How to Foil a Telemarketer

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  • BigDaddyRonnie
    BigDaddyRonnie Posts: 506 Member
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    I just register my phone number(s) in the Do Not Call registry. Problem solved...I don't get telemarketer calls.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    What does enjoyment have to do with anything? I don't "enjoy" my job, but I always have the option to quit.

    It's not so simplistic for everyone though.
  • Go_Mizzou99
    Go_Mizzou99 Posts: 2,628 Member
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    Sometimes, when I get repeat annoying calls, I play along and act like I want the whole thing, even financing. When they get close to "climaxing," I say something like, "Heeeey, I am going through Chapter 7 bankruptcy...will that be a problem?" They never call back.
  • jkowula
    jkowula Posts: 447
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    What does enjoyment have to do with anything? I don't "enjoy" my job, but I always have the option to quit.

    It's not so simplistic for everyone though.

    It most certainly is.. I bet 100% of telemarketers quit and go look for a better way of life. I may be wrong, but I can't really find stats on 25 year veteran telemarketer guy.
    Also like I said in an above post.. I can't believe there is this much sympathy for these folks. The homeless squeegee guy is just trying to make a living as well. It is not so simple for him, but I bet most don't blink an eye about treating him like crap!
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    What does enjoyment have to do with anything? I don't "enjoy" my job, but I always have the option to quit.

    It's not so simplistic for everyone though.

    It most certainly is.. I bet 100% of telemarketers quit and go look for a better way of life. I may be wrong, but I can't really find stats on 25 year veteran telemarketer guy.
    Also like I said in an above post.. I can't believe there is this much sympathy for these folks. The homeless squeegee guy is just trying to make a living as well. It is not so simple for him, but I bet most don't blink an eye about treating him like crap!

    Tbh, I don't feel like investing much more into this conversation... It's a pointless argument. You're probably right about them quitting and moving on to a better way of life in the long run. It's still their job for the given time though, and they don't want to be giving you a call any more than you want to be receiving it. For all you know it could be a single mother who is picking up that shift as a source of supplemental income on top of her two other jobs. That's all I'm saying...

    I don't think anyone is comparing them to being homeless, so that's just a stupid point all together.
  • jkowula
    jkowula Posts: 447
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    We agree to disagree, that's fine, but for all you know it could be a 15 year old kid who thought it would be cool to make some extra money and was too dumb to realize ..
    1. How it bothered people.
    2. Doing the dirty work for a shady company.
    3. That the job actually sucks and would never do it again.

    Yes I am talking about myself when I lasted one 3 hour shift.

    PS. Could be a single mother, but so could have that person you flipped the finger to when she cut you off driving, so could the person at the restaurant who messed up your order. So could the person who accidentally scratched your new car. Point being, it is easy to be holier then thou on a forum. I just call BS to all that say I am nice to telemarketers they deserve it.. blah blah blah.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    We agree to disagree, that's fine, but for all you know it could be a 15 year old kid who thought it would be cool to make some extra money and was too dumb to realize ..
    1. How it bothered people.
    2. Doing the dirty work for a shady company.
    3. That the job actually sucks and would never do it again.

    Yes I am talking about myself when I lasted one 3 hour shift.

    You're right it could. Still wouldn't change the fact that I wouldn't be a dbag to him. I'd respond the exact same way - "I know you're just doing your job but sorry I'm not interested." Why go the extra mile just to be a ****?
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
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    I usually ask them what they are wearing.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    We agree to disagree, that's fine, but for all you know it could be a 15 year old kid who thought it would be cool to make some extra money and was too dumb to realize ..
    1. How it bothered people.
    2. Doing the dirty work for a shady company.
    3. That the job actually sucks and would never do it again.

    Yes I am talking about myself when I lasted one 3 hour shift.

    PS. Could be a single mother, but so could have that person you flipped the finger to when she cut you off driving, so could the person at the restaurant who messed up your order. So could the person who accidentally scratched your new car. Point being, it is easy to be holier then thou on a forum. I just call BS to all that say I am nice to telemarketers they deserve it.. blah blah blah.

    A person sucking at driving isn't the same as someone trying to earn a living, nor is scratching my car. In all those situations I wouldn't immediately react and be a jerk though. Perhaps I just have better control of my emotions than most.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
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    I just hang up.
  • jkowula
    jkowula Posts: 447
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    We agree to disagree, that's fine, but for all you know it could be a 15 year old kid who thought it would be cool to make some extra money and was too dumb to realize ..
    1. How it bothered people.
    2. Doing the dirty work for a shady company.
    3. That the job actually sucks and would never do it again.

    Yes I am talking about myself when I lasted one 3 hour shift.

