Cold Callers, how do you deal with them?

Haha I'll give the gibberish a go. I'll probably hang up laughing

I just did the last call return, and the numbers are with held. I did have anonymous call reject on the line for a while, but it added extra to our bill, and we're only a small family on a small income.

All I can say is, thank God I get a new number when we finally move. Not going to give that number to anyone. Absolute pain in the rear end!

I just tell them they've called at a bad time and hang up. Recently though, the political callers are really pi$$ing me off. We got a call last night at a few minutes before 9:00 p.m. I get up around 4:30 each morning for work so I'm in bed by 8:00 or so at the latest. I had just started dozing off. Oh and the "No Call List" will not block political campaigning calls.

Originally posted by maybee
I just tell them they've called at a bad time and hang up. Recently though, the political callers are really pi$$ing me off. We got a call last night at a few minutes before 9:00 p.m. I get up around 4:30 each morning for work so I'm in bed by 8:00 or so at the latest. I had just started dozing off. Oh and the "No Call List" will not block political campaigning calls.

In the UK, I have never received a political call. There is also a law over here which states cold calling can only be conducted between 9am and 8pm. If someone rang me after that, I'd go a bit nutty. As a parent, most of the time I get without my son is in the evening, and I'm not wasting that time talking on the phone to some random person in another country lol

reply to post by Lulzaroonie


"I am sorry he is dead" or "He has unfortunately died".... or maybe ...
"I am in the middle of sex. Can I get back to you?"....And then I hang up.

Sometimes I hit speaker and see if they talk first...it is usually a robo call and a human being does not come on until it hears a live human at the other end....When I hear the live person start to arrange themselves - I hang up then. It is effective to hit speaker and then turn speaker off without picking up the receiver and then you need not speak to anyone. Sometimes I hit *69 to see if I missed anything important and it never is.

Soon I'll be getting an air horn. Moms deaf so it won't bother her. lol

I find it useful to refocus and vent frustrations I have with work and family out on the robo callers.

I have found that most of these type of calls you somehow manage to "subscribe" to without full knowledge of doing so.
I was getting these calls for quite some time because of some opt-in feature from my Discover card. I would tell these people calling...who weren't directly associated with Discover in any other way, to stop calling. It would usually last a month of so then they would start back up.
They would usually start with a question about how is your Discover card? Are there any problems with the account? Or sometime like that...then quickly move into trying to sell me credit protection no matter how I answered any previous question.

Once I was able to determine how they got my number, and who they bought my number from...I first called, then wrote to Discover. I finally threatened to pull my Discover card if I received any more calls at all. For any reason. That pretty much stopped them cold.

Then....they started back again with my wife's name and because of HER Discover card. I wasn't as nice the second time around.
As Al Capone once said..."you can get a lot more accomplished with a kind word and a gun, than you can with a kind word alone."

So now....as long as my wife remembers to pay the Satellite TV bill each month on time...I sometimes have to check our home phone every few weeks to make sure the phones still turned on!!!

I normally ask them to call back later when the home owner is in, as I'm just here robbing the place.

I never understood why people have such a problem with telemarketing
I understand if their rude or pushy or asking for personal info but if its just someone trying to make an honest living and potentially save you a few cents on long distance calls etc whats the harm?

Imagine if all these people cold calling were suddenly out of the job and receiving welfare? how much money would that cost the tax payer?

The vast majority of people who work in call centres are either students or people who are semi retired.

Give em a break, if your not interested dont waste their time, tell them politely no thanks say bye and hang up

Simple

reply to post by IkNOwSTuff


Oh, I guess you'd think it was alright then if you got three calls a day for a month, these guys are just doing their job, it's fine... Shall I forward them on to you then?

I've worked in call centres and telesales jobs, the methods they use for these types of calls are underhanded, and hanging up on them is the only polite way of saying no.

reply to post by Lulzaroonie


I doubt very much its the same person calling back 3 times, how would someone in a different call centre know that youve been called by someone else?
Getting irritated or rude just makes them feel bad and you feel frustrated, serves no purpose whatsoever and in some cases will actually get you more calls as the guys on the other end will give your number to their colleagues to call to wind you up for a laugh.

My first job when I was 16 and in highschool was a telemarketing job, 1 night this 1 guy got unbelievably rude to a colleague of mine, stuff like "F you you Fing phone monkey" "you know your the lowest of the low" etc etc
For the next month 8 of us took turns calling him to see who could get the best reaction out of him


Sometimes I get the impression people think telemarketers are all in 1 big room somewhere and they should all know every single cold call youve ever had made to you so they know your not interested.

If youve worked in a call center you know this isnt the case and you should be a tad more polite, its not the people on the phones fault.

If it really bothers you that much try this, when they call before they go into their pitch just say "look Im really sorry but this is the 3rd cold call Ive had tonight and Im busy with the kids. Could you please make sure Im taken off the list"
Take note of the time, the company and the person you spoke to and if they call back again you have grounds for compensation

Alternately you can be grumpy and whine about it on a conspiracy website

I like to troll them along until I get bored of it.

or I angerily hang up in the first 5 seconds.

You can just not pick up ring ring ring eh? Phones don't bother me none.

I put one of my kids on the phone and let them have some fun. I used to do it for their entertainment but they are adept at fake accents and they can drag a full, inane conversation out of the cold caller.

