How do you treat cold calling phone solicitors?

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by Black Diamond Bay

I got that a lot too, and again people thought they were really funny, but what they failed to realize is those are the folks that got scheduled for the 8am Saturday morning callback.

And they would get the 18 month old then as well. I have more stamina about not being bothered than solicitors have for call backs.

[Black Diamond Bay]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

And they would get the 18 month old then as well. I have more stamina about not being bothered than solicitors have for call backs.

I doubt it. You probably get called all 8 times (or whatever it is that the law allows) until you cycle off of the list. If you would be decent and just tell the people "I'm sorry, I'm not really interested. Could you please take me off of your list." I ALWAYS told them no problem and took them right off. People that play games on the phone with telemarketers just multiply the number of times they're called. They all think they're really clever and they've got it all figured out.

Furthermore, some of the people I worked with...well let's just say I wouldn't want them talking to my 18 month old.

[Lost Student]

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

I have to ask. What is the Seinfeld question?

[TheSizzle36]

When I was 16-18, I would mess with Telemarketers on the phone all the time. If I were bored, I'd keep them on the phone for longer. I remember one guy in particular I kept on the phone for at least an hour and a half. Finally I got bored and wanted to end the call, so I asked him if he was gay. He got upset and hung up.

Sometimes we'd also mess with people on 1-800 numbers. We got bored.

Good times.

[cougjunkie]

Originally Posted by TheSizzle36

When I was 16-18, I would mess with Telemarketers on the phone all the time. If I were bored, I'd keep them on the phone for longer. I remember one guy in particular I kept on the phone for at least an hour and a half. Finally I got bored and wanted to end the call, so I asked him if he was gay. He got upset and hung up.

Sometimes we'd also mess with people on 1-800 numbers. We got bored.

Good times.

I always call other mortgage companies to shop rates and i always make up fake names and get people really excited, tell them how much money i make, how perfect my credit is, etc etc, i set it up to be the best cookie cutter loan ever, and then i tell them i have to go, give them a fake number and hang up. Glad no one has done that to me, it would piss me off

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by Black Diamond Bay

I doubt it. You probably get called all 8 times (or whatever it is that the law allows) until you cycle off of the list. If you would be decent and just tell the people "I'm sorry, I'm not really interested. Could you please take me off of your list." I ALWAYS told them no problem and took them right off. People that play games on the phone with telemarketers just multiply the number of times they're called. They all think they're really clever and they've got it all figured out.

Furthermore, some of the people I worked with...well let's just say I wouldn't want them talking to my 18 month old.

You really have no idea how much stamina I have for that. I don't think I'm clever at all, I just think common sense would tell the telemarketer that if they called my number the first time and got a small child, they'd know better than to call back.

I forgot to mention that the 18 month old wouldn't listen and only babble on and on and on. I still win.

[Black Diamond Bay]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

You really have no idea how much stamina I have for that. I don't think I'm clever at all, I just think common sense would tell the telemarketer that if they called my number the first time and got a small child, they'd know better than to call back.

I forgot to mention that the 18 month old wouldn't listen and only babble on and on and on. I still win.

The same person doesn't call you back over and over again. They just shoot you back into the system to randomly get sent back to whoever is working the next time your callback comes up. Not to mention some of my coworkers loved calls like that because it meant that they could sit back and do nothing for the next hour or so and their stats would still show that they were on a call, not just loafing around at their desk. Trust me, you're better off to just be decent to other people.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by Black Diamond Bay

The same person doesn't call you back over and over again. They just shoot you back into the system to randomly get sent back to whoever is working the next time your callback comes up. Not to mention some of my coworkers loved calls like that because it meant that they could sit back and do nothing for the next hour or so and their stats would still show that they were on a call, not just loafing around at their desk. Trust me, you're better off to just be decent to other people.

I've tried all techniques.

Hang up immediately.

Hang up with stupid comments.

Hang up with jerk comments.

And hang up trying to be nice. Using the last technique, many are so persistent that I find those callers rude.

"Hello, this is Fred and we wish to sell you the newest tampon."

"I'm a man."

"Well if your girlfriend needs one wouldn't you just love to have a year's supply?"

"No. My child just got hit by a car I need to go."

"Well we can give you a year's supply with a twenty percent discount."

"I'm hanging up now."

"But sir I must eat ..."

Click.

Telephone solicitors suck.

[SteelBlue]

Before the "do not call list" I had started telling them that Mr. Steelblue was in prison currently but that they could try back in 25 to life. I always ended with the line, "I'm not sure what he did exactly but I heard it involved a goat and a circus midget." It sometimes got a laugh, but usually just a hang-up. Either way it was pretty effective.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by Black Diamond Bay

The same person doesn't call you back over and over again. They just shoot you back into the system to randomly get sent back to whoever is working the next time your callback comes up. Not to mention some of my coworkers loved calls like that because it meant that they could sit back and do nothing for the next hour or so and their stats would still show that they were on a call, not just loafing around at their desk. Trust me, you're better off to just be decent to other people.

Not sure how letting a toddler talk on the phone isn't being decent. And if telemarketers are wasting their employer's time by staying on the phone with a baby, they're the one who isn't being a good person.

I realize that telemarketers are just trying to do a job, but they called me.