Call Centres

[csalt]

Recently we, and several other people we know have been 'plagued', and I use the word deliberately! by persons calling themselves "UK Finance" cold calling and trying to sell mortgages.
From their accents they are no more UK than the man in the moon. You can barely understand a word of their 'English' They keep on and on..if you let them so now the minute we hear "UK Fimance" we hang up staright away.
Some of the people we know who have been annoyed by this are elderly people living alone. One wonders where they get the phone numbers from. It's like being stalked

 

[shpj4]

I have Caller ID and when I see a number that I am not familiar with I just let the answering machine answer. There are dozens of companies out there that are trying to re-finance your home for you and do construction also at your home.

My favorite is when someone calls and ask for donations for the Police Fund and the Fireman's Fund.

 

[redkitty]

I never answer my phone unless I know whos calling.

 

[Andy M.]

I never answer my phone unless I know whos calling.

I never know who's calling unless I answer my phone!

 

[auntieshelly]

I have Caller ID, too. If you do not have this, just let the call go to your message machine. Most of the time, they hang up if they do not get a "real" person and don't even leave a message. I have also put my name on the "Do Not Call List" that is available here. It is free and since I have registered, I receive very few calls (none during the last two months). I agree, the calls you are receiving are scams. The best thing to do is what you are doing -- hang up. After a while, they may get the message and take your name off their lists. Good luck!

 

[GB]

Let me give some advise from someone who has been on the other side of the fence.

I used to be one of those people calling you during dinner. That is right, I was a telemarketer. Please keep in mind that telemarketers are people too. They are someones mother or father, son or daughter, even grandparents do it. They are trying to earn an honest living. Please treat them with respect. Do on just hand up on them. Do not call them names. Do not blow whistles in their ears. They do ot deserve treatment like that. And before you tell me that they are annoying you and should not be calling, do not forget that there are plenty of other people who annoy you during the day, but you would never treat them the way most telemarketers get treated on a daily, wait let me change that to hourly basis.

While you may not want the products or services that are being offered, there are millions of people who do. If no one wanted these things then there would be no telemarketers.

My advise to people who are bothered by these calls is to treat the person on the other end of the phone with the respect you would want someone to show you. If you do ot want their product then tell them so, but do it politely. "Thank you for the offer, but I really do not want xyz. If you could take me off your list then that would be great. Thank you". Sure some of the callers will try a hard sell at that point, but if you start out polite then most callers will thank you for your time and take you off thier list.

When I was doing calls like this I had people tell me to die in a fire. Others told me they hoped my whole family was killed. Others said I weas worse then a pedophile. The funny thing is I was calling from their own bank with a way to (sometimes) save then tens of thousands of dollars and it would not cost them anything or require any effort on their part, but people here someone on the other end of the line giving them a "pitch" and all of a sudden that person is lower than the dirt on their shoes.

OK I am off my soapbox now. This topic just gets to me every time.

 

[jpmcgrew]

www.donotcall.gov I signed up here and it works.We still get a few calls fom local stuff but by law if you tell them to take you off their call list they must do so.

 

[csalt]

GB sorry you were treated so rudely. We are not rude to the people. We tell them we cannot understand their English; that we are not interested in their product and then when they persist, we hang up.

 

[GB]

csalt that is a great way to handle it. By all means hang up if they do not take no for an answer. They are the ones being rude at that point, not you.

I hope my post did not imply that I think anyone here is one of those rude type of people. That certaily was not my intent as I have no way of knowing what anyone here does or does not do in situation like this. If I came across that way then I do apologize!

 

[Candocook]

If I don't want to talk to an unknown person who has presumed to intrude on my phone, I have NO trouble hanging up on them. AS apparently (pre-no call list days), they had no problem hanging up on ME when I asked them how they purported to know my husband--and lie to me.
The NO Call list is heaven on earth. NOw if they would just expand it to politicians and the ever present hired-help-charities.

 

[GB]

I have NO trouble hanging up on them. AS apparently (pre-no call list days), they had no problem hanging up on ME when I asked them how they purported to know my husband--and lie to me.

The problem with this is that you are saying you have no problem being rude to an entire group of people because of the actions of one or two (or whatever the number was). The people that you hang up on are (probably) not the ones who lied to you in the first place. They are just doing their job.

 

[lyndalou]

GB, thanks for the reminder. We all can use a wake up call now and then. I don't have caller I.D. so answer the phone when it rings, but I try to be polite and ask to be taken off a list. I will hang up if the person on the line becomes persistent and won't take no for an answer.

We are on the do not call list, but somehow they get through.

 

[jpmcgrew]

HB used to let them talk their stuff and then tell them I dont think I want that.I finally got him to stop them short because I think they rather have you do that then you letting them repeat the same thing they have been saying all day to other people.All I do is the minute they say who they are I say no thank you and please take me off your phone list and then just simply hang up.I dont think thats too rude but short and to the point.This way nobodys time is wasted.

 

[YT2095]

I think the Worst part about these Damm call centers abroad is inefficiency as well as lack of english speaking "staff"

I got totaly F***ed over about 3 weeks ago by Llyods TSB talking to some foll in India or Pakistan and asked for my Science Budget to be transfered to X account.

a few days later I was purchasing on this account and used this months budget (nothing out the ordinary).

I had a statement arrive a while later saying I was OverDrawn!!!!!?????

