Soliciting Phone Calls: Why they suck

[Seshat]

I consider telemarketing rude, intrusive, and obnoxious. To me, it is beyond rude to use the phone your target is paying for to call and pester them to buy something they probably didn't want (or they'd have found it themselves), take a survey, etc., in the process interrupting their chosen activities (studying, sleeping, quality time with family, etc.). It's even more annoying than e-mail spam because e-mail can at least be dealt with at the time I choose.

In email, the target is paying not just for the connection, but for the call itself. I don't like either the phone calls or the emails.

[Rapscallion]

I had a fun method of dealing with this when I was in retail. Universal Utilities were one of several companies phoning us, but they were by far and away the most frequent callers.

The UK's energy market had just been privatised, and people were able to effectively buy gas or electricity from the producer at wholesale prices and sell them on at a cheaper rate than the producer was allowed to do to you. This meant we got call after call from companies wanting to save us money (often twenty quid a year, which we thought was insultingly low). UU, however, were more than willing to phone twice a week. Fair enough, their staff didn't actually work for them (contracted out to call centres), but we asked, begged, demanded to be taken off their list. This is before our telephone preferential service came about over here.

They always had a rep in our area, oddly enough. I just started to invite them around and tell them that we were deliberately wasting their time. The reps were on commission only and decidedly unhappy. The message got back to head office, and it tailed off - for a while.

As to charities, I learned the lesson from other people. I will not give to a charity unless it involves them not getting my contact details. For an industry that works on the goodwill of others, it seems to be going out of its way to alienate people by being pushy and demanding.

Rapscallion

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Edit: I meant to remark to Raps that that is why I no longer give to the American Red Cross. I gave in regards to the September 11 attacks, and made it very clear I was to receive neither phone calls or spam. I received both. I let them know they'd never see another penny of mine again, and let them know why. We have a local charity here in town, a guy name John Fling who is a one-man charity. Every penny he gets he give to the poor and homeless. He drives around in a donated pickup truck, usually full of donated bread en route to the soup kitchens. When I see his truck (and you do see it regularly around town) I slip a check under his windshield. HE doesn't make a pest of himself.



I had someone call me from a landscaping company and leave a message on my machine. I called them back and told them that machine was for my use, not theirs, and until they started cutting me a check for advertising space every month, they needed to stay the hell off my machine. During the course of this call, I could hear household noise in the background. The woman I was talking to said, and I quote, "Listen, I can call whoever I want whenever I want. That's how we do business."

Well. I wasn't aware that Her Majesty was above the Telephone Consumer Protect Act. Color me embarassed!

I just said, "Oh, okay. No problem." And hung up.

I went to bed at about 11 and set my alarm for midnight. And called her back. Just to, you know, chat. Picked on her a bit, hung up. Went to bed, set my alarm for 1 am. Of course, I got her on the phone. The dumbass was calling me from her home, as I correctly deduced.

Repeated this every hour. By about 3 am, Her Majesty had had enough.

HM: Look, you need to stop calling here!
Me: Listen, I can call whoever I want whenever I want. That's how we do business.
HM: It's 3am, and you're just calling to be a pain in the ass! I'll report you to the phone company!
ME: Do your worst. I have your recorded message inviting me to call you at my convenience. Well, it's now my convenience. Big cowboy howdy to ya!

4am

HM:STOP CALLING ME YOU CRAZY BITCH!!!!
Me: Make me.
HM: I'LL HAVE YOU ARRESTED!
Me: Talk to ya in an hour!

5am
I call, she picks up the phone and slams it down. I call back. She hangs up again. Repeat until she finally answers to cuss at me some more.

I gave it up after this, simply because I felt pretty sure I'd made my point and was at that stage too tired to give a damn.

I was totally exhausted the next day, but I didn't care. It was a heck of a lot of fun. Amazingly, Her Majesty no longer felt entitled to exercise her right to call me whenever she wanted. Huh.

