. Which I don't suppose can be stopped very easily.

 

[Commander]

*awaits Commander's contribution to this thread*

The thing is, having done a lot of cold calling for different companies, I have found that a lot of people refuse to listen, and often miss out on something. Telesales / telemarketing DOES work, really well, or companies wouldn't do it. Much better to listen to what they say for a minute, and then give a firm NO, rather than just dismiss it out of hand. I have done plenty of cold calling where we were offering a really good service for something that will genuinely save people money, and a lot of people just refuse to listen.

If someone phones me I listen to what they say and make a decision. If I dont want to talk to them I'll ask them to call back another time. If you politely ask someone to take you off their database they will, and they wont call you again. If you are rude or hang up, you will stay on the database and someone else will call you and you'll have the same thing again.

 

[Commander]

Me and Mrs Wanderer joined the TPS last year, and initially it was great, the number of calls dropped dramatically, but we still get nuisance calls, and we just say we're on the TPS and they hang-up immediately.

I love the idea suggested above that you tell them that the person they are after is dead. How do you respond to that?

Saying you're on TPS will work as companies can get sued for calling you.

I have had people tell me that the person I am after is dead loads of times.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Stops Unsolicited Calls

Sadly, it doesn't.