So a telemarketer called me last night at 9:30 PM

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Originally posted by Screaming Flower:
*pounds the telemarketer for joyfulgirl

i HATE telemarketer calls!!

Especially when you ready to sit down to eat supper.
mad.gif
 
LMFAO!

Usually what I do when a telemarketer calls is this:

Telemarketer: "Hi, can I speak to Ms ----"

Me: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Whoop! Whoop! Whooop! RAWRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrr!"

Telemarketer: *silence*

Me: "Do you know what time it is?"

Telemarketer: "Well, uh, ma'am, uh,..."

Me: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
*slams down phone*

I always do this - and they NEVER call back.
 
As soon as I hear them say...

"Hi.. may I speak to ChKriSteen ( butchering my name.. ) V... v.. v... ee "

CLICK.
 
Originally posted by HelloAngel:
LMFAO!

Usually what I do when a telemarketer calls is this:

Telemarketer: "Hi, can I speak to Ms ----"

Me: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Whoop! Whoop! Whooop! RAWRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrr!"

Telemarketer: *silence*

Me: "Do you know what time it is?"

Telemarketer: "Well, uh, ma'am, uh,..."

Me: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
*slams down phone*

I always do this - and they NEVER call back.

OMC i am so going to do this next time! it sounds very cathartic.
 
9:00 pm is illegal. Anything after 8:30 I believe. Sue them!

------------------
Proud owner, maker and baker of THE U2 cookies.
 
Originally posted by Screaming Flower:
OMC i am so going to do this next time! it sounds very cathartic.



Seriously, do it!

It's awesome to just scream into the phone.
They will think you're insane and might even hang up before you do!

You'll NEVER hear from them again!!!!
biggrin.gif
 
No one has 9:30 pm telephone privileges with me unless I'm sleeping with them or unless it's an emergency.

Me: Are you aware that it's 9:30 pm?
Teleguy: Yes, I'm sorry, ma'am. I'll call back another time.
Me: No, please remove me from your list. Thank you. (hangs up)

I was really pissed and curt and then I freaked out because it was a local organization and I thought for all I know he could be whacko, I could have been the last straw of his day of people hanging up on him, and he could hunt me down. I guess that's kind of paranoid, though.
 
When I'm crabby, I do one of two things:

~Blast techno music into the phone

~Say that the person they called for is dead

------------------
"Hallelujah, Heaven's white rose,
The doors you open...I just can't close..."
 
Originally posted by Lilly:
9:00 pm is illegal. Anything after 8:30 I believe. Sue them!


It is?! I just thought it was unconscionably rude. I wouldn't sue, but I am going to look into it and write a letter to the organization since it's local and it might make a difference.
 
Oh yeah...I liked doing this one too...

Telemarketer: Are you the lady of the house?

Me: No, I'm the man of the house. Is my voice feminine????

Hehe...it catches them offguard...


------------------
"Hallelujah, Heaven's white rose,
The doors you open...I just can't close..."


[This message has been edited by Bonochick (edited 03-07-2002).]
 
I never get to upset with the telemarketer. These people are just trying to do a job and it's not their fault. I usually say no thank you to whatever they are trying to peddle and ask them to please remove me from the company's list.

------------------
Me3
 
HOW TO DEAL WITH TELEMARKETERS

1. If they want to loan you money, tell them you just filed for bankruptcy and you could sure use some money.

2. If they start out with, "How are you today?" say, "Why do you want to know?" Alternately, you can tell them, "I'm so glad you asked, because no one these days seems to care, and I have all these problems; my arthritis is acting up, my eyelashes are sore, my car won't start..." When they try to get to the sell, just keep talking about your problems.

3. If they say they're John Doe from XYZ Company, ask them to spell their name. Then ask them to spell the company name. Then ask them where it is located. Continue asking them personal questions or questions about their company for as long as necessary.

4. This works great if you are male: Telemarketer: "Hi, my name is Judy and I'm with XYZ Company..." You: (Wait for a second) With a real husky voice ask, "What are you wearing?"

5. Cry out in surprise, "Judy! Is that you? Oh my God! Judy, how have you been?" Hopefully, this will give Judy a few brief moments of terror as she tries to figure out where she could know you from.

6. Say "No", over and over. Be sure to vary the sound of each one, and keep a rhythmic tempo, even as they are trying to speak. This is most fun if you can do it until they hang up.