[Chantilly]

I once got into an argument with a telemarketer over what time it was! I live in Arizona, which doesn't have Daylight Saving Time, so basically we're on Pacific time in the summer and Mountain time in the winter. One summer morning at 6:15am my phone rings:

Me: Hello?
Suckass Telemarketer: Hello is this Ms. Tilly?
Me: <warily> Yyyyeeesss ....
ST: <goes into his ST spiel>
Me: Excuse me, but why are you calling me at this hour? You are aware that you're not allowed by law to call before 7am or after 9pm.
ST: <getting snooty> Ma'am, it's 7:15am.
Me: Uhh, no it's not, it's 6:15.
ST: Ma'am, it's 7:15 there.
Me: <getting pissed> Are you telling me that you know the time where I am better than I do, the one who's actually sitting here?? It's six fifteen am, and you're 45 minutes outside your legal calling time.
ST: <scoffs, then gets snotty> Our computer keeps track of the time in all our service areas. I know what time it is there.
Me: <moving passed pissed into livid> Then your computer needs an upgrade and your staff needs an education on DST, because Arizona is on Pacific time right now, you putz! And if you ever call my house again I'll make a very loud noise into my phone and perhaps deafen you for life!

Unbelievable, the f**kin' cheek of some people.

[AFpheonix]

What I don't get is if it's obvious that you're not gonna make a sale on a call like that, why on earth would you stay on the phone to insult the person you're calling? You're really not gonna make a sale at that point, may as well cut your losses and go onto the next schmuck.

[kibbles]

That telemarketer is what gives honest telemarketers a rotten reputation. As soon as you said the words "don't call back" he was supposed to put you on the do not call list automatically.

People have no business being rude to honest telemarketers, but ones like this, well that's a different story

Kibbles

[Seanette]

If you're rude enough to telemarket me (after all, you don't know if someone in the house works an odd shift, was up all night with a baby and desperately needs rest, needs to be able to receive *important* calls without having the phone tied up, etc.), do NOT expect me to be polite about your rudeness. The best you can expect from me is "Put this number on your do-not-call list", followed by forceful hangup.

Telemarketing is inherently rude and obnoxious, and has cost several companies my business. I don't do business with people who treat me rudely while trying to GET my business.

[kibbles]

The honest telemarketers are not being rude by merely telemarketing someone because that is their job and how they earn a living. And no honest telemarketer can know who works an odd shift, etc, etc because all phone numbers are from an automatic dialer.

I agree, that the rude and overly pushy ones deserve the tellings off they get. But, just as no one just performing their duties in any other retail job deserves to be treated rudely, the same goes for the honest telemarketer who follows the rules, no one has any business treating someone poorly because of the duties of their job IMO.

Kibbles

[Becks]

Haha, I kind of do that too, because my name is always mispronouced by people that don't know me. Only I say, "I'm sorry, there's no one here by that name," and then hang up. I'm not lying - there is no one by that horribly butchered name here! I'm not being mean, either - maybe a little rude. I say I'm sorry!

I do the SAME thing!!!!!!!! (Of course, there are people at work who mispronounce my last name, but it's mostly in fun.)

Back closer to the OP, I used to work with a woman who had her (listed) phone number under her (deceased) husband's name. ANYONE who called asking for Mr. (last name) got hung up on. I that woman.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

When I go into a store, I am clearly there of my own choice, and it's fair to assume I am there to do business.

When I am sitting down to supper or taking a nap, and they intrude on my privacy by misusing a number I did not give them, nor give them permission to use, it's another story entirely. If a person does not even know how to pronounce my name I think it's fair to assume they don't know me well enough to take advantage of a piece of equipment that I am paying for. That phone is for my convenience and that of my family and friends. I'm footing the bill for it, I get to make the rules regarding it's use.

Basically, if a person must call strangers for their job, they must learn to expect anything. Telemarketers know they are not welcome or popular. I feel like they can grow a thick skin when it comes to dealing with annoyed people who feel their privacy has been violated, or find a job that does not invite rudeness if angry people expressing their displeasure offends them.

The excuse that "it's their job" is no excuse. Just because someone is willing to pay someone else to do something ethically questionable, that does not make the job okay.

[Legal Eagle]

when i used to telemarket business to business (not to residental, even as a student i wouldn't stoop that low) annoying the pricks who gave you a hard time was the only way to stay sane. You'd be amazed how much fun you could have with someone who claimed that you phoning her business on a business line using a number she advertised in a phone book is illegal.

[zzapp the witch]

It was my boyfriend that taught me how to grow the balls to screw with telemarketers. Here are just a few I've torn a gut to (warning, some is a bit risque):

<ring>Hello? Uh-huh, soooo whatcha wearin honey? Cause Iiiii'm nekkid. (This, of course goes on and on and gets dirtier, with him ending with a compliment to the gal on the end if she gets through the whole spiel without laughing or losing track. He's actually got personal phone numbers out of this!)

<ring>Hello? (Falls into stereotypical "flamer" voice, ala Carson) Ooo, you shound sho sexy honeybuns! (This continues in Big Gay Al fashion till the guy hangs up).

