Telephone Solicitation

[GROUCHO MARX]

I would recommend, that under no circumstances, one responds to a telephone solicitation.

Whether it be for charity or other purpose, this is apocolyptic. Your name goes on a hot list and is sold to everyone.

Enjoy life a bit more and choose the organizations that you give to, don't have them choose you.

 

[kanling]

"Take me off your calling list." That's all I say. I won't even listen to what the survey or donation is about.

 

[moribundman]

When I pick up the phone I expect somebody to reply within one second. That's not enough time for an automated system to react and by the time the syetm has switched to a live operator I've long hubg up.

Years ago, before I signed up with the national do-not-call list, which works exceptionally well for me, I often played deaf, senile, insane, or retarded with telemarketers. I also put them on hold. Now I don't bother anymore.

 

[ALS]

I made the mistake of giving $500 to a political organization for the 2004 election.
It has been a flaming nightmare since then. Two weeks ago I got an invitation for a $10K donation to have breakfast with Sean Hannity and lunch with the Vice President. For $10K I better be sleeping with Sean's wife during his speech.
Anyway every week since giving that donation I have been getting at least 1 and up to 3 calls at the office from all over the U.S. for donations. I live in Pa. yet candidates from California, Arizona, Colorado, Washington, Florida and so on thought nothing of giving me a call for a donation for their campaigns.
Needless to say I will never again give money to any political campaign. The harassment has been unbelievable. I now flat out tell them that due to the amount of harassing calls that I'm getting from the donation list that I was put on I will never give one cent to any political party or organization. When I turn down a $5,000 per plate dinner they always had some little gift if you wanted to give $500 or $1000 donation.
I own a small business with 15 employees not a major corporation. If I was rich as they think I am, I sure wouldn't be still living in Pittsburgh.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

ALS, that's a mistake you'll never make again. I understand that giving to public broadcasting is worse.

 

[Pablo]

quote:

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Telephone Solicitation

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One can only hope......

 

[rpn453]

I prefer to have fun with those. If I see an unusual number on the call display I put on a random accent and play with them until they hang up on me. It seems easier to mess around with people without laughing when you're in "character mode". The longest one was about 7 minutes before he hung up on me after trying multiple times to explain that this is an expensive long-distance call while I pretended to look for change in my couch to give him. He sounded frustrated and I almost felt sorry for him because he was trying hard, but not really! It's just my way of encouraging them to get a better job.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

I like putting the phone down, going to the bathroom, taking a leak and returning to hang up the phone.

 

[Bryanccfshr]

"Sure go ahead, tell me about it" I then place the phone to the side and continue making love, eating, watching tv, playing with the dogs, using the toilet changing my oil whatever I was doing then Whenever I get around to it I hang up.

 

[Shannow]

There's a new scam going downunder (or India), when they ask "is that _________", you usually say yes.

Then they cut and paste the conversation recording so that you said "yes" at the appropriate point.

well it was on a current affairs programme, so it must be true.

 

[moribundman]

That touches on a bug bear of mine. If someone calls me and asks is this Mr. so-and-so, I ask whom they called. If I don't want to talk to them, I may tell them Mr so-and-so unfortunately died in a terrible golfing accident ("The children, what about the children!"), or I ask them to please donate to the WWF, or I ask them if they know a good creme brulee recipe.

 

[Amkeer]

Just tell them you are busy taking care of yourself. They will normally hang up...most of the time.

I don't get telemarket calls anymore since I cut the landline 3 years ago.

 

[TheTanSedan]

The don't call list is great. As is the realization that a blocked caller i.d. is often one of these shills. Or, as above, the delay in connecting to the shill once I pick up.

It's fun to catch them in rudeness, when they don't identify themselves prior to asking for a certain party. In demanding they do so, it's easy to get in the "don't call me back, take me off the list" speech.

 

[chenobylite]

Tell them to put you on their no call list.

I used to tell 'em I was interested in what they had to say but didn't have time to speak at the moment. I asked for their home number and said I'd call them later. When they said they couldn't do that I said "yeah, you probably don't want strangers calling you at home". Fwiw, the calls stopped after I signed up on the national no call list.

With junk mail I collect the offers that have postage paid envelopes then mix it all up and send them back each other's stuff. Keeps some flunky employed opening it and drives up the sender's mail costs. Besides, gotta keep the USPS flush to slow down the rate hikes for the rest of us. My postal carrier laughs every time I hand him a big stack of those things.

 

[Propflux01]

If they call you, telling them not to, or telling tehm to take you off thier list is pretty much moot, after all, If they have your number, 1000's of others already have it too, and chances are you will not remember which ones are doing the return calling. Normally, with caller ID if I do not recognise the number, I simply do not pick it up, however, like 'Bryanccfshr', I will set teh handset down by the TV, and casually walk away. When I hear that loud tone indicating a dead line, I hang it back up. Funny thing is, the longest I have had someone stay on the line 'waiting' for me was 90 minutes...they listened to 3 sitcoms before they hung up!!

 

[labman]

I am not sure I have had a real telemarketing call since going with Vonage VOIP over 2 years ago. I am not listed in the book, and I think there are very few residential voice lines in the exchange I am in. In addition, I am on both my state and the national no call list. Wasn't getting that many before I switched. Do remember once when ask if I was a home owner replying ''What's it to you?''. With the publc enthusasm for no call, can't believe anybody is enough of a dolt to use it for political fund raising.

I have threatened to give $5 to all the ones I don't like at the beginning of the campain, figuring they will waste way more than that trying to get more.

Just wish they would find as an effective solution to spam and viruses. Viruses don't phase my Linux box and Mac, but waste time like spam.

 

[PandaBear]

Tell me about it, one time we have a meeting and the phone in the conference room ring, I answer and it turns out to be a newspaper sales. I told him he is talking to 50 other people in the room and ask him how he got the number to our conference room, and he quickly appologize and hang up.

Maybe you guys can try this method.

 

[moribundman]

There really is no method needed. If I don't like who's calling, and if I'm not in the mood for messing with their heads for once, I just drop the receiver, hang up, whatever. There's not need to talk or to make up excuses or to reason. Nobody can force you to even acknowledge a pest. Hang up or whistle loudly into the receiver. Caller beware!

 

[Shannow]

I did once ask the telecom guy if he was in India (he reluctantly told me that he was).

I then enquired that if I was a customer, how much it would cost me to call India.

Something per minute, which was about a hunnert an hour.

I then suggested that it was a false economy, sending $20/hr jobs overseas, when it cost five times that much to ring Oz, and idiots like me, who had no intention of changing could keep them on the phone for 10 minutes more than NO...otherwise, their mark-ups were ridiculous.

Made no difference at all, but made me feel a little better that one time

 

[kingrob]

The do-not-call list is a joke. I'm registered with my state and on the national, and I swear my TM calls have doubled since then. When you tell them you are on the list you get a "Oh, gosh, sorry-" then a click. Chances are they call you back later in the week.