Telemarketers

[Lanse]

What do you guys do with telemarketers?? I took the cordless out to the barn with me, was waiting for a call. Anyway, it rang, something about a morgage. Poor guy got the Sheep treatment (when you call the vocal sheep over and dangle the phone over the fence). Other treatments include the Johnny Cash treatment, the Willie Nelson Treatment, The Nickelback treatment. Or the me singing treatment. Basicially me singing/screaming into the phone and making guitar noises. Dont use that much. Dangling the phone over the toilet and flushing it is most common.

 

[MrJimi]

I got on the
do not call list
and it works great
Jim

 

[RonMar]

goto The national do not call registery and register your phone numbers. Saves wear and tear on the phone and I don't have to wipe the growling dog slobber off after I get one of those calls

https://www.donotcall.gov/

I still occasionally get calls from my bank/credit card companies(and I think some sponsored charities can still legally call) trying to sell me more features, but since you already do business with them, they can call you legally. I just tell them I do no business over the phone unless I originate the call and hang up.

 

[ToadHill]

Before the "do not call registry" I used to ask for their home phone so I could call them back when I developed an interest in whatever they were selling. Since they wouldn't give it they got a load hangup in the ear.

 

[radman1]

I will tell them there is someone at door and I will be right back and leave the phone connected. Sometimes they will wait a couple of minutes or longer. The record is about 7-8 minutes.

 

[EddieWalker]

I don't get any calls since the Do Not Call list came out, but when I did, I always asked the to hold a second and I'll be right back. I never timed it, but they were always gone when I checked.

Eddie

 

[mjncad]

I'm on the Do Not Call list and in general it works fine, except politicians, survey takers and charities are exempt; so they still pester me. I have Caller ID and if I see "Unknown Name" and/or "Unknown Number" and/or "Toll Free" and/or something that is not familiar, I ignore it.

Today the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) called FOUR times according to my Caller ID! I sent them a snottygram via email tonight telling them to take my number off their list and after having that many calls in one day from them; that I would not donate anything to their organization ever again.

For the record, my father was a WW2 vet who spent the last 20+ years (yes, years) of his life in Veteran's Hospitals; so I am not unsympathetic to vets.

 

[Bird]

I, too, am on the "Do Not Call" list and it generally works pretty well. But lately, in this area, people (including us) are getting phone calls claiming to be from Point Bank saying that you need to call about your account. And the caller ID shows "Point Bank". Point Bank is a local bank with quite a number of branches, but I don't know how widespread they are. The Denton police have received a number of complaints and think it's a scam to get information for identity theft and that it's based in Guatemala.

 

[chh]

There are some funny telemarketer calls on youtube. The do not call list is easier.. The ones that still get thru just get hung up on.

 

[Champy]

I always ask what they're selling and then make up a totally opposite story or comment:

i.e...selling hair care products......."I'm bald, are you hairassing me?"
....mortgage brokers......."I'm in bankrupcy court, can I call you back in a week?"
....charities soliciting donation......."How much 'r you gonna give me? I only want cash...none of them usless fake checks or coupons this time!"
...selling insurance...."I have VD and only 6 wks to live...how much for a $1M policy?"
......carpet cleaning..."Can you get goat's blood out too?"
....Alumni donations..."Why should I donate - I was expelled my senior year"

...etc.....it can get pretty entertaining just pulling their legs and having sport with 'em

 

[Champy]

BTW - This is also like the constant letters and soicitations we get in the mail wanting to sell us something. you can't hang up on them, and we used to just throw the reply forms/envelopes away.

Now my wife simply seals the return envelope and puts it in the mail empty. Her argument is that the company gets billed for return postage on the mail but no sales. Her way of fighting U.S. Postal spam I guess.

 

[RonMar]

BTW - This is also like the constant letters and soicitations we get in the mail wanting to sell us something. you can't hang up on them, and we used to just throw the reply forms/envelopes away.