Always good for a laugh.

Of course, we don't get them very often because we've done the star whatever code to block most calls but, every so often, we have to remove the star thing so a doctor can return a call and then we forget to put the block back in place. The nuisance cold call is a reminder to put that block back in place.

Straight from the horses mouth, this is how you deal with cold callers, especially those from non-profit organizations:

1. Don't answer the phone if you don't want to talk. You might get called a few times, but hey just don't answer, it's no skin off my back (this is if you can actually see the number, if not, then---)

2. Listen to who the caller is asking for. 99% of the time, we ask for a specific person, and if that person doesn't live there, we mark it as wrong number. But NEVER hang up before you know who we are calling for, because if we don't get that out, you'll just get called again.

3. If you aren't interested at all in the phone call, then politely say (after hearing who we are calling for, of course) "Thank you, but we're not interested. Please put us on your Do Not Call list." This is important...if you say anything else, like "Take me off your list" or "Put me on your list" then we will play dumb and have no clue what you mean. You will then get called again. The law specifically recognizes "Do Not Call list" so it's vitally important to say that.

4. You will get called by non-profits if you are on the National Do Not Call list. Non-profits are exempt, so just follow # 3 and you won't get called again.

5. If you are a polite person and want to at least listen to what we have to say, then great. We don't always have to make a sale...sometimes a polite conversation is as far as I need to go. Polite people won't get pushed as hard as someone who is an a-hole the whole time. Again, if you just aren't interested in the product/service/survey, then just say you aren't interested. It's pretty simple.

6. And remember this point...telemarketers/survey takers/salespeople are humans too, with a job that they hate. The job sucks because it's the only thing around, and people act like a-holes to us all day long. A polite person makes my day, even if they don't buy from me.

Honestly, you never know who the person is that is calling you. They may be an extremely polite person, and you might just enjoy the conversation. If you don't wanna talk, fine, just follow the steps above, but please don't be a jerk to them. Telephone sales are a rough job as it is, we know you don't like it, and we really don't want to hassle you. Just be polite, and maybe the world will become a better place

The seinfeld response is awesome. I have on a couple of occasions every question they ask me I answer with total BS then ask the question right back to them. That is only when I am having a bad day. On most days a polite no thank you I am not interested please place me on your DNC list Also if they are trying to sell something I ask them if they own it. Usually the answer is no so my next question is if you dont even own it then why the hell are you wasteing my time trying to sell it to me? Do you think im stupid? oh well no sir we were just asking if you would.... So your tellin me that you think Im stupid enough to buy ur crap? usually At that point they dont kno what to say and hang up. as far as the JWs I had them come to my door one time. I opend it and said dont bother were all satanists here. And closed the door. They havent been back sense. I'm not a satanists but hey it worked

reply to post by Lulzaroonie

Here is something I do once in awhile, don't get these calls that much. Act as if the call is a free phone sex line, and treat the other person as if they were a phone sex operator. Men hang up faster than women do, something about being homophobic, but women will eventually hang up also. Remember, they made the cal, they instituted conversation, so do your worst, and after awhile word will get around about the nut at your phone number.

When does No not mean NO?

A month ago I listened to a answer machine message from my elderly unwell mother in tears.
She was sobbing and said "they just wouldn't take no for an answer" and that the cold caller had pushed her and pushed her.

After 20 minutes of trying to get my mother to subscribe to a direct debit so money would be taken directly from her bank the caller stepped up the pressure even with my mother in tears.

The cold caller then proceeded to tell my mother about deaf children that couldn't hear there own parents and didn't she care or want to help them..? "just think how sad they must be" etc etc.

This kind of behaviour to me is unacceptable.. how ever do these people sleep at night...

I contacted the National council for deaf children and explained what had happened and that I was livid that someone from their charity had reduced my mother tears with their horrible tactics and that it took me 3 hours to stop her crying.

The Person from this charity then explained that they farm out their calls to third party call centres and they would look into it.

Within 3 days of this call I had an apologetic call from the NCDC and was told that the colder calling in question had been sent for "re training".

Could it possible to have some kind of pre recorded message as your own phone answers the cold caller he/she is then played some kind of contract so after hearing the fact you don't want to buy a conservatory etc and they still try and sell you something there are liabal for something? maybe that you charge my the minute to receive calls and if you wish to be charged stay on the line?

Cold calling should be banned in my mind and that's my 2p worth.

I believe in Right to Work.

Telemarketers are working. They are not on welfare.

At home I have an answer machine and caller ID. I do not pick up the phone from anyone I do not know.

If your curiosity can not prevent you from picking up the phone - - - then who's really at fault?

Originally posted by Markive
When does No not mean NO?

A month ago I listened to a answer machine message from my elderly unwell mother in tears.
She was sobbing and said "they just wouldn't take no for an answer" and that the cold caller had pushed her and pushed her.

I am a firm believer in: "Buyer Beware"

Its easy to just hang up the phone. Elderly or not.

These people are working. They are employed. They are not on Welfare.

I have no sympathy for your Elderly mother.

Use an unlisted number.

Get caller ID.

Don't answer numbers or names you don't recognize.

Report those who constantly call you to the Feds for harassment.

And ALWAYS give out a false phone number to telemarketers and other scammers. Such as

543-666-5151