I have mentioned my lack of fondness for telemarketers before.
Caller ID is a wonderful thing, but sometimes old habits die hard. Sometimes I just automatically pick up the phone and say hello like I think I am still a teenager waiting on a call from my best friend and, of course, it will be her on the line. Except it's not.
-Hello!
-Good evening, Ma'am! ( yes, it is 6 p.m. and I have dinner simmering on the stove) This is ________ and I am representing the Professional Firefighters of VT. What a beautiful day, we have had! Are you enjoying this gorgeous weather?"
-What do you want?
-Woah! That is the second time in a row I got that same response!
-So why are you calling?
-Well, if you don't want to engage in pleasantries about the weather, I might as well just hang up.
-Good idea! Thanks! Bye!
Did someone do a psychological study demonstrating that if you tried to cozy up all friendly to someone, that someone would be more likely to go along with the hidden agenda? Because I think that was a seriously flawed study.
And, yes, I know I was rude...I prefer the term brusque...but this fake friendly routine really gets on my nerves.
Caller ID is a wonderful thing, but sometimes old habits die hard. Sometimes I just automatically pick up the phone and say hello like I think I am still a teenager waiting on a call from my best friend and, of course, it will be her on the line. Except it's not.
-Hello!
-Good evening, Ma'am! ( yes, it is 6 p.m. and I have dinner simmering on the stove) This is ________ and I am representing the Professional Firefighters of VT. What a beautiful day, we have had! Are you enjoying this gorgeous weather?"
-What do you want?
-Woah! That is the second time in a row I got that same response!
-So why are you calling?
-Well, if you don't want to engage in pleasantries about the weather, I might as well just hang up.
-Good idea! Thanks! Bye!
Did someone do a psychological study demonstrating that if you tried to cozy up all friendly to someone, that someone would be more likely to go along with the hidden agenda? Because I think that was a seriously flawed study.
And, yes, I know I was rude...I prefer the term brusque...but this fake friendly routine really gets on my nerves.
I agree with you. I even try to sound crabby on the phone!! I know at the other end, they are just folks trying to make a quota so they can keep their job, but not on my time. Get a real job!!!!
ReplyDeleteAMEN! LOL, just as I started writing this comment the phone rang. Tom checked the caller ID. "Country Air". Well, that's one phonecall we won't have to respond rudely to.
ReplyDeleteBTW, what is it with firefighters and police guilds asking for money for "education funds"? I told one of them once that I was a teacher and I wasn't calling them for cash. I guess I'm not all the polite either.
I'm rude that way, too. But, don't you think it's equally rude for people to call over and over, trying to sell you a product or a politician?
ReplyDeleteI hate all kinds of telemarketers and I hate that the do not call registry sure doesn't seem to work! We have a two hello rule. If we have to say hello a second time because they have us on mute while they talk to their cube mate -- we hang up! The 2 hello rule has really helped! I hate telemarketers!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, and I'm often rude on purpose with the telemarketers. When someone is all friendly, I'll ask them for their home phone number. They always ask why, and I say, "So I can call you at home at suppertime too!".
ReplyDeleteWith the ones that are auto calls like "we're calling with some very important information about your credit card", I hit the number on the phone that connects with a live person. First I ask them to remove me from their list - they usually respond with uh-huh. Then I SCREAM at the top of my lungs. I know most of them are wearing headsets and it will take a second for them to react to hang up the call. Sometimes it actually works and they don't call back....at least for awhile.
I just wish the do not call list would work!
Eileen, that's a Seinfeld line! ...and I have always loved it.
ReplyDeleteIf I don't recognize the phone number, I just don't answer. I often Google the phone number afterward. Last night it was, apparently, some escort service in Washington state phoning me.
Lovely.
I agree with you. In fact, I hang up if I don't know the person.
ReplyDeleteWe're fortunate that the 'do not call' service has worked for us. However, prior to that, I used to love playing 'roles' when they called. I'd play a crazy person, a young child, a talkative giggling bimbo, an authoritative meanie, even a proselytizing religious nut -- it depended on my mood. Funny, they hung up and never called again.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! The previous comments have been very entertaining . . . and educational! if someone calls and starts by asking for me by name, I say, "Sure, hang on a second. I'll get her." Then I put the phone up to my radio and turn it on BLAST. I leave it there until I hear the recorded message that says' "If you would like to make a call, please hang up and dial again." That means the annoying party has hung up.
ReplyDeleteIt is rude of them to come into our homes uninvited and at dinner time no less. Those times I forget to check ID I just say "not interested" and hang up..
ReplyDeleteEffective but some of your readers methods might be more fun.
Generally I think the best policy is to hang up and say nothing. The reason I say this is that I gave someone the good got to hell speech and for about 3 weeks afterward I got phone calls from numbers that I did not recognize. Answering there would be silence, then two beeps and then it would hang up. I got these calls up ward of 5 times a day. I started googling these numbers and found other people had the same experience as me. One person was verbally abused because they did answer and asked the call not to call any longer. So I have to wonder why are there phone calls from the same number with the same results. My theory, and it is just a theory, is that these are unscrupulous (as though there are telemarketers with scruples) individuals with telemarketing contracts that must get paid by the answered call. My cell phone is a flip model and to see the number you answer the phone. So I took up the fine art of not answering my phone and afterwards look at the call log, and call back legitimate call. The bogus calls soon quit when I quit answering.
ReplyDeleteAs to whether my number got passed on to some "lets be a pain in the ass service" or not is disputable. I kept getting calls for the individual that I suspect had my cell phone number before me. I explained nicely that I am not that person several times and then one day I explained not so nicely. After that I got no more calls from the original caller but these mystery calls started. Perhaps the Loyal Order Of Telemarketers have an enforcement group. It is rather ironic, something you pay dearly for and it is a pain in your ass.
The telemarketers are getting bolder aren't they? I swear they call way more than they used to. Whatever happened to the do not call list.
ReplyDeleteCaller ID shows the number and if we don't recognize it, we don't answer. We get calls from Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and the winner was a call from Mr. Romeny, recorded, from a phone number in a small town in Kansas. How do they set that up?
ReplyDeleteRomney, sorry for the misspelling.
ReplyDelete