How do you respond to telemarketers?

[Genowing]

I kept getting these calls from a car window repair company, like every week during dinner. So finaly after hanging up on them I finaly listened to their spheal and promptly told them I wasn't interested and that I had already sold my soul to the devil and they hung up and never called again. Plus I don't even own a car.

 

[DeMoN]

I registered for DoNotCall a while back: https://www.donotcall.gov
Don't usually receive telemarketers except for services I already am using (AT&T, insurance, etc.)
I just hang up, though a good way to get them not to call again is to say you're under 18.

 

[NeSchn]

Telemarketer: Hello? Is Mr. blahblahblah available?
Me: MIKE JONES!!
Telemarketer: Who?
Me: MIKE JONES!! (hang up)

 

[computarman]

I tell them no soliciting allowed on my phone. Some telemaketers try to say they are not selling anything for instance if they are wanting a donation. I politely explain that this too is also a solicitation for a donation and thus still considered soliciting. I will argue the point for a bit if they want to argue. I pay for the phone and I really don't think telemarketing should even be allowed. I refuse to take any offers over the phone because I consider it irritating. Also I hear of a lot of deceptive telemarketing offers over the phone. Like the one where you have supposedly won a prize but in order to get your prize the business wants your credit card number. I simply tell them to send me my prize if I won something and that I won't pay in order to win something. I am respectful and honest but you also have to be firm. Nothing immature about being respectful and honest. The thing is I rarely even answer the phone unless I'm expecting a call and screen calls with my answering machine. There really is a lot of telemarketing going on but I usually keep my ringer turned off and very few telemarketers will leave a message luckily.

 

[juggernaut911]

I fart in the phone. Be mature guys.

 

[nitrostemp]

i often just listen to what they offer and just say "mmm" and just when they are transferring me to their superior it hang up rofl

 

[GoldenTalesGeek]

My older brother had a clever way of dealing with them when I was a kid. It kinda went like this:

Telemarketer: Hello, can I interest you in-
My brother: Is this the hospital?!
Telemarketer: No, I'm just-
My brother: No?! Get the f*** off of the phone, then! My kid brother just got hit by a truck! I need to call the hospital as soon as possible! If he dies, I'm holding you personally responsible!
Telemarketer: *hangs up*

 

[Salax]

I sat stuff completely ridiculous, like "IS THIS JOE'S PIZZARIA? I'D LIKE A BACON BURGER."

 

[user0002]

I just tell them I'm not interested, usually I'm polite but sometimes when I'm in the middle of something important I tell them to piss off.

 

[MuppetInvasion]

I act interested, be all like Really that's interesting! then ask them an off question like if they sell a version for dogs. When they say no, then I tell them that that's a shame and hang up.

T: Hello, i am calling for xyz, would you be interested in xyz?
M: Why yes, can you tell me more about it?
T: xyz offers a variety of options including xyz and xyz.
M: Can you tell me a bit more about xyz?
T: Certainly

And so on...

T: Are you considering purchasing xyz?
M: Mmmmm maybe, is there an xyz available for my cat?
T: Unfortunatley we do not sell versions for cats.
M: Oh well, thats a shame because i need one for my cat. *Hangup*

Was funnier when it happened with my friends

 

[Kalisiin]

I fart in the phone. Be mature guys.

Eeeeew. You do realize that...after you fart into the mouthpiece...you then, later on, have to put your lips near that same mouthpiece you just farted on?

 

[saxamo]

I don't understand why you guys are assholes. All it takes is a "No, I'm not interested, please take me off your list."

If you want to be even more proactive register your number with the do not call list.

Telemarketers are just trying to do their jobs, they don't need extra grief.

 

[MuppetInvasion]

True, true, except their job is f*kin annoying!

 

[cobleman]

Well i use to give the phone to my 4 year old son and once he had fiished with them they would hang up within a few minutes lol now he's 6 and talks there ears off about Bakugan brawlers. He doesnt get the chance anymore because im now on the no call list and only get 1 call every 6 months and they hangup after i mention the no call list

 

[mrfatso]

haiz and i thought someone would have sang rick astley's never gona give you up to them or at least play a recording of that

 

[Kalisiin]

I don't understand why you guys are assholes. All it takes is a "No, I'm not interested, please take me off your list."

