Telemarketers

[Boss 260 Ute]

Hi,
I was just wondering how you handle those annoying indian (and other nationalities) telemarketers?
I normally say hang on a sec i've got something on the stove, put the phone down and wait for them to hang up. How do you do it?

[RG]

"No thank-you, Good bye, I said GOODBYE!!!!!" They never listen and never quit. Feel sorry for them though, what a crap job.

[jabba]

Originally Posted by GreenEL

"No thank-you, Good bye, I said GOODBYE!!!!!" They never listen and never quit. Feel sorry for them though, what a crap job.

Believe it or not, but Telemarketing in India is a very high paying job for thier country.... It a bit like our mining sector, Crap job, but pays well...

[pauljh74]

At work, the phone system displays "Line 292" - I take it this happens when the number of the caller isn't available/hidden. So when I see this, I'm automatically apprehensive as 9 times out of 10 it is a telemarketer. I had this one caller this week who were offering something to do with investments - probably investing in call centres for all I know. So I got rid of one of them telling them I'm not interested, then 15 minutes later, another one called from the same company. He got my first name, asked me for my surname - I told him I didn't want to give him that information, then he repeated the question - they just wouldn't take the hint.

I have to be careful as quite often I'm not 100% sure they are telemarketers and don't want to get stuck into a customer (most of our customers are repeat business, there's very little "off the street" business) - so I remain polite. I'll just have to weed them out faster and ask if they want to buy anything in future.
Can't have them wasting my FF time/online flash game time

[pertuan]

Originally Posted by pauljh74

At work, the phone system displays "Line 292" - I take it this happens when the number of the caller isn't available/hidden. So when I see this, I'm automatically apprehensive as 9 times out of 10 it is a telemarketer. I had this one caller this week who were offering something to do with investments - probably investing in call centres for all I know. So I got rid of one of them telling them I'm not interested, then 15 minutes later, another one called from the same company. He got my first name, asked me for my surname - I told him I didn't want to give him that information, then he repeated the question - they just wouldn't take the hint.

I have to be careful as quite often I'm not 100% sure they are telemarketers and don't want to get stuck into a customer (most of our customers are repeat business, there's very little "off the street" business) - so I remain polite. I'll just have to weed them out faster and ask if they want to buy anything in future.
Can't have them wasting my FF time/online flash game time

You should turn the tables and go into a "Call Center" mode on them. Start to sell things from YOUR business. haha

[jim1606]

the thing thats ticks me of its that i am ex-directory so our number is nowhere to be found but they still manage someway or another to find it, but i was usually just said no thanx but now i have BT privacy which shows the number calling so that you know who it is and if you dont recognise it then dont pick up.

[pauljh74]

Originally Posted by pertuan

You should turn the tables and go into a "Call Center" mode on them. Start to sell things from YOUR business. haha

To rip a line from the company website
..........100% Australian owned distribution company specialising in the marketing, supply and support of passive and intelligent cabling systems.

So unless they're installers of cabling etc, they won't be interested. I suppose it will make them see it from my side - I'm not interested in what they have to offer either.

At home my number is unlisted - but last week I got a call - he didn't hear me and hung up. I was ready to blast him being at 10am on a Saturday - very bad idea to wake me up on my weekends

[pertuan]

This is what I normally say:

"G'day. Look, I'll save you some time. I am happy with my financial situation and I'm not looking to invest. Cheers, bye."

Usually they reply with "oh, ok.. have a nice day" or something to that effect.

Only ever had to hang up on a few.

[Kryton]

i hang up on them in the 8 seconds it takes for them to bother speaking when you answer the phone.

[Tornado]

Originally Posted by davway

i hang up on them in the 8 seconds it takes for them to bother speaking when you answer the phone.

That delay is a dead giveaway..
If no one speaks after I have said hello twice, I hang up.. But it only works with overseas telemarketers, which most of them are.

[chich]

We always say "yes yes we're interested in your product/service, please tell me more" put them on speaker then walk away. Usually takes about 10 minutes before they catch on.. :hihi:

[Outbackjack]

I hang straight up on them. What really p1sses me off is my number is supposed to be un-listed and it is. But the mongrels somehow got hold of it.

[Pinkbits]

Originally Posted by Outbackjack

I hang straight up on them. What really p1sses me off is my number is supposed to be un-listed and it is. But the mongrels somehow got hold of it.

So is ours, and we keep getting calls. My wife queried the last caller as to where they obtained the phone number and was told that when they call a number and they have finished the call, they then call their next number by changing the last digit. They had no answer when she asked "well what happens when you get to the last digit in that group of ten"

[GCFordChic]

Depends where I am and what I am doing at the time as to how polite I am.

If I am at work (Kmart Service Desk) with customers lined up, doing a refund/exchange or letting someone yell at me because 'there are not enough staff/they have been waiting for ages/i'm not working fast enough' then the phone rings and no-one else in the store picks it up and i have the pleasure of realising it is a telemarketer....then i just hang up without saying anything.