<ring>Hello? Oh, I won a cruise you say? Wow, so how many people can I bring with me, cause I'm in an MC. MC? Oh, that's a biker gang to you I guess. Gotta bring the brothers with me. Uh-huh. So what kind of insurance does this thing have? What do I mean about insurance? Well, me and the guys, we like to get totally skeeved out and twisted sideways on booze and amphetamines. You know, orgies and breaking everything in the room. You ever see the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? Yeah, we trash em like that. CLEAN YOUR SHORTS!! Ha ha, I love that movie! Hello? Hello?

<ring>Hello? (sobbing) Why are you still here? Dr. Johanson told me you'd go away if I took the blue pills. He promised. (sob, sniffle, futile wail) Oh god, why? Please, I love my girlfriend and her kids, I've told you before I don't want to kill myself. Waaahhhhh!!!! Go away! Go away! (drops phone and sobs hysterically nearby)

<ring>Hello? (talks fast so they can't get a word in edgewise) Are you the new girl? I need you on set five minutes ago. Steve's standing here with a fluffer hard at work, the lesbians are ready to go in the leashes, all we have to do is put them in the cage for you to pee on. I hope you haven't peed yet this afternoon, I can't fake that shit, I need you to pee, live, on set, on these girls! You don't get here, right now, and piss on these sluts for me, you can kiss 5k in cash goodbye honey! (slams down phone)

There's a ton more, but those are the funniest to me.

[TNT]

At a job where I once worked, they opened up a few jobs in the telemarketing department. Everyone was very excited and I couldn't figure out why, other than that it paid well and included sales commissions. So, I applied, mostly because I got to goof off for an afternoon listening to the telemarketers work.

It was a company that made dishes -- dishes that people liked very much. I mean, our customers really liked our product. And granted, we only called people who added their phone number when they returned their pattern registration card. Plus, we had specials to offer. But still...

Telemarketer: Hi, I'm calling from xxxxxxxx,. I hope you don't mind our calling at home, but...
Customer: Mind? I'm thrilled...

Telemarketer: Hi, I'm calling from xxxxxxx.
Customer: OMG! I making dinner right now. Can you give me a minute to turn everything off? I promise I'll be right back.

Telemarketer: If this a bad time, I won't keep you...
Customer: Is it possible you could call back between 1 and 3pm tomorrow afternoon?

Telemarketer: Do we have your permission to call you back in three months?
Customer: Three months!? Can't you call every month?

Only one caller was even remotely negative.

Customer: I like them, but really, they're just dishes. You can call again if you want, but it wouldn't bother me if you didn't.
Telemarketer: We'll take you off our list. If you ever want to receive these calls again, just let us know.

I really wanted that job. Didn't get it, but I wanted it.

[kibbles]

The excuse that "it's their job" is no excuse. Just because someone is willing to pay someone else to do something ethically questionable, that does not make the job okay.

It's not an excuse IMO, really how hard is it to say "Put me on the Do Not Call list?" I know it's not the same at all, but retail workers have to upsell and many people get needlessly rude with them, how hard it is for them to say "I'm not interested?"

Like I said I know it's not the same thing, and telemarketers do have to grow a thick skin, but it's not that hard for anyone to be polite and just say stop calling. And sorry, but not all telemarketing jobs are "ethically questionnable", lots are I'll agree with that, but they are not all like that.

Customer: I like them, but really, they're just dishes. You can call again if you want, but it wouldn't bother me if you didn't.
Telemarketer: We'll take you off our list. If you ever want to receive these calls again, just let us know.

Now that's the mark of a good and honest telemarketer. Some wouldn't offer the Do Not Call list unless requested, but to do that shows that you respect a person's time even if your job is intrusive to people. I say if people should be able to take the time to be nice and just say "stop calling" and hang up, it isn't that hard.

Kibbles

[Lehk]

The honest telemarketers are not being rude by merely telemarketing someone because that is their job and how they earn a living. And no honest telemarketer can know who works an odd shift, etc, etc because all phone numbers are from an automatic dialer.

I agree, that the rude and overly pushy ones deserve the tellings off they get. But, just as no one just performing their duties in any other retail job deserves to be treated rudely, the same goes for the honest telemarketer who follows the rules, no one has any business treating someone poorly because of the duties of their job IMO.

Kibbles

I personally don't really mind telemarketing and won't initiate a rude exchange with a caller, but i have no qualms with people who do, since they are being interrupted and annoyed for the sake of making money.