7. If MCI calls trying to get you to sign up for the Family and Friends Plan, reply, in as SINISTER a voice as you can, "I don't have any friends...would YOU be my friend?"

8. If the company cleans rugs, respond: "Can you get blood out? Can you get out GOAT blood? How about HUMAN blood?

9. Ask him/her to marry you. When they get all flustered, tell them that you could not just give your credit card number to a complete stranger.

10. Tell the telemarketer that you work for the same company, they often can't sell to their fellow employees.

11. Answer the phone. As soon as you realize it is a telemarketer, set the receiver down, shout or scream "Oh my God!!!" and then hang-up.

12. Tell the telemarketer you are busy at the moment and ask them if they will give you their HOME phone number, you will call them back. When the telemarketer explains that they cannot give out their HOME number, you say "I guess you don't want anyone bothering you at home, right?" The telemarketer will agree and you say, "Now you know how I feel!" Hang up.

13. Ask them to repeat everything they say, several times.

14. Tell them it is dinner time, BUT ask if they would please hold. Put them on your speaker phone while you continue to eat at your leisure. Smack your food loudly and continue with your dinner conversation.

15. Tell the telemarketer you are on "home incarceration" and ask if they could bring you some beer.

16. Tell the telemarketer, "Okay, I will listen to you. But I should probably tell you, I'm not wearing any clothes."

17. Insist that the caller is really your buddy Leon, playing a joke. "Come on Leon, cut it out! Seriously, Leon, how's your momma?"

18. Tell them you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak up... louder... louder... louder...

19. Tell them to talk VERY SLOWLY, because you want to write DOWN EVERY WORD.

-----------------------

"My biggest regret in life is that I didn't hit John Denver in the mouth while I had the chance."
--Denis Leary.
 
Originally posted by U2ME3:
I never get to upset with the telemarketer. These people are just trying to do a job and it's not their fault.

I do understand that...that's why I try to be polite, but if they catch me in a bad mood or when I'm waiting for an important phone call from somebody else...I have no sympathy...then my inner bitch comes out. *lol*
biggrin.gif



------------------
"Hallelujah, Heaven's white rose,
The doors you open...I just can't close..."
 
Originally posted by U2ME3:
I never get to upset with the telemarketer. These people are just trying to do a job and it's not their fault. I usually say no thank you to whatever they are trying to peddle and ask them to please remove me from the company's list.


This is how I handle it during reasonable hours, too. But if they call me at 9:30 pm, the sky's the limit as to how I might respond. I thought I was too nice, actually.
 
I also like the Seinfeld approach: "I'm sorry I can't talk to you right now, but if you give me your home number I can call you back Sunday morning around 7:00 a.m....would that be convenient for you?" (Ok, I embellished
biggrin.gif
)

[This message has been edited by joyfulgirl (edited 03-07-2002).]
 
ahhh the joy of telemarketers. I had one call me while I was at work on my CELL PHONE the other day. "Hello, is this Miss [insert completely mispronounced and mangled last name]??" Well since they can't pronounce my French last name to save their lives, I always say "No, there is no one here by that name" (cuz whatever way they pronounced it, it doesn't sound anything like my name) and let them apologize and then hang up. It works for me and I don't even have to lie.
biggrin.gif


-sula
 
Originally posted by Sicy:
As soon as I hear them say...

"Hi.. may I speak to ChKriSteen ( butchering my name.. ) V... v.. v... ee "

CLICK.

I do the same thing. You can always tell it's a sales call because there's always that brief pause before they start their spiel and that's when I just hang up. I've found that it's just the easiest and least frustrating way to deal with them.

Plus, I gotta thank the Governer of NYS, George Pataki, for putting into law the "Do Not Call" registry. You put your name on this list and telemarketers are legally prohibited from calling you.

------------------
What are we going to do now It's all been said,
No new ideas in the house and Every book has been read....

[This message has been edited by u2loopy (edited 03-07-2002).]
 
Originally posted by S|aney:
HOW TO DEAL WITH TELEMARKETERS

1. If they want to loan you money, tell them you just filed for bankruptcy and you could sure use some money.

2. If they start out with, "How are you today?" say, "Why do you want to know?" Alternately, you can tell them, "I'm so glad you asked, because no one these days seems to care, and I have all these problems; my arthritis is acting up, my eyelashes are sore, my car won't start..." When they try to get to the sell, just keep talking about your problems.

