What do you do when a telemarketer calls?

[NonyaZ]

As someone that used to be a telemarketer (we all do things we don't enjoy for money...)

1. I wouldn't stay on the line with someone if they were wasting my time, I could and would hang up on you.
2. Rude people were called back, often.
3. Adding your number to the DNC list made it easier for us to weed out those who weren't smart enough to NOT buy anything.
4. I flirt back
5. While you put me on speaker phone I'd jump off the script and start trying to sell you my shoes and hang up when you wouldn't buy them


We're not all evil people, we just need money.

I'd also say that people who fight back against that aren't evil either. They just hated being called. If enough employees hate the job and quit, perhaps the company will stop wasting time and money on something that is driving people away.

Also, did anyone ever buy anything from you then? Because most everyone I know claims not to have bought anything from a telemarketer, and also claims they never will.

Oh yeah, people bought what I had to sell. It was hourly + commission so the more people bought, the better my paycheck.

 

[Girl With One Eye]

Nothing, I used to work in telemarketing and it's not fun at all. But guess what, telemarketers are just doing a job, trying to feed themselves. You don't need to be rude or harsh, just politely tell them you're not interested and hang up - simple!

 

[NonyaZ]

Nothing, I used to work in telemarketing and it's not fun at all. But guess what, telemarketers are just doing a job, trying to feed themselves. You don't need to be rude or harsh, just politely tell them you're not interested and hang up - simple!

Those are the people I liked the most (even more so than the people who actually purchased what I sold).

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

I pick up the phone, wait till they've stopped talking and then politely tell them we aren't interested. I do this because it's someone trying to make a bit of money, a damn site more than many people are. I do my fair share of shouting at people, but never for simply doing their job.

 

[Agayek]

I pretend to have tourette's. I hope that doesn't offend anyone. Tom Mabe does this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl5uhjJFTiE

What do the rest of you do? Mess with them a little as a punishment for intruding on your life? Politely decline? Leave the phone off the hook? Hang up?

Generally, I greet them as a moderately interested consumer willing to listen, and then halfway through pretend someone with a gun broke into my apartment and is threatening me.

 

[NonyaZ]

I pretend to have tourette's. I hope that doesn't offend anyone. Tom Mabe does this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl5uhjJFTiE

What do the rest of you do? Mess with them a little as a punishment for intruding on your life? Politely decline? Leave the phone off the hook? Hang up?

Generally, I greet them as a moderately interested consumer willing to listen, and then halfway through pretend someone with a gun broke into my apartment and is threatening me.

I've gotten a few people in trouble with that because we're instructed to dial emergency services for situations which potential clients could be in danger. Most of the time we have your full address so getting the cops to your doorstep isn't hard, and fighting something like that in court doesn't work either (our calls are recorded((at least where I worked they were))).

 

[Esotera]

I never answer, but my friend messed around with one the other week, who talked to him for two hours about everything conceivable. When he asked about any pets, the friend managed to convince him that they own twenty goats.

 

[Scarim Coral]

If they phone me on my mobile I tend to ignore it epically if it read Unknown caller (unless it's a local phone number). If I do answer it from the house or it's a call for me than I either bluff my way out or simple don't give a danm. If those two doesn't work than I simply hang up (I do that automatically for automated calls).

 

[emeraldrafael]

I do the same thing that I do when those people who want to talk about their religion come to my door. I pretend I'm a Satanist, sound very interested in what they're saying,a nd all the whiel just shout fromt ime to time to "keep the ***** quiet, cutting the baby out of her gut cant possibly hurt that much" or "I'm sorry, can you excuse me for a second, I seem to be needed for my spot in the summoning pentagram, i'll be right back".

usually i nver hear from them again, but I almost always get a cop visit in search of some bodies.


or i'll just record a telemarketer's call from before and when they start talking, I start playing mine.

 

[Agayek]

I've gotten a few people in trouble with that because we're instructed to dial emergency services for situations which potential clients could be in danger. Most of the time we have your full address so getting the cops to your doorstep isn't hard, and fighting something like that in court doesn't work either (our calls are recorded((at least where I worked they were))).

Yea, that's actually why I make a point to not hang up and start laughing within a few seconds. I mostly just want to get them to react to it. It's not very nice, but I gotta amuse myself somehow.

 

[Rawne1980]

I rarely answer the phone.

My wife or eldest have phone duty I just ignore it.

It's either someone trying to sell me something I don't want, some family member I have no interest in speaking to or someone for my wife or daughter.

None of my friends ring anyone. We send/recieve 1 text messege on a Friday and Saturday night. That text contains 1 word .... Pub. The joy of being a simple man, everything that needs to be said in one single word.

 

[staika]

Most of them the first thing they say is "Hello can I please speak to mr.......Kenneeerrrrichht (My last name is kennerknecht (ken-uhr-nekt best I can do to to describe how to say it))" I then hang up
or "Hello can I speak to mr.....kennuhr I can't even pronounce it" I then hang up.
Or my personal favorite "Hello can I speak to mr. kennerknecht (some pronounce it right)" "He's not here right now" "OH is this Mrs. Kennerknecht?" or "Oh when is a good time to call back mame." I then say "I AM MAN ************!!" and then I hang up.

 

[AzureRaven]

Normally I'll just hang up right away. Though I honestly wish I had a furby that I could just sit next to the phone and start making weird noises at them.

 

[Jack Rascal]

I don't like telemarketers, but it depends on them how I will react. I have never bought anything over the phone and never will. But I am polite as long as the person calling is willing to listen. I know they have a script where they read from and I always try to stop them before they really get going. As soon as I know the call is from a telemarketer I stop them and tell them I'm not interested. I have never, luckily, encountered a very persistent telemarketer.

I could never be a telemarketer, I would be too easy to end the call. And I don't hate telemarketers. I know they are just trying to make money. But please, please just listen when I say I'm not interested. I don't like when I hear people are rude towards telemarketers, I think it's a bit unfair. But telemarketers should be able to hear from the person when the deal is possible, and when not.

 

[alittlepepper]

I put my name on the sort of official "do not call" list ages ago, and I've not been pestered by telemarketers in ages. Also possibly because I haven't had an actual phone line in I don't know how long now. But I used to just politely tell them that whatever they were selling I wasn't interested in, period, and wish them a good day and good luck.
Telemarketers are people too. Most of them are just doing their jobs, I don't see it as any reason to be rude just because it's occasionally inconvenient.

 

[AngryNerd]

Yell something like "I will eat your soul" into the phone and hang up. Or scream randomly.

 

[FamoFunk]

If I have the time, I will play them along, sounds really interested and in the end after about 20mins of stringing them along just be all "Lol, no". and hang up.

If I cba or don't have the time I just hang up or say no sorry. Only a few times have I told them literally to fuck off, you know, to the nasty rude ones. Fuck them.

Also, I'm on the list to stop them calling, it obviously doesn't.