How do you deal with.......

Doug · #1 08-11-2006, 10:25 PM

Market Researchers and Telemarketers.

Our home phone account is in my Wife's name and we have an unlisted number. Our two mobile phones accounts are in my name and are not listed.
yet we still get pestered by telemarketers and market researchers who ask for either one of us by name!!

Mortgage Company ringing my wife on mobile: my solution: program incoming number to read 'ignore' or similar.

Market researchers ringing (usually around dinner time) :
"Hello"
"who is calling please?"
"I'll just put you on hold"

I then go and do something useful.(like eat my dinner in peace)
If they are still waiting on hold 1/2 hour or so later when I re open the line............. well so far they haven't. So far as I can tell I haven't had them pester twice.
Thinking of demanding a refund from Telstra too; they charge for unlisted numbers.
So, if you're a telemarketer or a market researcher, I'd get a refund from Telstra because in selling you my numbers, they have ripped you off.

Anyone care to share their experiences/solutions to these aggravating assassins of privacy?

cheers,
Doug

JethroB76 (Jeff) · #2 08-11-2006, 10:49 PM

I don't get many, but I usually just give them enough time to get started on their sales speil and then put the phone down on the bench and let them talk to thin air.

Harb · #3 08-11-2006, 11:33 PM

I usually try to sell them something......they soon give up.
Give them the would you like to buy some clading for your house dribble....works everytime

astroron (Ron) · #4 08-11-2006, 11:40 PM

I just say no thankyou and and hang up, after all they are just doing a job like everyone else trying to earn a living, as far as I am concerned it is not fare to be rude.
Maybe I am in the minoraty?

GrahamL · #5 08-11-2006, 11:44 PM

I dropped some paper work off for my employer yesterday regarding a new mobile phone /plan she had just bought

In the terms of the agreement she had put a line through and signed
a few clauses she didn't like, one was definately about passing on info for marketing purposes.

Ric · #6 08-11-2006, 11:50 PM

Ah yes the telemarketer, we simply have the answering machine on all the time and screen our calls. the genuine callers, family and friends will leave a message and we usually pick up while telemarketers will hang up before the message is finished, works perfectly every time.

cheers

syzygy · #7 08-11-2006, 11:51 PM

I'm lucky. Since I put an ADSL splitter on the line my phone doesn't ring. It dials out okay and otherwise works fine, it just won't ring for an incoming call.

I keep thinking I should fix that, but it's only been a year.

nightsky · #8 09-11-2006, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ric

Ah yes the telemarketer, we simply have the answering machine on all the time and screen our calls. the genuine callers, family and friends will leave a message and we usually pick up while telemarketers will hang up before the message is finished, works perfectly every time.

cheers

G'Day,
Thats exactly what I done, I picked up a answering machine from ebay $20
and when they ring ,hear it's a robot,they hang up

if it's family or friends they know to say "it's me pick up"

Ric · #9 09-11-2006, 12:51 AM

If you want to have a bit of fun, record your own message on the answering machine.
Say hello and pause for about 3-5 seconds then continue with the answering message, it always catchs them out as they think a real person has answered the phone and go into their sell routine.

nightsky · #10 09-11-2006, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ric

If you want to have a bit of fun, record your own message on the answering machine.
Say hello and pause for about 3-5 seconds then continue with the answering message, it always catchs them out as they think a real person has answered the phone and go into their sell routine.

G'Day Ric,
What a great idea

never thought of that, I'll record a new message tomorrow

and have some fun.

Gargoyle_Steve (Steve) · #11 09-11-2006, 01:01 AM

As much as I know how inconvenient and sometimes irritating these calls can be, let me put the shoe on the other foot for a second....

I "worked" once as a telemarketer for 3 whole days, and at the company where I "worked" they simply have sheets of "connected" phone numbers, listed in consecutive order, a hundred to a page (ie xxxx xx00 to xx99), and often the last known name that the number belonged to. These numbers are purchased on a CD, surprisingly often NOT from Telstra but from other sources, and when working there you just grab the next sheet of paper off the pile and start dialling the numbers one by one.

Before I get abused (again) for having tried this "career" I'll point out that this was at a time (the only time!) in my life when I was unemployed, when I was getting $418 a fortnight unemployment benefit, and my house payment was $413 a fortnight. As the 5 bucks left over didnt go very far I tried telemarketing in lieue of having any other job ... I didn't actually earn anything for this work, as you are "on trial" for the first week and only get paid on results, ie sales. If you make enough sales after a week or so they might offer you an ongoing job at an hourly rate, and trust me it is not glamourous money either!

Of course in my 3 days I had no results - unless of course you consider being abused beyond belief on about every 2nd or 3rd call a "result". I was called every foul and abusive name you could think of and then some, usually within the first 5 seconds of conversation, and usually in the same tone of voice that you hear being used by angry mobs on tv when they find a paedophile has moved into the street. I have never felt such raw hatred directed towards me EVER as was directed at me during those 3 shifts by these total strangers, who knew nothing about me at all EXCEPT that I had phoned their number.

If you want to try a totally soul destroying activity give it a go: try sitting in a little booth for 8 hours straight being called ... well there's no way I can even get CLOSE to getting that language past the abuse filters here. Just think of every 3, 4, 5 and 6 letter word you can, randomly put them in infinite combinations, add as much venom as you can imagine, and string several of them together. If you think thats an exageration then all I can say if TRY IT, after you get over the initial shock (and it IS a shock) of what many people are prepared to call another human being, you think you'll get past being abused once, or twice .... do that for 8 hours straight, knowing that at present you are not earning so much as a cent, and it has cost you money to actually get here by car or public transport, and see how you feel.

