I've signed up for all the "Do Not Call" lists, yet still the phone rings.
I'm not a phone guy. Unless it's a relative or a close friend, or someone calling with good news, I want nothing to do with the phone. One, I just don't like talking to people I don't know, and two, I'm bad at saying no. So when they call asking for donations to this that or the other thing, I'm more likely than not to say yes, even though I don't want to. For example, a major charity called a few weeks ago asking if they could count on me for a pledge of $40.00. More specifically, they said "Mr. Dunne, we know we can count on you this year. Can we put you down for a pledge of $40?" So already, if I say no, I'm letting people down. They're counting on me! Okay, yeah, go ahead.
Let me note that the only reason I even answer the phone is because I have kids in school, and I'm assuming the one time I don't answer is when the school is actually calling for something.
Anyway, so I agree to this and a few days later the pledge card arrives in the mail. Now, it's just after Christmas and there are bills to pay so I set it aside, fully intending on honoring my commitment, just not that freaking second. Five days later I get a call from the charity, reminding me about my pledge and wondering if I could please send that in. Now, this annoys me slightly, because I have to answer the stupid phone again and there was a sort of credit card collection tone to the woman's voice. Pissed off, the pledge goes to the bottom of my "to be paid" pile. Four days later another call. At five minutes to nine. (I was expecting a different person. Although I beg and plead with people to please use my cell number, they don't.)
Then, on three consecutive nights, phone calls from the same charity leaving messages on my answering machine.
Okay, now, you're getting nothing. The pledge card has met the shredder.
I should note that at one point I asked if there was a way to pay online. It's a major charity and, well, 2006. She reacted as if I had asked to pay with holographic coins.
Their latest tactic, and I've noticed this a lot among telemarketers, is to use your first name as if they know you. I'll answer and they'll say "Owen?" I'll say yeah, thinking it's someone I know, and then they launch into the pitch. My newest technique is to wait until they're a few seconds in, then I'll say "Oh no, I'm Owen Jr. I think you want my dad." I'll get all teenage and nasally.
I used this technique the last time the charity called. After I told them I was Owen Jr., I told them that my dad wouldn't be able to call them back for awhile because he was in the hospital with the very disease they were collecting for.
Now, I only hope I haven't seriously fucked myself up, karma-wise. But they ain't calling anymore.
13 comments:
Caller ID works best for us. We don't answer any numbers that come up as Unkown or 800-xxx-xxxxx.
There's a couple of simple ways to get your name removed from the telemarketing lists. First, record the "We're sorry, but the number you dialed" recording that the telephone company uses and put it on your answering machine. Those first three beeps will trigger the autodialers that the telemarketers use and your number will be tagged as Out of Service. This will get you off the call lists and get your friends to call your cell phone. Anyone that hangs on for the beep knows what's going on and you can pick up after you hear their voice. Second, if you happen to answer and find yourself talking to a telemarketer, ask them what kind of underwear they have on. Usually, you can hear the wind whistling past the phone as they hang up. If they stay on the line, go no further than that question. Ask no other questions, give no other information. Tell them it's a requirement before you'll talk to them. Usually, they'll mark your number as a hostile (and somewhat strange) contact and they'll take your name off their list. They pay for each name and get a refund for each bad number. The companies that sell the names don't like giving refunds and will drop you if they have to refund money on your number very often.
We don't have an official don't call list in Australia so telemarketers tend to get a free reign of terror at dinner time. With my caller ID unit, I just don't answer the phone to any unknown number and let it go to my machine which ironically starts of with "If you are a telemarketer or from the railways, hang up now" (I work for the railways and don't wish to talk to them either).
If I should accidentally answer to a telemarketer, I find it really easy to say no to them because I trap them in a lie from the start:
Me - What are you selling?
Them - we aren't selling anything.
Me - then what do you want?
Them - We'd like to offer you....
Me - so you are selling something and you've just lied to me - goodbye.