Whut! How?

turns out this foll on the other end never transfered the cash over!

I soon got it sorted out and fully reimbursed for all charges and inconvenience etc...

Damm their Socks!

 

[JoAnn L.]

HB used to let them talk their stuff and then tell them I dont think I want that.I finally got him to stop them short because I think they rather have you do that then you letting them repeat the same thing they have been saying all day to other people.All I do is the minute they say who they are I say no thank you and please take me off your phone list and then just simply hang up.I dont think thats too rude but short and to the point.This way nobodys time is wasted.

We do exactly the same thing at our house.

 

[csalt]

YT... you should hear my DH on the subject of Call Centres either not carrying out instructions or doing it incorrectly.

We contribute a service charge in the village where we live. DH manages the finances for the Board of D's. The money is reinvested in Bank Bonds every 3 months and EVERY three months they fail to carry out a simple instruction!
Last time they added a nought. Instead of 2 noughts they added 3, which made the day to day management A/C overdrawn! DH doesn't often get annoyed but he was furious!If it were not for the fact that he checks up on them all the time through the internet the mistake would not have been picked up so quickly. As you say, they corrected it and gave some compensation but he has come to dread the 3 monthly process as he has to spell it out in 3 letter words and even then they get it wrong! and you can NEVER get to speak to a Manager!!

 

[Candocook]

The problem with this is that you are saying you have no problem being rude to an entire group of people because of the actions of one or two (or whatever the number was). The people that you hang up on are (probably) not the ones who lied to you in the first place. They are just doing their job.

I did NOT say that I (formerly) just pre-emptively hung up on every telemarketer and I don't particularly much care for you presuming that (as you have said to me previously). That would be rude, and I am not.
I did say that I had no problem telling them I was not interested, thank you and goodbye. That is a "hang up", in my book/parlance/use. The ones that were rude were the ones who said "Hi, can I speak to Frank.(husband's "name"). "What is this concerning". "I wanna speak to Frank. I have an investment for him and he called me about it". "I handle the family investments and he did not call you." Click on his end.
On the other hand, when a cold caller said, "I'd like to discuss an investment with Dr._____" to which I could reply that we were "well set up with an advisor but thank you for being so courteous"
Actually the financial advisor with whom we are well pleased was a cold call about 15 years ago.

 

[GB]

Candocook, I am just going on what you said. I am not presuming anything. You said

I have NO trouble hanging up on them

You did not say

I did say that I had no problem telling them I was not interested, thank you and goodbye.

as you say you said above. I was just going on what you actually said.

 

[StirBlue]

Let me give some advise from someone who has been on the other side of the fence.

I used to be one of those people calling you during dinner. That is right, I was a telemarketer. Please keep in mind that telemarketers are people too. They are someones mother or father, son or daughter, even grandparents do it. They are trying to earn an honest living. Please treat them with respect. Do on just hand up on them. Do not call them names. Do not blow whistles in their ears. They do ot deserve treatment like that. And before you tell me that they are annoying you and should not be calling, do not forget that there are plenty of other people who annoy you during the day, but you would never treat them the way most telemarketers get treated on a daily, wait let me change that to hourly basis.

While you may not want the products or services that are being offered, there are millions of people who do. If no one wanted these things then there would be no telemarketers.

My advise to people who are bothered by these calls is to treat the person on the other end of the phone with the respect you would want someone to show you. If you do ot want their product then tell them so, but do it politely. "Thank you for the offer, but I really do not want xyz. If you could take me off your list then that would be great. Thank you". Sure some of the callers will try a hard sell at that point, but if you start out polite then most callers will thank you for your time and take you off thier list.

When I was doing calls like this I had people tell me to die in a fire. Others told me they hoped my whole family was killed. Others said I weas worse then a pedophile. The funny thing is I was calling from their own bank with a way to (sometimes) save then tens of thousands of dollars and it would not cost them anything or require any effort on their part, but people here someone on the other end of the line giving them a "pitch" and all of a sudden that person is lower than the dirt on their shoes.

OK I am off my soapbox now. This topic just gets to me every time.

Thank you GB. This topic came up in my Sunday School class. I teach 16-18 yr olds. They were bragging about how they deal with telemarketers. I pointed out that they will be sharing the gospel with others throughout their lives and many people will respond to them in this same manner.

Sure there are scams out there but a telemarketer will never ask you for your personal information. I thank you for sharing your experience. Outside of my profession in business management, I have worked in many job capacities to include telemarketing and fast food. I relate to my children in a very positive manner because these are the types of jobs where they work.

People look down their noses at CEO's because they do not have a big stack of papers on their desk. We do not have a big stack of paper and files on our desk because that is not our job!

 

[fireweaver]

haha, GB, i'm right there with ya. i, too, was an evil telemarketer, shilling out credit cards during people's dinner hours, recieving curses of death & dismemberment. ah, yes, maintaining the polite, smooth voice, "sorry to disturb you, if you have any further questions about this call, please call 1-800-etc," whilst people literally screamed cursewords at me for singlehandedly bringing about the downfall of modern civilization.

i was paying my way through college, and this was a job that let me work blocks of hours after my regular class times. demonspawn, student, same thing, right?

since then, i'm pretty nice to the people who have to call me. i have even been known on occasion to coach the next generation on their sales pitch.

but the best way i've found to dramatically reduce the cold calls? cancelled my land line completely, and now i only have the cell phone.