3. If they say they're John Doe from XYZ Company, ask them to spell their name. Then ask them to spell the company name. Then ask them where it is located. Continue asking them personal questions or questions about their company for as long as necessary.

4. This works great if you are male: Telemarketer: "Hi, my name is Judy and I'm with XYZ Company..." You: (Wait for a second) With a real husky voice ask, "What are you wearing?"

5. Cry out in surprise, "Judy! Is that you? Oh my God! Judy, how have you been?" Hopefully, this will give Judy a few brief moments of terror as she tries to figure out where she could know you from.

6. Say "No", over and over. Be sure to vary the sound of each one, and keep a rhythmic tempo, even as they are trying to speak. This is most fun if you can do it until they hang up.

7. If MCI calls trying to get you to sign up for the Family and Friends Plan, reply, in as SINISTER a voice as you can, "I don't have any friends...would YOU be my friend?"

8. If the company cleans rugs, respond: "Can you get blood out? Can you get out GOAT blood? How about HUMAN blood?

9. Ask him/her to marry you. When they get all flustered, tell them that you could not just give your credit card number to a complete stranger.

10. Tell the telemarketer that you work for the same company, they often can't sell to their fellow employees.

11. Answer the phone. As soon as you realize it is a telemarketer, set the receiver down, shout or scream "Oh my God!!!" and then hang-up.

12. Tell the telemarketer you are busy at the moment and ask them if they will give you their HOME phone number, you will call them back. When the telemarketer explains that they cannot give out their HOME number, you say "I guess you don't want anyone bothering you at home, right?" The telemarketer will agree and you say, "Now you know how I feel!" Hang up.

13. Ask them to repeat everything they say, several times.

14. Tell them it is dinner time, BUT ask if they would please hold. Put them on your speaker phone while you continue to eat at your leisure. Smack your food loudly and continue with your dinner conversation.

15. Tell the telemarketer you are on "home incarceration" and ask if they could bring you some beer.

16. Tell the telemarketer, "Okay, I will listen to you. But I should probably tell you, I'm not wearing any clothes."

17. Insist that the caller is really your buddy Leon, playing a joke. "Come on Leon, cut it out! Seriously, Leon, how's your momma?"

18. Tell them you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak up... louder... louder... louder...

19. Tell them to talk VERY SLOWLY, because you want to write DOWN EVERY WORD.

OH MY GOD!! AWSOME IDEAS!!! I swear next time a pesky telemaketer calls I'm gonna try #8 w/the asking if they can get blood out! *rotflmfao* I hate when carpet cleaners call and u don't have carpets but they still try making some kind of offer with u!
 
Originally posted by sulawesigirl4:
Well since they can't pronounce my French last name to save their lives, I always say "No, there is no one here by that name" (cuz whatever way they pronounced it, it doesn't sound anything like my name) and let them apologize and then hang up. It works for me and I don't even have to lie.
biggrin.gif

-sula

That is definitely an advantage of having a hard to pronounce last name! Telemarketers NEVER pronounce my last name correctly (even though if you sound it out it's not hard), so I know right away that they're telemarketers and I'm not lying when I say no one by that name lives here.

On a related note, being a telemarketer has to be one of the worst jobs ever- everyone hates them! I do feel sorry for them, but I wish telemarketing would be made illegal.
 
Originally posted by S|aney:
HOW TO DEAL WITH TELEMARKETERS

13. Ask them to repeat everything they say, several times.

15. Tell the telemarketer you are on "home incarceration" and ask if they could bring you some beer.

18. Tell them you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak up... louder... louder... louder...

19. Tell them to talk VERY SLOWLY, because you want to write DOWN EVERY WORD.


very funny. especially these.



------------------
Me3
 
Originally posted by HeartlandGirl:
I have a few comments to add:

The other day, a telemarketer called and my husband answered. The man asked to speak with someone whom we don't know and my husband said, there's no one here by that name.
TM: Well, can I talk to you?
Husband: No, you called for so and so, and there is no one here with that name.
TM: Sir, you don't have to be rude. I'm just trying to do my job. Now, the reason I'm calling...
Husband: Listen, if you don't even know my name, you don't need to talk to me.
TM: Why won't you let me finish what I'm trying to say. You keep rudely interrupting me.

After a few more exchanges, my husband hung up on him. Can you believe the telemarketer trying to make my husband feel guilty? We were so pissed off.

