revenge on the telemarketers :)

vindictive666 (John) · #1 03-03-2006, 10:59 AM

hi all i got this from an other forum

thought id share it what do you do ?

Revenge on the Telemarketer
Three Little Words That Work!!
(1) The three little words: "Hold On, Please..." Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off instead of hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing call so much more time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt.

Then when you eventually hear the Telstra's "beep-beep-beep" tone, you know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has efficiently completed its task.

These three little words will help eliminate telephone soliciting.

(2) Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other end? This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls and records the time of day when a person answers the phone.

This technique is used to determine the best time of day for a "real" sales person to call back and get someone at home.

What you can do after answering, if you notice there is no one there, is to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times, as quickly as possible. This confuses the machine that dialled the call and it kicks your number out of their system. Gosh, what a shame not to have your name in their system any longer!!!

3) Junk Mail Help:
When you get "ads" enclosed with your phone or utility bill, return these "ads" with your payment. Let the sending companies throw their own junk mail away.

When you get those "pre-approved" letters in the mail for everything from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw away the return envelope.

Most of these come with postage-prepaid return envelopes, right?

It costs them more than the regular 50 cents postage "IF" and when they receive them back.

It costs them nothing if you throw them away! In that case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in these cool little, postage-prepaid return envelopes.

Send an ad for your local chimney cleaner to American Express. Send a pizza coupon to Westpac.

If you didn't get anything else that day, then just send them their blank application back!

If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name isn't on anything you send them.

You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to just to keep them guessing! It still costs them $1.00

The banks and credit card companies are currently getting a lot of their own junk back in the mail, but folks, we need to OVERWHELM them.

Let's let them know what it's like to get lots of junk mail, and best of all they're paying for it... Twice!

Let's help keep Australia Post busy since they are saying that e-mail is cutting into their business profits, and that's why they need to increase postage costs again. You get the idea!

If enough people follow these tips, it will work ---- maybe you'll get very little junk mail anymore.

Helmann (Brett) · #2 03-03-2006, 11:11 AM

I can see my bank and credit card fees going up again soon.

cometcatcher (Kevin) · #3 03-03-2006, 11:12 AM

Good idea with telemarketers.

We get so much junk mail here they needed another whelie bin and another truck to cart it away. But I want to get a decent shredder so I can turn it into garden mulch and put it to good use.

norm · #4 03-03-2006, 11:51 AM

Yeah I've contemplated doing that, but everytime I have the stuff ready on the table to take it with me when I go out, I get annoyed seeing it there and I end up dumping in the bin. Gotta break the cycle and do it.

Quote:

You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to just to keep them guessing! It still costs them $1.00

I can't help but be cynical here, but knowing what those greedy banks are like, they've probably bumped up credit card fees already or something else to compensate the pre-paid postage. The upside is that it keeps Australia Post going and in turn employment, which is always a good thing.

Anyone suggestions to the calls that hang-up when the answering machine kicks in.

Vermin (Tom) · #5 03-03-2006, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by norm

Anyone suggestions to the calls that hang-up when the answering machine kicks in.

Caller ID memory.

Some answering machine and cordless phone combos show the last 30 or so numbers received.

h0ughy (David) · #6 03-03-2006, 12:12 PM

nice item, will try the call delay one

acropolite (Phil) · #7 03-03-2006, 12:13 PM

I usually ask then to wait then put them on hold. Another good one, if you have some free time, is to simply string them along, keep getting them to repeat what they say, over and over again, tell them you're having difficulty hearing them or understanding what they say. If you have 10 minutes to spare you can frustrate the hell out of them as well as costing them for the call, then put them on hold untill they hang up.

Starkler (Geoff) · #8 03-03-2006, 12:23 PM

The best way to rid the world of telemarketers is to never ever buy any product or service from anyone who markets in this way. No matter how good the deal might be, dont do it, there is always another way to get that product.

I dont answer the phone at all between 5pm and 8pm and let my answering machine screen my calls. If I hear the voice of someone I know I'll get up and answer.

I have a "no junk mail" sign on my letterbox also which most paper spam distributors respect, with real estate agents being the main exception.
Somehow their advertising literature isnt spam

iceman (Mike) · #9 03-03-2006, 12:39 PM

Quote:

(2) Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other end? This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls and records the time of day when a person answers the phone.

This technique is used to determine the best time of day for a "real" sales person to call back and get someone at home.

I'm not sure about it being used to determine the best time of day, it may well be, but I know that the reason for that (or sometimes it's a recorded message), is that telemarketers use an outgoing call dialler to make the calls, but they don't have enough agents in teh call centre in India to pick up the phone when you do.. so you're basically just put on hold when you answer the phone until an agent is available.

Apparently there's a website where you can de-register to ensure you're not on those lists - I'll try and find it. It won't cover a lot of telemarketing companies who choose not to abide by those lists, but it might still help a bit.

ving (David) · #10 03-03-2006, 12:43 PM

"can you hang on for a sec...." love this, been doing it for a while now and its great!

astrojase · #11 03-03-2006, 12:46 PM

www.adma.com.au

good call Mike (pardon the pun)

stinky · #12 03-03-2006, 04:15 PM

I keep a copy of this :-

http://www.xs4all.nl/~egbg/english/counters.pdf

near the phone and look forward to calls from Telemarketers! Most popular toothpaste to date is Colgate!! Have fun...

Roger Davis · #13 03-03-2006, 04:35 PM

Tell them "just hold on a minute, I will be right back please"
Then put the phone next to the sink and start doing the dishes.

or

Tell them " Gee you sound nice, what's your name (even if they have told you), ask them how long they have been doing their job, ask them if they have any brothers & sisters, and where do they live" it's their money and they are not getting their job done!

or

If you have a hands free phone, go to the toilet and flush it whilst holding the phone near the rim of the bowl, then make gurgling noises and say "damn I just dropped the phone!"

ving (David) · #14 03-03-2006, 04:38 PM

i like that second one roger!!!

might have to try it. have you?

mickoking · #15 04-03-2006, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roger Davis

If you have a hands free phone, go to the toilet and flush it whilst holding the phone near the rim of the bowl, then make gurgling noises and say "damn I just dropped the phone!"

My poor wife is constantly botherd by these tool's during the day so I told her about the 'toilet method' and she LOVES IT

asimov (John) · #16 04-03-2006, 05:55 PM

I used to play with telemarketers a lot, but now I just hang up...usually before they can get out their first word, if it's a telemarketer theres always a distinct white noise in the background & a slight delay before they say hello.

Sausageman (Mike Boggan) · #17 08-03-2006, 05:29 PM

The web site you want is called ADMA.
Australian Direct Marketing Association.

You can request via an on line form to have your name removed from phone, mail and other lists.

Mike

Starkler (Geoff) · #18 08-03-2006, 06:12 PM

I did that and it made no difference to the amount of telespam i get now, in fact it increased for a while after I registered there.

Sausageman (Mike Boggan) · #19 08-03-2006, 07:12 PM

It does work Geoff,
It mentions somewhere there that it may take up to 3 months for it to be effective, as the telemarketers take that long to update thier databases.
I don't get any phonespam anymore.

Mike

Sausageman (Mike Boggan) · #20 08-03-2006, 07:19 PM

But, an addendum to that last message from me.

Be careful when you buy stuff, if they ask for your name, phone number and such, ask them why they want it, then ask if they are selling your details.
Thats how they get you in the first place.
I did hear that Telstra sells that information, but I don't know for sure.
I have a silent number, so I always ask where they got it from.

Mike