Ahhh...now i only have a mobile and no home landline, have not had a to talk to a telemarketer (except at work, where i dont talk to them anyway) for over a year...but this is what i would do at my parents.

If Im at home and Im in the middle of something, ill butt into their little spiel and say 'no thanks, bye' and hang up.

If I am at home and I have nothing better to do and/or should be doing uni work I think it is fun to let them do their little spiel about crap and then when they wait for me to answer i just start talking.
I will talk about how funny it is that when you buy Aero you are paying for air, you could buy twice as many grams of chocolate for the same price and gulp air or something, then i laugh a little at myself and keep talking about nothing, seemingly without even breathing, i go on and on i have even started reading magazines out loud to them. Once i had one person just hang up on me, most will try butt in, others are polite and wait for a little gap to talk again, but then whenever i get bored i will go, "oops is that the time, i really should let my little brother out the clothes dryer now..gotta go, bye!" then i laugh coz i wonder if they knew what the hell i meant and if they did, what the look on their face was like...lol

[AC/DC]

Our phone system has different rings for different callers. So if anyone NOT in the phone book rings, , the ringer is silent ! Great for people you either dont know, or dont want to know.... Mind you, , there is about 70 numbers in the phone book that either we call, or call us over the couse of a year or so...

It sounds a bit rude, , but if the number is local or they leave a message on the machine, we ring them back.

AC/DC

[Falcon Coupe]

Search is your friend.

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...=telemarketers
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...=telemarketers
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...=telemarketers
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...=telemarketers
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...=telemarketers
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...=telemarketers

[cuz]

I normally say hang on a sec i've got something on the stove, put the phone down and wait for them to hang up. How do you do it?[/QUOTE]

Thats what I do. Works well enough for me but doesn't deter them. I also put my 3 year old boy on the phone and i let him discuss phone savings with them!!! LOL

[XR8 Uterous]

I like going along with whatever they are trying to sell, then when they get to the final stages of the process and ask for credit card details i say oh my bad, looks like my credit card has expired...

Havn't had the same company call back after that...

[phase.3]

Just ask them if they would like chips with that?

[Boss 260 Ute]

Originally Posted by xygtfalcon

Just ask them if they would like chips with that?

Ha Ha Ha GR8 one....

[M14A-Mclaren]

A telemarketer hung up on me yesterday, I was just like sweet as no skin off my nose.

[schmidty]

Come on guys, get creative with them!! I love telemarketers, they can be so much fun. Talk to them about everything other than what they are getting paid to sell!!

I usually do the old "look i'm busy at the moment, but can i have your number and i'll call you back later."

They usually try and give you a call center number, or say that they are only able to dial out.

this is when you say "nah mate, i mean your home number."

To which usually attracts the reply of "i'm sorry sir, but we are not able to give out that kind of information."

Then you say "why's that?"

Reply "company policy."

To which you say " why? because you dont want some idiot calling you up at a time that is inconvenient when you are busy doing something important, trying to sell you stupid crap you dont need?"

This is when they mostly all hang up!!!!!!!!

[schmidty]

Or my other favourite,

Say can you please just hang on a sec.

Put the phone down say on the bench in the shed, whack the bench a few times with a hammer, then pick it back up and ask if they are still there,

Repeat this 3 or 4 times, with say, starting motorbike, rev rev, still there?

Turn the stereo up flat out and hold the phone on the speaker, still there??

Dead silece, scream at the top of your lungs into the phone, still there???

If they are still there by then...

"are you still there?"

"Yes sir."

"well are you freakin stupid? havent you got the hint yet!!!"

Usually ends in a hang up also

[Professor Farnsworth]

i used to work as a telemarketer years ago. you have two options - hang up, which is the most effective. or tear your hair out listening to their speech about 'not trying to sell you something'. Trust me, they are ;p

hang up! although where i worked there was a database, where you added notes about the particular number you've just called, so be careful what you say..

i had people threaten to sue me if i rang again, was told to go f*** myself, several times, was told that i'm destroying someone's life, erm.. few other crackers. And the funny thing was i only rang businesses! I wasn't pushy either, i didn't care less about the job really.

[70caprigt3k]

Depends how im feeling at the time, it will either be a long stream of abuse or ill try make conversation with them out of boredom i.e. asking how the weather is in india then go on with random crap while they are trying to sell you something they get pretty confused.

[Professor Farnsworth]

Also, you'll find the majority of telemarketers are australian & australian based. The indian call centres are usually subcontracted by australian operating companies for after hours support etc (eg telstra, GE, netgear and so on)

[cupic]

Send all telemarketers to Siberian Desert

[Josh_XC]

Mate just put heavy metal music on and leave the phone next to it. Slipknot usually does the trick with me

[DJM83]

hang up lol although the heavy metal music idea sounds good

[RSgerry]

i put on a dodgy indian accent or the 'Kim Il Jung' voice from Team America and have fun with them. I told an Asian travel sales girl last week, in my best Indian accent, that I didnt want to go to Tasmania because it was full of tigers and devils and they scare me. She actually laughed.