Now my wife simply seals the return envelope and puts it in the mail empty. Her argument is that the company gets billed for return postage on the mail but no sales. Her way of fighting U.S. Postal spam I guess.

Now that is what they really need, a do not mail regestry... Getting rid of the junk mail is a real pain, and not particularly friendly to the environment...

 

[chh]

I do the same thing Champy. If it has a postage paid envelope back it goes. Aways put some of the junk that doesn't have your name back in it so somebody has to open it to see if you fell for it. That way they have to pay postage and somebodys wages too.

 

[George2615]

I too am on the do not call list but some still find a way to call and play dumb like they don't know.
We also have caller ID which I think is the best way to fight telemarketers. If its a number we don't know we don't answer. 99% won't leave a message on the answer machine and if it's someone we do know they will start to leave a message then we'll pick up.
Another tactic we use is the fact that most telemarketers use a computer to dial your number. Sometimes we'll pick it up and say hello and if they don't respond immediately we hang up. Most are too slow to switch from computer to headset to answer fast enough.
For those that do answer right away we nicely tell them in one breath "We are on the do not call list, we are not interested in their product, and to remove us from their list" then hang up before they can answer.

 

[mjncad]

Now that is what they really need, a do not mail regestry... Getting rid of the junk mail is a real pain, and not particularly friendly to the environment...

I think that has been proposed; but I believe the Post Office is against it because they earn a vast chunk of their money from junk mailers.

 

[mjncad]

I always ask what they're selling and then make up a totally opposite story or comment:

i.e...selling hair care products......."I'm bald, are you hairassing me?"
....mortgage brokers......."I'm in bankrupcy court, can I call you back in a week?"
....charities soliciting donation......."How much 'r you gonna give me? I only want cash...none of them usless fake checks or coupons this time!"
...selling insurance...."I have VD and only 6 wks to live...how much for a $1M policy?"
......carpet cleaning..."Can you get goat's blood out too?"
....Alumni donations..."Why should I donate - I was expelled my senior year"

...etc.....it can get pretty entertaining just pulling their legs and having sport with 'em

If this weren't a family friendly web site, I'd love to type in what I told a telemarketer one time. My wife was so concerned that I would go to jail over my comment that she called a friend of hers whose hubby is a cop to get his opinion. He told my wife the same thing I did...they called me and invaded my privacy; I did not call someone with the intent to say something that most folks would find disgusting.

I had another telemarketer call me up one time and I kept him on the line for 10-minutes telling him he was a useless boil on the butt of humanity for being a telemarketer. He told me he was a vet, and I replied with a thank you for his service to the nation and that I think he should return to active duty and once again become useful and productive member of the human race. Just before the call ended, I told him to explain to his boss why he was yakking with me for so long and didn't make a sale.

 

[MossRoad]

Print off a copy of this script and follow it when they call. Enjoy!

 

[Podunkadunk]

Print off a copy of this script and follow it when they call. Enjoy!

Moss,
Where did you get that script? It's chocked full of great lines. I'm going to leave a copy of it by the phone.

Podunk

 

[jdbower]

Maybe I'm just an old softy, but I typically assume that the person I'm talking to isn't really a telemarketer but some poor college student or housewife who works for one - undoubtedly lured in by some lies about making a fortune working from home. As such they're more deserving of my pity than my scorn so I try to be polite and decline quickly.

Caller ID is my friend, as is a toll-free number I use for voicemail. I use the toll-free number for pretty much all my "home" numbers so my real home number isn't in most systems. Of the calls that do get through, Verizon automatically blocks those without caller ID information and makes them announce themselves (they never do) and I can choose to answer the remainder or just let it ring. Now if I can get those stupid super value packs from mailing themselves out to me...

 

[Richard]

Now my wife simply seals the return envelope and puts it in the mail empty

I'll do the same thing but I'll instead, JAM the envelope full of what they sent me and anything else I can put in to add weight (and postage).