If you get these calls at home then do what you feel you must - tell them you're not interested, screen your calls, put them on hold, even hang up pleasantly if you must, but please these are HUMANS and don't abuse them ok? Chances are they are only trying to find a way to survive in a tough situation by doing a completely thankless job and being treated worse that shyte for it.

Oh yes, interesting fact - male telemarketers get abused by everyone pretty much equally, men and women alike have no trouble using the vilest language you can imagine, however women telemarketers may get abused by women (especially if the caller sounds sexy) but most men are actually too polite to abuse a women caller (especially if the caller sounds sexy!) but they have no problem at all abusing male callers. There's a total sexual double standard here, and I still don't know which side of it is the more objectionable - do you blame those who discriminate, or those who abuse everyone regardless?

nightsky · #12 09-11-2006, 01:10 AM

G'Day
Well there the breaks m8, it's a occupational hazard,if you come into my home uninvited via the telephone, you should expect some reaction from the home owner.

casstony · #13 09-11-2006, 01:20 AM

I never abuse 'em but I hate 'em. We get bombarded with calls from charities and we now have a policy of not donating to anyone on the phone. We have a monthly donation to UNICEF and I guess they sell our number to 101 other good causes. Friends who don't donate don't seem to be harassed.

Ric · #14 09-11-2006, 01:42 AM

Hi Steve,
I fully understand your point and for my part I can honestly say that say that when I am caught out by one I have never been rude or abusive, I politely say " no thankyou I"m not interested".

On the other hand as well I have had telemarketers who have been rude to me when I tell them I am not interested, and these are not isolated events either.
The best one was from a certain large banking company who told me I was stupid for not wanting to change my mortgage arrangements and sign up with them, to which I just laughed and hung up.
Everyone has a job to do I agree, and they should not be abused for it, but I am also sure that ringing in the middle of peoples dinnertime or late in the evening when people are relaxing is surely not the way to make a sale either.

Gargoyle_Steve (Steve) · #15 09-11-2006, 01:50 AM

I see you have firm opinons Nightsky, and I respect that, and a reaction is not a problem, as I said above. I merely suggested that people should NOT act like ******* and be abusive. Try looking up the word "moderation" - because thats all I suggested that people use.

BTW you proved my point exactly: I did this unpaid job for 3 days only, about 5 years ago, and it took only 9 minutes after my posting here in the middle of the night before someone ..... you .... told me I deserved to get abused for it. Grow up.

I understand exactly your comments Ric, and anyone who rings you up and gets abusive and confrontational first deserves the same in return, I'd do the same! And please don't think I love telemarketers because I don't, they bug me the same as everyone else, although when my landline was a prepaid line I never had a call, not in 2 years! But I'm mature and adult enough to handle these calls without losing control like some apparently do.

I guess the reason they ring at night si that people work during the days usually, sleep later at night, and I have never heard of a telemarketer ringing early in the morning so that leaves a small window of a few hours late afternoon / evening. *shrugs* Being a shiftworker I get woken by people at the door, on the phone, mowing the lawn, screaming at the kids, etc, at times that would be comparable for many of you to being woken at something like 3am, etc. it sucks, but thats life - what are you gonna do, shoot them?

*wink*

janoskiss (Steve H) · #16 09-11-2006, 02:01 AM

I've worked all sorts of jobs, although never on the phone but did door-to-door (boy that's tough!), and I do recognise that the person I'm talking to is not the source of my annoyance. So without wanting to waste their or my time, all I say to these unwanted calls is "sorry, I'm not interested" and then hang up straightaway.

Starkler (Geoff) · #17 09-11-2006, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janoskiss

and I do recognise that the person I'm talking to is not the source of my annoyance.

I see it a bit differently. The person calling you is drawing a wage by annoying people and invading their homes. Profiting by creating a widespread nuisance .

The ones we should be angry at are those that reward telemarketers with their business. I refuse to buy any goods or services from those who market in such a manner. If everyone did they same, telemarketers wouldnt exist.

P.S. No I dont abuse callers, I just say "sorry not interested" and hang up.

PaulM (Paul) · #18 09-11-2006, 04:34 AM

Here's my approach:
nearly all telemarketing calls are long distance calls and my phone rings differently when it's a long distance call. So, if it rings differently and it's around dinner time I know it's telemarketing.

I pick up the phone and in a monotone voice I say "the number you have dialed is not in service, this is a recording. the number you have dialed is not in service, this is a recording...." then hang up.

The goal is to get my number off their list for good.
And if it was a real call, then the caller would call me right back, right? But the phone never rings back

Cheers,

ving (David) · #19 09-11-2006, 07:18 AM

doug, i have done exactly that. its out regular routine here. either that or "no thanks" and hang up

Lee · #20 09-11-2006, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starkler

The ones we should be angry at are those that reward telemarketers with their business. I refuse to buy any goods or services from those who market in such a manner. If everyone did they same, telemarketers wouldnt exist.

Exactly - don't feed then and they'll go away, and become email spammers I suspect! I just pick up, wait and see if its a telemarketer, and hang up without uttering a word..... they don't call back.....