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Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:27 pm |
I just hang up. I can tell it's a telemarketer if after I pick up the phone, there's a long silent pause followed by some background noise when someone starts to talk to me. Or if the person was able to talk to me right away, and s/he can't pronounce my name right, then I know s/he is not my friend, so I have no qualm to hang up on the person. Also I heard that these people can't call you back to yell at you if you hang up on them, so I decided not to waste my time trying to excuse myself. If they actually call back, I just tell them I'm on the do-not-call list, and they need to remove my number from their list or I'll report them.
My little sister used to talk to telemarketers for an hour. I thought she was talking to a friend. She was giggling, having a good old time. When she hang up, I asked her who she was talking to, and she said she didn't know. The guy was trying to sell something, and she felt bad for him, so she kept on talking to him. I thought she was a bit odd.
I used to tell telemarketers that I was under 18 because I sounded young on the phone. They then asked to speak with my parents. I told them they were in Thailand, which was true. My parents always live in Thailand. Once I told them I was not available to talk at the moment, and when they asked me when they should call me back, I told them next year. |
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Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:45 pm |
I HATE telemarketers! Luckily I'm on the do-not call list, so I don't get so many calls these days. However, before I got on the do not call list they called all the time. Sometimes I would just hang up, sometimes when they asked to speak with me I'd say "She can't come to the phone right now" in an exasperated voice, and sometimes I would actually pretend I didn't speak English and speak only Japanese until they gave up and hung up on me--- victory is mine! I have a Chinese last name, though, so sometimes Chinese telemarketers call me and and try to hit me with the hard sell in Chinese for long distance service--- not cool. I try telling them that I'm on a do not call list, but they don't speak English so it doesn't do me much good. |
_________________ 27, sensitive/reactive/acne prone skin, dark brown hair, blue eyes, possibly the palest woman alive... |
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Thu Feb 15, 2007 11:01 pm |
I say "I am not interested in buying anything and I want to be taken off your list - thank you".
One of my friends once said "I have things to do so hold on a minute" and then left them on hold for ages.
They'd gone when she got back.
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Thu Feb 15, 2007 11:05 pm |
I don't seem to get bothered anymore after I used this method a few times. When you answer the phone and it is a telemarketer, just ask them to hang on a moment for whatever excuse. Then leave the phone off the hook and get on with something else. I usually left it for about half an hour before I put the phone back on the hook and I can assure you that they had certainly hung up by that stage. |
_________________ Skin: Over 60, ex combination now sensitive, Cellcosmet |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:11 am |
Good Lord, please be more polite and just say "I'm sorry, I know you're just doing your job, but I'm not interested. Please take me off your list."
They ARE just doing a job. They have families, and tuition, and rent due. I've known many telemarketers in my time. (Many are artists -- telemarketing offers a flexible schedule.) They all hated it. But they needed the job.
There is no reason in the world to be rude or derisive to someone who is just doing their job. They haven't been personally rude or insulting to you. It's a terrible job, everyone hates it. Have a heart. Don't make it worse. |
_________________ tenderlovingwork.com, astonishing handmade gifts |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:38 am |
Good thing I don't have a home phone! |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:40 am |
Sidda wrote: |
Good Lord, please be more polite and just say "I'm sorry, I know you're just doing your job, but I'm not interested. Please take me off your list."
They ARE just doing a job. They have families, and tuition, and rent due. I've known many telemarketers in my time. (Many are artists -- telemarketing offers a flexible schedule.) They all hated it. But they needed the job.
There is no reason in the world to be rude or derisive to someone who is just doing their job. They haven't been personally rude or insulting to you. It's a terrible job, everyone hates it. Have a heart. Don't make it worse. |
I certainly agree with you about not to be rude to the telemarketers. My DH is a telemarketer.. And he does not love his job, because everyday at work, there is atleast one cocky customer to deal with. He said that it's really hard and it really brings your self esteem down easily. But inorder to get paid, you must do your job. |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:50 am |
Well, I agree, it is a hard job because you are basically facing rejection every single minute of the work day. However, you chose the job. Many do not choose to stay in such a position for longer than 2 years. I've had friends who just couldn't take it anymore of being so down all the time. It takes a huge toll on oneself!