If you want to be even more proactive register your number with the do not call list.

Telemarketers are just trying to do their jobs, they don't need extra grief.

No, it doesn't...those assholes won't take NO for an answer - that's why they are annoying, and why I'm an asshole towards them.

I recently got a call about a competing auto club. I'm already in AAA. And quite happy with AAA.

I try to explain this to them. here's the basic transcript...

Me: No thank you, I'm quite happy with AAA.

Them: But our motor club is better than AAA.

Me: How so? I work overnights dispatching tow trucks for a living, and most tow companies I know won't even take your company's P.O.'s!!

Them: that's because we will take people to anywhere they want to go, as far as they want to go.

Me: I get 100 miles with AAA, that's more than enough to get me anywhere I want to be.

Them: But what if you were more than 100 miles away?

Me: If that was the case, I'd have taken a plane and rented a car, and I'd call the rental company.

Them: But, still, we're better than AAA.

Me: How so? EVERYONE takes AAA. Almost no one will take your club. You leave people sitting out on the road two hours and more (and this I know to be entirely true, due to experience on my job, folks!!)

Them: No, nobody has to wait that long.

Me: Oh, yeah, that's right, if you don't want to wait until you find someone who will take your P.O. you can always pay up-front for the tow and wait for an aeon for your company to reimburse them...that isn't the point of an auto club...the point is that you're not supposed to have to pay anything up-front, or out-of-pocket at all.

Them: but we're better than AAA.

Me: You haven't convinced me. You keep SAYING you're "better" than AAA, yet you haven't told me one thing about your service that is even as good as AAA, let alone better! Why do you people INSIST on keeping on calling me? How many times already have you called in the past and I keep telling you NO...and give the same reasons?? Why can't you take NO for an answer and take me off your goddamn list already?

Them: We don't have to take you off our list.

Me: I'm on the do not call list, you know.

Them: Yes, but, since we are affiliated with a company that you already do business with, that list does not apply to us in your case.

Me: does this mean you are refusing to take me off your list, and you are going to keep bothering the hell out of me, even though I have already told you I am not interested now, nor will I ever be interested?

Them: We can call you as much as we want to.

Me: [Hangs up in frustration]

NOW ASK AGAIN WHY WE ARE SUCH ASSHOLES TOWARDS TELEMARKETERS!!!

And yes, not everyone has Caller ID. We don't even have it as an option, because my area is so rural!!

 

[mrfatso]

and also one thing to add to that caller id issue, sometimes my classmates changed their number but they might have forgotten to tell me that they had changed their number, so when they called me, i usually asked who the hell are they and they tell me who they are and we apologize to each other and have a nice laugh about it.

 

[arecus2000]

I wuld shout WRONG NUMBER!! and end call.

 

[Opium]

I used to be a telemarketer. Worst six months of work ever.

I try to be polite with telemarketers because I know what it's like. I generally say, 'thank you but I'm not interested. Would you be able to take my name off your list so that I'm not called again. Thank you and good luck with your quota."

 

[Kalisiin]

I used to be a telemarketer. Worst six months of work ever.

I try to be polite with telemarketers because I know what it's like. I generally say, 'thank you but I'm not interested. Would you be able to take my name off your list so that I'm not called again. Thank you and good luck with your quota."

I'd be polite, too - IF they would take NO for an answer, and IF they would honor my request for them to not call anymore - ESPECIALLY during my sleeping hours (I work third shift)

But they won't...so I don't.

I agree with you - I also once did telemarketing, and it was the worst job ever. I'd rather clean up horse shit all day in a stable than do telemarketing ever again. I know what it's like. BUT...damn it to hell, I DON'T WANT TO BE CALLED!! ESPECIALLY NOT WHEN I'M TRYING TO SLEEP...and my sleeping hours are generally in the early afternoon on up to late evening.

AND THAT'S WHEN THOSE ASSHOLES CALL MOST OFTEN.

I mean, what's up with that? Can't they just take NO for an answer and go bug someone the hell ELSE? how many freaking times do they have to call and bug you...and how many times do you have to tell them NO...before they finally get the point and buzz the fuck off for good?

I wouldn't want to call anyone who doesn't want to hear from me that strongly...I'd rather get numbers only of people who might actually buy something!