Telemarketers who hang up on *you*

[ShinyGreenApple]

When did it become acceptable to solicit someone by calling their house, and then hang up when they give you an answer you don't like? We've been getting this a lot lately.

TM: "Hello, is Mr. Barbossa there?"

Mom: "No, he's an over the road trucker, can I take a-"

TM: *click*

For the past year or so, we've also been getting calls from GM, letting us know that extended warranty on the Cavalier my Dad and I own is about to run out/has run out, and would we like to renew it? We keep telling them no. The called last Friday again.

CSR: *opening spiel, warranty, blah blah blah* "Do you know if LB or her father would like to renew it?"

Mom: "Oh, she doesn't have that car anymore, she traded it in last week."

CSR: *click*

No 'Thank you, have a nice day', no 'I'll call back when your husband is home', no nothing. They just hang up! Is this just poor training or has it become acceptable to hang up on customers and potential customers?!

[blas]

I just don't answer when it's a number I don't know. And I'm glad I don't. Telemarketers have cell phone numbers now, too.

Back in October/November, usually two or three weekdays a week, I would get a call from a strange number between 9 and 10 am. I did not recognize the area code or anything.

So after a few weeks, I looked it up. It's a telemarketing company in CALIFORNIA. I dug a little deeper. I found a site where people file complaints against companies and such. Googling just the phone number brought me to that site....and it turns out, MANY of the complaints were from AT&T customers in Wisconsin, wanting to know why a company in California is calling them and trying to sell them insurance/car parts/etc etc. All kinds of things.

So glad I never answered. I wish they never would have gotten cell phone numbers. I thought I was safe.

[ShinyGreenApple]

I just don't answer when it's a number I don't know.

Typically we don't, either, but sometimes, for whatever reason, the caller ID on our living room phone just reads 'Incoming call' or 'Unavailable/Out of Area'. There have been many times when a call coming across as such was a legitimate contact, so we answer these in the off chance it is a friend/family member/boss.

But I'm so with you on the cell phone thing. I thought cells were supposed to be personal, not another way to get spammed to death. And for crying out loud, many phones are carried by children under the age of 12, so what's the point in calling them trying to sell insurance or funeral arrangements?

[Dreamstalker]

I don't answer unknown/out of area numbers either.

One morning when my mom was over helping me weatherseal a window, my home phone rang...out of area. I had my suspicions about it, since that call had been coming every morning for the past couple months and they never left a message. Over my protests, mom picks up the phone, "yes, she's here", and gives it to me Cue speil (it was a charity), my answer "sorry, not interested, I don't have money to spare, I need to go to work", hang up.

She claimed that the calls would then stop because "they just have a quota of contacts to make". Nope. The calls are continuing.

blas, I got calls in Oct. from CA as well, both mornings and evenings (I swear, I could set my watch by them). Mine was some political group.

[Rapscallion]

Just a friendly note. Threads like this have a slight problem when they run into areas where people who work in those jobs get insulted. Some of our members have worked in the field, and others currently work in the job.

This thread hasn't got there yet, but I'm just putting out the standard heads-up for everyone. Seen a few locked in my time, and I don't like doing that.

Rapscallion

[Dreamstalker]

The hanging up could be (as my mom mentioned in my previous tale) that they have a quota to meet, and don't want to/can't waste time on contacts who don't meet requirements. That's still a tad rude though...no "thanks sorry to bother you" or something.

[Lingering Grin]

I have no problem with telemarketers or collectors as a whole... they're just doing their jobs.


However, something I've noticed about a LOT of people lately.
(not just telemarketers, and not all telemarketers, this type of person just seems to be more prominent in that field.)

Is people who don't believe "No" is a valid response to a question.

If you ask a question, there is a possibility of getting a "No" as an answer, it's not rude, it's not uncalled for... it's a valid response.
One thing I've found myself saying a lot lately is: "Don't a question, that you don't want the answer to."


I had one hang up on me, after I she started ARGUING with me over the fact that I told her "I can't do that." ... and I argued back.
(Note: I won...)

[Talon]

Long ago I worked for a market research firm. Not telemarketing, but similar concept. We'd call people at home to do surveys by phone.

If people refused, I didn't push them. I just thanked them for their time and moved on. But on occasion someone would start swearing at me. Those got an automatic hangup. Never got in trouble for it either.

[Kiwi]

This is why we screen our calls, my family/ friends know it will go onto an answering machine but if Im home I will pick up when I hear their voice.

K's family have a habit of calling right on 6pm when they know we have dinner every single night... the first few times K picked up his dad said "I know your just about to have dinner but..."

If you KNOW were just about to have dinner why call!
It helps telemarkers in a way (we dont get to many out this way) because as soon as they hear a machine they hang up

[ShinyGreenApple]

Just to be clear, I'm not putting telemarketers down at all. I have respect for someone who can do a job like that, because I know I certainly couldn't handle it. I'm just saying, when I was in phone service, you never, ever hung up on someone. Only a supervisor had the authority to do that and terminating a call could end in termination. So I'm naturally surprised as someone who used to hold a phone job, and a bit put off as a person in general that people have the gall to call my house and then hang up on us.

[ditchdj]

But, but, but, I thought the "Do Not Call List" was supposed to put the telemarketers out of business.

[Lingering Grin]

But, but, but, I thought the "Do Not Call List" was supposed to put the telemarketers out of business.

and it did!

For about 2 months, until they all found the GIANT GLARING FREAKING LOOPHOLE.

[MadMike]

I'll admit there were a few times in my past when I wasn't exactly nice when they called me. Not trying to justify it, just saying that I can be a real bastard when my sleep is disturbed. And I may have gotten hung up on once or twice. And I can't really complain about them hanging up on me in that case.

However, one time I got hung up on, when my only crime was politely telling them, "I'm sorry, I'm not interested."

[Lingering Grin]

I'll admit there were a few times in my past when I wasn't exactly nice when they called me. Not trying to justify it, just saying that I can be a real bastard when my sleep is disturbed.

Don't feel bad, I'm the same way, even to people I WANT to be nice too

I've actually be known to answer the phone with "WHAT IN THE HELL!?" when I got woken up after only 3 hours of sleep.

and that was to my MOM... you can imagine how I am to strangers

[lupo pazzesco]

I briefly worked as a telemarketer, and at my company, we were told no doesn't count unless it's said 3 times.

I occasionally get calls like that, too. At one poitn in time, it was a research survey type things for a hotel whose name I can't remember. I told the guy I wasn't interested, and to please put me on their don't call list and he called me rude!! Meh, I know they're doing their job, and if it was anything like where I worked, they're encouraged to be pushy and quite frankly annoying.


Lingering Grin: If you call my grandparents after a certain hour, they answer the phone with "If you're not bleeding, dying and dead, you soon will be for calling this late!!"

My mom and I are similar when we're running on very little sleep, too. Although my mom prefers "If you're not Ed McMahon telling me I've won 10 million dollars, it's not important and I'm hanging up."

she's actually hung up on me after this, too. I was amused.