Why don't telemarketers take NO for an answer the FIRST or even SECOND time?

[NFS4]

My GAWD!!! Death to all of these boneheads. Leave me the hell alone. I must get these at least 8 times a week. I'm sitting down, eating, or relaxing, and these mofos call disrupting me.

I got TWO today. First one at 9AM this morning. Wakes me up out of a nice sleep. How many college kids do you know that will get up early if they don't have to?

Telemarketer: Hello, is Brandon there?
Me: Yeeessssss
Telemarketer: Ohh, I'm sorry did I wake you up?
Me: YES!!!
Telemarketer: Ohh, I'll try back later then.
Me: CLICK!!!!!

What the hell are you doing calling at 9AM motherBIATCH!!

And just now, I'm sitting here watching my daily fill of Headline News.

Telemarketer: Is Brandon there?
Me: Yes, I'm Brandon
Telemarketer: I'm calling on behalf of Discover credit card...
Me interrupting: I'm not interested, I already have a credit card and don't need another right now
Telemarketer: Right, we'd like to send you out one of our packages...
Me interrupting: I said I'm not interested...CLICK!!!!

Damn them all to hell!!!!!:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

 

[DesignDawg]

Unfortunately, "I'm not interested" doesn't mean anything to them, and it will do nothing to slow them. You have to specifically ask to be put on their "Do not call" list. By law, they have to do it.

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[loogie]

Haha. I have the same problem. Only with girls. Or not.

Tell em to stop calling you before you hang up. It worked for me.

 

[Modeps]

all you gotta do is hang up that phone... or pull a seinfeild:

"Oh im sorry, I cant talk now! Can you give me your home number and
i'll call you back? You dont like people calling you at home?
now you know how it feels!"

 

[Viper GTS]

The minute they ask for "Mr. Bishop" I hang up. I don't let them get any further than that.

As to why they don't take no, I believe they're trained to not take no at least three times, or some crap like that.

Just hang up on them, makes everyone's life easier.

Viper GTS

 

[BigSmooth]

They don't give up because someone is paying them not to give up.

 

[Harrald]

What you need to do is this.


"No thank you and please remove me from your list."


That will work. After a few months you will notice that the calls will just about end.

 

[Celstar]

You gotta sympathize with these people. That's their means of income. If they can't sell you sheet, they get little money. I think they depend on commissions for most of their income. Of course, I never subscribe to what they offer, but I'm kind enough to listen to them as I make dinner in the background while they ramble on for 5 minutes. I'm considerate of others. That's right.

 

[bobtist]

Yeah, it stinks now when they call and ask for me by my FIRST name... They're trying to be all chummy. Anywho...

The reason they don't take no for an answer the first or second time is that statistically, if asked a series of similar questions 3-4 times in a row, a person who initially refuses will give in and say "yes" 80% of the time on the 3rd try. I don't have a link for that stat, but I've heard it several times from different places.

 

[Mutilator]

Just do like I've always done.. buy an answering machine!
Instant call screening.. they'll NEVER talk to an answering machine hehe

 

[DesignDawg]

Actually, Celstar, I GUARANTEE you, they appreciate it a LOT more when you just say no and hang up than if you let them talk for 5 minutes and THEN say no. You're right, it's what they do for a living. Letting them talk for 5 minutes so you can turn them down at the end is a complete waste of their time. Imagine how many "I'm not interested, CLICK" calls they could get through in 5 minutes to get to that one caller who IS interested. WHile you're making them talk to you for 5 minutes, they could be talking to someone who DOES want what they're selling.

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[Zenmervolt]

Personally I favor keeping an air horn handy, let them get into the sales pitch, then ask them to holnd on for a second, then blast the air horn into the telephone receiver and hang up. There are all sorts of fun things you can do with telemarketers if you're in the mood to mess with their minds.

Zenmervolt

EDIT: Typos.

 

[kranky]

bobtist is right, they know a certain number of people will say yes even if they initially said no.

I think Radio Shack sells a little gizmo that plugs into your phone line, and when a telemarketer calls, you just push the button and hang up. The device then tells the caller "This number does not accept this type of call. Please consider this your notification to add my number to your "Do not call" list.", then disconnects the call. I also saw them on the clearance table at OfficeMax last week for about $5.

 

[fir3wir3]

I dont have to worry about credit cards because my credit is probaly worse than anyone could imagine.

but I do get calls for other stuff all the time.

I like to have fun w/ them.

The firemen called one time and asked me if I wanted to contribute to their chairty fund by buying tickets to this dance/concert.

I said no politly and the lady persisted...so I said I my sister had just died in a fire because of some incompetant fire fighters and she was like "oh, I'm so sorry"

haha, thats hilarious. Just have fun w/ 'em

plus telemarketers hate their job as much as you hate getting the calls...so I like to have fun w/ them...change the topic...ask them what they think about the wheather...how their love life is going etc

 

[Adul]

They are thick headed... :|


just hang up after being polite.

 

[Parrotheader]

If you have Napster, try looking up "Tom Mabe". He has a CD out of a bunch of pranks he pulled on telemarketers. You can also check out his website (although the CD is where all the good stuff is at).

TomMabe.com

 

[Celstar]

Designdawg, I know. If they're gonna waste my time, I'll waste theirs. It depends on the person I'm talking to. If it's a really pushy A-hole, I'll have him on the phone for 30 minutes if I want.

 

[Total Refected Power]

I just let the machine get it. If its important a message will be left. Quite liberating actually.

 

[Celstar]

Like for example, there's this one guy offering to change our company's long distance by offering us this "really great deal". I dont argue that it isn't such a great deal, but we're a company that needs to do business and we're not gonna put up with even the possibility that they'll fvck up anything to an already stable phone system. So I told him no we're not interested. But the damn fool keeps talking, like I'm thinking, WTF is wrong with you I just said, NO WE'RE NOT INTERESTED. He INSISTS his offer will save us a lot of money and he won't take no for an answer. So he keeps calling and calling...

And finally, when I tell him for the 10th time that we're not freakin interested, he goes, well, "thanks for wasting my time". WHATEVER! You wasted your own time, now get out of my kitchen (slang)

 

[divinemartyr]

I have had several telemarketing jobs, right now I'm doing something similar but it's business-to-business. I understand where you guys are coming from, but understand these people are just doing their jobs. If you're rude to them, you're just asking for people at your job to be rude to you if you deal with any customers at all. I'm always nice to telemarketers, although I generally confuse the hell out of them cause I know the routine more or less.

dm

 

[NFS4]

<< Personally I favor keeping an air horn handy, let them get into the sales pitch, then ask them to holnd on for a second, then blast the air horn into the telephone receiver and hang up. >>


LOL, good one

 

[Sundog]

I have &quot;always&quot; worked for the company that is the callers biggest rival.

If someone from Sprint calls, I start laughing outloud and say &quot;Who do you pay to get your telemarketing list. I work for AT&amp;T!&quot;. They hang up every time!!!

 

[Fingers]

they are randomly recorded and depending on the company they can get fired if they don't keep pushing it and reading the script.

 

[kami]

I hang up immediately. Yeah, those poor telemarketers are just trying to make a living but it's fvcking annoying.

 

[konichiwa]

Usually I take them through the whole pitch, act real interested and ask a lot of questions as if I'm going to purchase whatever it is they're selling, and then I say, &quot;Don't ever call me again or I'll hunt down your family and tear their hearts out&quot;

...that seems to work quite well.