As for charities, voluntarily donating goods work much better than money in my opinion.
Bah, do not call list! ha!
Make them fear calling your number or any other.
When they call, start off in a normal voice and keep talking. As you keep talking, keep getting more and more quiet. This will cause most humans (at least the ones that have never called me) to turn up the volume on their headsets. Once you get them to the point where you know they are trying to hear your credit card info and have their volume at max pull out an air horn, stick it to the phone and give a nice long blast...
Pain is the best teacher...
If you are interested in getting rid of Telemarketers (as opposed to market research/opinon pollsters), just record a 2 part message on your answering machine. I live in an English speaking market and my answering machine starts off in French and then goes thru the English version. The telemarketer will then code your # as being a non-english speaking household and take you off their list. I spent years working in Market Research(polls/product trials etc)- and know how the sales industry works- and the two aren't related btw- different laws for them- check with your telecom provider to get the different rules.
Fortunately I've never had to eal with them.
My fiancee usually picks up saying "Pizza Hut, may I take your order?" if we don't recognize the number.
The university I went to kept calling to try and get me to pledge alumni money, which I have absolutely no interest in doing. Her solution to this was to pick up and tell them I was killed in a car accident. They didn't call for four whole months after that one.
I just don't answer the phone.
Heh, just got one. Here's a new rub. The guy starts off by saying "Mr. Dunne, I'm calling in reference to your credit card ending in 4323." Now, I would imagine alot of people don't know their credit card numbers, so this is a clever little intro. Problem is, I know my credit card numbers from online shopping and bill paying. I don't know what the rest of the pitch is, probably for another credit card or something, because I said "I don't have a credit card with that number." There was a bit of silence then I hung up.
My husband used to work for an IT company that was getting calls every day (as if it were a private residence) to switch long distance carriers. Repeated attempts to get them to stop didn't work, so he took a different approach. "So, John, what are you wearing? I'm sorry, I get a little crazy when I'm drunk." blah, blah blah--keep them interested... "Seriously--what are you wearing?" Result? They NEVER called back, and it earned him everlasting respect in that particular cubefarm. Heh.
AFAIK in the USA the 'no call list' is legally binding, and the company can be fined a large sum of money for harassing you hen your number is on the no-call list.
Up here in canada though, we have no such thing, which really sucks. I've taken to simply hanging up on calls from people I don't know. If it comes up as 'Unknown Caller' or '1-800-xxx-xxxx' etc i simply dont pick up, or i pick up and hang up right away. After my boyfriend got hung up on multiple times because of his phone number coming up as 'unknown number', i started picking up, and saying 'hello?' if the response is not immediate, i hang up, as the majority of times when it takes longer than 3 seconds or so to give me a response of one sort or another is more often than not an autodialer and the person on the other end is a telemarketter. I work as Directory Assistance and i have this personal policy: If you cannot answer the phone YOU DIALED (or your company, in the case of autodiallers) within 3 seconds, you get hung up on (in my case its '(company opening phrase here), how may I help you?' i wait two seconds, 'hello?' and whether or not theres background noise, joe schmoe talking to his buddy, whatever, if theres no response then, i hang up. We're allowed to.
Anyways, random tangeant there. I just hang up on telemarketters, some surveyors i'll do, but ive been pranked by a friend of mine before: "Hello rthis i9s the city of (insert my city of residence here) doing a general survey, would you like to answer a few questions?" i went 'ok.' and my friend started asking me perverted questions until i hung up. Apparently he does this for fun. I have strange friends.
The talking quiet and the air horn still get the best results.
at worse you waste a few minutes.
At best you make a person deaf in one ear and live in fear of answering the phone.
I don't have a landline, and my cell phone is on the Do Not Call list.
There will be HELL to pay if I get any calls from telemarketers.
Shopping around I felt the need for another reward card and the wide selection I got here was overwhelming.
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