Regarding getting calls, we do not get them as well since we are on the DO NOT CALL LIST. However, while I understand that the Disabled Veterans and ARC and other people are looking for donations, they DO NOT NEED to call my cell phone during odd and not so odd hours of the day. I wish I could just tell them to back off! If I had a donation, I would find them! Hmmm, anyone figured out a way of stopping the 'nonprofits' from calling everyday of every week of every month on a cell phone? |
_________________ 20; light/ fair-toned with freckles on cheeks/nose since I could remember; combo skin w/ Oily forehead, chin prone to acne. Green/brown eyes; growing to love my medium/ dark brown hair. |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:53 am |
It's interesting how much insight you girls have towards other people's circumstances.
I get frustrated with telemarketers invading my privacy, but you girls are right - they are only doing their jobs in order to survive.
thanks for that, I'll show some restraint next time. |
_________________ 18 years old, well mentally I am, brown eyes, balding with grey bits, surgically enhanced, full o' fillers n' botox, strikingly gorgeous, and I love the color beige, no, you can't take me home! |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 2:00 am |
belleoftheball wrote: |
It's interesting how much insight you girls have towards other people's circumstances.
I get frustrated with telemarketers invading my privacy, but you girls are right - they are only doing their jobs in order to survive.
thanks for that, I'll show some restraint next time. |
You always make my laugh!
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 2:03 am |
girldelvov wrote: |
Well, I agree, it is a hard job because you are basically facing rejection every single minute of the work day. However, you chose the job. Many do not choose to stay in such a position for longer than 2 years. I've had friends who just couldn't take it anymore of being so down all the time. It takes a huge toll on oneself!
Regarding getting calls, we do not get them as well since we are on the DO NOT CALL LIST. However, while I understand that the Disabled Veterans and ARC and other people are looking for donations, they DO NOT NEED to call my cell phone during odd and not so odd hours of the day. I wish I could just tell them to back off! If I had a donation, I would find them! Hmmm, anyone figured out a way of stopping the 'nonprofits' from calling everyday of every week of every month on a cell phone? |
You are right. Most of them don't even last even a SINGLE year.. And DH has only been doing this for about 7-8 months, and quitting soon because we're moving back to Florida. |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 2:05 am |
poohlisey wrote: |
we're moving back to Florida. |
OOhhh, Florida. Warm weather! |
_________________ 20; light/ fair-toned with freckles on cheeks/nose since I could remember; combo skin w/ Oily forehead, chin prone to acne. Green/brown eyes; growing to love my medium/ dark brown hair. |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 2:14 am |
I always just hang up. Most of the time I don't even pick up phone calls from numbers I don't recognize. |
_________________ Simple but No Simplier...Approaching late 20s, Normal/Combination Skin, Rarely Breakout now but have some old acne marks, sunspots, & broken caps |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:08 am |
Telemarketers usually get about 3 words out with me and the second I know they are telemarketers I just say in a polite tone "I'm sorry, I'm not interested" and hang up before they can draw breath and respond. Simple, polite, quick.
BUT for others it is not possible to go this route. My parents, for example, are elderly and live in Australia. Most of the telemarketing they get (even though they are on the DO NOT CALL list) is outsourced to overseas to people who can barely speak English. My parents have a hard time understanding them and then when they try to end the conversation politely they have actually had people on several occasions turn around and say "No, you listen to me" so at that point my normally placid mother gets on her high horse and bellows "don't you dare talk to me like that. If you call here ever again I will report you" and then slams down the phone.
My father has a bit more trouble getting off from them (he is harder of hearing and takes a while to get the gist of who it is) but one day he could not get away from one so while he was trying to explain he was not interested I walked over and just put my finger on the button to cut them off. Simple.
Fair enough they have to do a job, but NO-ONE deserves to have to listen to anyone rude, obnoxious or persistant to the point of distress, so my patience with these outsourced telemarketers in Australia is VERY limited. Working as a buss-boy/girl in a cafe is a pretty rotten job too (been there, done that in my student days), but if they were as rude and pushy as telemarketers tend to be, they would be fired on the spot. |
_________________ SKIN: combination, reactive to climate changes and extremely fair. "Women complain about premenstrual syndrome, but I think of it as the only time of the month that I can be myself." --Roseanne |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:24 am |
We are also on a do not call list (in the UK), but it doesn't seem to make much difference. I tend not to pick up unless I recognise the number. |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:46 am |
I let them finish reciting their script then ask to be added to their Do Not Call list. I don't know about other states but in Massachusetts if they call again after 30 days the consumer is awarded $10,000.