    PS. Could be a single mother, but so could have that person you flipped the finger to when she cut you off driving, so could the person at the restaurant who messed up your order. So could the person who accidentally scratched your new car. Point being, it is easy to be holier then thou on a forum. I just call BS to all that say I am nice to telemarketers they deserve it.. blah blah blah.

    A person sucking at driving isn't the same as someone trying to earn a living, nor is scratching my car. In all those situations I wouldn't immediately react and be a jerk though. Perhaps I just have better control of my emotions than most.

    Point taken...
  • Longbowgilly
    Longbowgilly Posts: 262 Member
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    I just ask them for their full name and the name of the company, get it spelt right then tell them I am on the Do Not Call registry, they usually can't end the call fast enough!
  • BraveNewdGirl
    BraveNewdGirl Posts: 937 Member
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    I don't really feel the need to mess with anyone just trying to do their job. I do request that I'm taken off their call list. Sometimes, it actually works! I've received calls from a company for weeks, only to make this request when I finally do pick up and the calls actually ceased. I've definitely had some pretty funny conversations trying to say "No thank you!", though.

    Telemarketer: Hi, I'm calling from the Toronto Sun-
    Me: Oh! Let me interrupt you there, I don't read newspapers, so I'm sure I'm not interested.
    Telemarketer: (Sounding indignant.) Well, just how do you get your news?
    Me: The internet, like everyone else born after 1980?
    Telemarketer: (Hangs up in my ear.)
    Me: Oh, okay!
  • mxmkenney
    mxmkenney Posts: 486 Member
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    I tell them I am the baby-sitter. :ohwell:
  • KeithAngilly
    KeithAngilly Posts: 575 Member
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    I tend to not screw with people just trying to make a living. They probably hate calling you as much as you hate them calling you.

    I agree...and with caller ID, I screen my calls anyway. Picking on a lowly telemarketer is pretty low grade stuff, imho.
  • GothyFaery
    GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
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    After the same people called me every single day for a week (even though I asked them to stop calling) I handed the phone to my husband hoping he would be meaner than I was and get them to stop calling. He answered the phone "Ridgecrest Police Department, non-emergency line, how can I help you?" And then after about 5 minutes of explaining why the number they called was no longer a personal number (because the PD buys old numbers and reuses them) and then scolding them for calling the Police Department unnecessarily, he hung up the phone and the never called again!

    ETA:
    I own a timeshare so I get a lot of calls, genuine and scams, asking me to buy, sell, rent, or sue my timeshare. I only like to mess with companies that refuse to take the hint after I either don't answer their repeated calls, report them to the Do Not Call registry, or tell them numerous times to stop calling me. Once you start calling me on a daily basis and I have asked you for the last week to stop calling, it's game on.
  • Loss4TheWin
    Loss4TheWin Posts: 249
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    I foil them by treating them really nicely, as if they were human beings. They are so used to being treated like crap that they expect it - hearing a friendly voice at the other end really throws them off their game.
  • royaldrea
    royaldrea Posts: 259 Member
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    We agree to disagree, that's fine, but for all you know it could be a 15 year old kid who thought it would be cool to make some extra money and was too dumb to realize ..
    1. How it bothered people.
    2. Doing the dirty work for a shady company.
    3. That the job actually sucks and would never do it again.

    Yes I am talking about myself when I lasted one 3 hour shift.

    PS. Could be a single mother, but so could have that person you flipped the finger to when she cut you off driving, so could the person at the restaurant who messed up your order. So could the person who accidentally scratched your new car. Point being, it is easy to be holier then thou on a forum. I just call BS to all that say I am nice to telemarketers they deserve it.. blah blah blah.

    Hey, I don't understand your point. Are you saying that because people are generally rude to homeless persons or fast food restaurant workers, you are justified in being rude to telemarketers?

    If you are, then surely a better argument would be to push for being civil to everyone, rather than rude to everyone?
  • wonderbolt_in_training
    wonderbolt_in_training Posts: 24 Member
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    I worked as a telemarketer through college. We're not all weird low-lifes who don't realize what we're doing is annoying. A lot of my coworkers were mothers who needed the flexible hours, or disabled folk who needed to telecommute. I was working myself through college and the schedule was just right.

    By the way, the Do Not Call registry really doesn't protect you in any tangible way because every time you sign up for an e-mail newsletter or buy something online and subscribe to updates, or enter to win a free car at a fair, etc -- ANY TIME you give out your personal information, it removes you from the list and you have to start all over again. Remember folks!

    Some of the responses we got were absolutely hysterical. I once called a pizza joint to talk to the owner about employee benefits and the guy broke down in fake tears about how the owner left for the moon the previous day and was never coming back. All I could say was "touche."
  • bloominheck
    bloominheck Posts: 869 Member
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    I tend to just say " no thanks, bye " - seems to work. I doubt they enjoy their job, but everyone has bills to pay.

    ^ This

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