I also have the advantage of having a different last name than my husband. (I kept my maiden name.) So when people ask for Mr. G----, I say, he's not here. "Well, is this Mrs. G------?" "No, it's not. You need to remove this number from your calling list. Do not call it again." *click*


And finally, yes, they're just doing their job. But I find it more admirable to work just about anywhere else than the telemarketing industry.


That is just the kind of persistent telemarketer that makes me crazy. If they're polite, I'm polite when I firmly tell them to remove my name from the list. If they are aggressive in the way you describe, I tend to think they are like that in their life in general and they are not telemarketing because they are desperate for a job--I think they're doing it because they choose to be salespeople for a living.

I had a job once where I was hired for one position, but during slow periods they wanted to me to make sales calls which wasn't what I was hired for at all. It was horrifying. It wasn't telemarketing--I called businesses during business hours, not people at home--but I hated it so much it gave me a stomach ache and I would go over to my friend's after work and lay on the couch and cry. Needless to say, I didn't last there long.
 
One nice thing about having a long hard-to-pronounce last name is that you can pick out telemarketers easily (although lately I've noticed that a lot of them only ask for the first name). As soon as they say "Could I speak with Mr. ...(long pause)" and then butcher the last name, I tell them that no one by that name lives here.
smile.gif
 
ok...i confess...I was a telemarketer (gasp!)i only lasted three weeks because i hated it so much, the thought of calling people during dinner and sleep time made me feel sick. worst job ever!!

------------------
lilsparky: did you like the pics i took of my favorite band?
viktor: actually had a dream about larry mullen last night...not a gay dream but a weird dream.....
lilsparky: really?
lilsparky: what was it about?
viktor: yeah...we were going to a party and all my high school friends walked along him and then Bono rushed out and said something weird and that guy from the pouges...shane mac Gowan came and we all showered in sugar
viktor: weird
 
The worst telemarketers imo are the kind that ring your mobile phone from somewhere in Thailand or the Phillipines to tell you about some great new investment opportunity on the stock market (I couldn't rustle up five hundred, let alone five thousand dollars in an emergency, but that never made any difference to these fools).

I got a cute one shortly after Sept. 11:

'Do you believe me when I say that the price of oil will soon go through the roof?'

I'm like, 'whatever yeah, mmm hmm...'

Silent treatment is the best. Just let them talk and talk and talk, and then when they ask you a question finally, just say no.

Or, 'sorry, i'm not an investor, never have been, never will be, but if it makes you feel better to send me your prospectus, then go right ahead.'

------------------
You know some songs sound like ones by Frank Sinatra
But there's no place like... NOO YAWK
 
I used to be a telemarketer, for about a month.

The job SUCKS because you are forced to constantly piss people off in order to see a paycheck at the end of the week. One thing is for sure though, I have been trained to be very polite to telemarketers that are made to call me up.

Anyway, any time after 10:00 pm is illegal. We would call people up until 10--I would often times call California--and trust me, by the time 10:00 approached... I received PLENTY of shit!!!!

I don't blame them for any of this, though. I would have hung up on myself too if I could
biggrin.gif
 
Originally posted by joyfulgirl:
It is?! I just thought it was unconscionably rude. I wouldn't sue, but I am going to look into it and write a letter to the organization since it's local and it might make a difference.

Yea, that's good. Don't be too mean to telemarketers though, they are just doing their job. A letter is a good thing. Telling them the person is dead is a bad thing.

------------------
Proud owner, maker and baker of THE U2 cookies.
 
I have a few comments to add:

The other day, a telemarketer called and my husband answered. The man asked to speak with someone whom we don't know and my husband said, there's no one here by that name.
TM: Well, can I talk to you?
Husband: No, you called for so and so, and there is no one here with that name.
TM: Sir, you don't have to be rude. I'm just trying to do my job. Now, the reason I'm calling...
Husband: Listen, if you don't even know my name, you don't need to talk to me.
TM: Why won't you let me finish what I'm trying to say. You keep rudely interrupting me.

After a few more exchanges, my husband hung up on him. Can you believe the telemarketer trying to make my husband feel guilty? We were so pissed off.

I also have the advantage of having a different last name than my husband. (I kept my maiden name.) So when people ask for Mr. G----, I say, he's not here. "Well, is this Mrs. G------?" "No, it's not. You need to remove this number from your calling list. Do not call it again." *click*


And finally, yes, they're just doing their job. But I find it more admirable to work just about anywhere else than the telemarketing industry.

------------------
U2 @ The Blooming Heart
 
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