Since we are on the national Do Not Call list, the only companies that can call are those we have an account with, unless you specifically request that they too do not call. |
_________________ blonde, blue eyes, fair, normal/dry skin, 53 |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 5:06 am |
If they ask for me, I tell them that I am not here right now and could I take a message. If I am feeling more nice, I let them go through their script and tell them that I am not interested. I have rarely been rude, although I can recall one instance when I had to be. I just won't commit to anything over the phone any more. If I want something, I am capable of going out to find it. When I want to donate, I pick which ones to donate to.
Tina |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 5:45 am |
Caller ID is a blessing for dealing with unwanted calls of any kind. However, if I'm not sure and I answer the phone and it's a telemarketer, I just hang up. I don't have time or desire to wait for them to pause or take a breath so that I can say "no thank you" -- seems like many of them these days are trained to keep the words flowing incessantly without taking a breath for 2+ minutes. |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 5:47 am |
I have Thanksgiving dinner with them, go on vacation with them, talk and laugh with them on the phone every day. My mom is a telemarketer and has been for about 12 years. If you've ever seen an ad in the paper hiring people for a call center and it says something like "our top representative makes $3000 a week!!"-that's my mom. She has days where she doesn't feel like doing it but she doesn't hate it. She likes her job and she's really good at it. Me, on the other hand, the ONLY good thing that came out of the job she got me at her office 9 years ago was that that's where I met my husband. I was HORRIBLE at telemarketing. Too scared, lol. I'd hang up on the people as soon as they answered the phone because I just couldn't even bring myself to TRY. Also, I guess because my mom is in the business, I have a really hard time saying no to people so I CAN'T wait out the script. I have to say, "I'm sorry. I'm not interested." right away and hang up or I could end up on the phone for an hour. I can't be mean to them. Even though that kind of thing doesn't bother my mom, it bugs me that people are mean to her sometimes and this person on my phone is someone else mom or dad, son or daughter...they could even be like I was. I just can't be mean. There's a special place in my heart for telemarketers, lol. (BTW, my hubby sucked at the job also ) |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:14 am |
My phone has talking caller id. When the phone rings, and its not a name I recognize I don't answer the phone. Problem solved! |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:02 am |
I just say that my number is on the no call list and hang up. I hate it especially when they call during dinner time. |
_________________ Early 50s, blonde hair (natural) with red streaks (mid-life crisis), blue eyes, fair skin, small pores, very dry skin, some pigmentation (thanks to growing up in Miami), starting to see fine lines. Love my NuFace and Quasar SP and the CPs and Retin A are working as well. |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:07 am |
a href="mailto:www.Register@donotcall.gov">www.Register@donotcall.gov |
_________________ 27~Texas~Oily~ fair~ breakout prone~ easily congested~Cysts caused by emotional stress~ Using Ayurvedic skin care and philosophy~ Dry brushing body and face~ On strict less is more routine~ We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars~ Oscar Wilde |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:40 am |
I politely say no. I usually cut them off and say "I'm really not interested, sorry." I don't let them go through the whole story. If they persist, I just hang up.
I know they are just trying to do their job so I'm not a jerk about it. |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:41 am |
vonstella wrote: |
www.Register@donotcall.gov |
Thanks for the website. You just reminded me to put my husband's business line on the list. |
_________________ Early 50s, blonde hair (natural) with red streaks (mid-life crisis), blue eyes, fair skin, small pores, very dry skin, some pigmentation (thanks to growing up in Miami), starting to see fine lines. Love my NuFace and Quasar SP and the CPs and Retin A are working as well. |
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Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:45 am |
I will interrupt them and tell them I am not interested and I don't mean to be rude, but there is not point in wasting their time. Works like a charm and only takes a few seconds. I'm just one of those people who hate to be rude. |
_________________ 53 and starting to show it |
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