Skirting the Law?

[Bob_In_MN]

Just got a call from a telemarketer (at my office).

He asked the following questions:

1. Are you an employee of the company?
2. Are you over 23 years of age?
3. Have you been an employee for more than a year?

When I answered yes to these questions he proceeded with

"You qualify for the following trial magazine subscriptions (he proceeded to name the magazines).

"We will send these magazines to your PERSONAL RESIDENCE.....blah blah blah. That's where I hung up on him.

The new law applies to homes, not business correct?

Looks to me like they are finding a way to get around the law which will ultimately make it harder for me to effectively sell to businesses over the phone. It doesn't matter that I am ALWAYS polite and ask for their time if the guy before me was a jerk or tried to sell personal items to them on business time.

Bob

 

[Tractors4u]

I received a call last night and the number came up on my caller ID as Unknown Name Unknown Number. They were performing a survey. I told them that I was not interested, it was a survey on TV shows. I asked how they got my name because I was on the national do not call list. She said that was only for telemarketers and that it did not apply to surveys. Maybe since they surveyed you first, they considered it a loophole.

 

[Golfgar4]

I've received a call or two like that at my office too. However, I never answer any questions they ask me until they've properly identified themselves to me first. If they try to refuse, then I just say that their interest must not have been that important and hang up on them.

 

[Bob_In_MN]

Garry,

That's a good idea--I'll use it next time. This one kind of caught me off guard and being in the sales business (some of it over the phone), I typically will give someone a certain amount of time to give me their pitch. This guy just went right into the questions.

On another note--we've had a week of rain/snow in our part of MN. Any of that making to your part of WI? If I remeber correctly, you were even dryer than we were this past summer and in need of some moisture.

Bob

 

[Golfgar4]

Good memory Bob! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Yes, it started raining here last Saturday, and it finally quit sometime last night. I haven't heard what the total amount received was, but someone mentioned that they thought it was over 7 inches! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Even if it was that much, I think we still have a ways to go to make up for what we never got this past year. Haven't seen any of the white stuff though - not yet anyway. May have some in the forecast for Friday, I think.

Not being directly involved in farming, I haven't kept a real close eye on how badly the crops suffered. But I do know that right in the middle of the normal sweet corn season, the stands quit selling because they just couldn't get anymore good corn. The last day the stand that we frequented was open, the gal running the stand gave us 3 dozen for the price of one just to get rid of it. Unfortunately, only about a 1/2 dozen ears were even worth attempting to eat. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I keep telling people that I hope we get TONS of snow this winter to help the farmers recover for next year. Most people just glare at me. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[frank_f15]

around here it has been just the opposite, rain all spring, rain most of the summer and a very wet fall. today i wanted to get up some of the leaves(again) so wet i could not take the GT and wagon on the lawn had to rake and put the leaves in a plastic garbage can and carry them to the wagon. a real pain in the ----s not supposed to be much better. at least it was not snow /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[frank_f15]

if i am not mistaken that law has very few teeth! if a copany or one of their offshoots has ever done business with u at anytime they are excluded from that list. a very vague law
suppose u bought a magazine from x, and x was bought out by y, then y and any of its subsideries could legally contact u. i beleive that it is the way it works.now if they only had a SPAM block list /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[AndyMA]

I find it very interesting that the law does not apply to non profits, political organizations and companies you have done business with or made inquiries of in the last x years. They are now trying a new tactic. Companies have hired a lot of young people to hand out in malls etc and have people conduct surveys and fill out entries to win trips, cars, vacations, etc. The entries then establish the relationship that allows the company to call you. What next. And BTW I saw on the news that they are working on a SPAM block list. I think SPAM is easier to block technically with a intelligent filter.

Andy

 

[Golfgar4]

I just got a phone call at home last night that used a new tactic that I hadn't heard before. When I went to answer it, I noticed that the screen showed "Unknown Name" and "Unknown Number". Normally I don't answer those, but with my son in transition between boot camp and his schooling, I thought it might be him calling. When I answered the call, a recording immediately said, "This is NOT a solicitation. Please hang on for a very important message."

Well, guess what I did!? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Oh, I guess because I DIDN'T hang on, I was really rude, wasn't I??

I've never waited for any of those computerized messages when I've received them. Even if I don't want to talk to whatever it is, at least put a real person making the call. Then, there might be a slight chance I'd talk to them - NOT! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[Hambone]

I bet I get 10 to 20 telemarking calls at work per week. I can spot them in a heart beat. A lot of them start off by asking how you have been, havn't talked to you in a while ect. They act like you are there long lost best freind.
I interupt them, saying to thank you and hang up.
Kinda rude, but, I get so many. Everything from $20 light bulbs to $100 a gallon degreaser.

Also the ones that want to send my favorite ball cap out to my home address.