When A Telemarketer Calls Your Phone..

Contributor: Lildrummrgurl7 Lildrummrgurl7
I decline the call.
04/16/2013
Contributor: FieryRed FieryRed
Back when I would get these calls, As soon as I realized they were selling something I'd break in at the first pause and say, "No thank you," and hang up. I had a friend though who would occasionally tell the telemarketer a long story...
04/16/2013
Contributor: Martiniman Martiniman
I politely tell them I'm not interested, then I hang up before they can give me a harder pitch.
04/16/2013
Contributor: Wicked Wahine Wicked Wahine
Quote:
Originally posted by raffi
telemarketers are extremely annoying to me ... i get them calling for sales, donations .. all sorts of crap - and i'm registered on the do not call list. i give them one chance, then i store their number in my phone with a note of when they ... more
This is the most funny way to deal with door to door solicitations! Oh, the dogs, raffi, I would love to see that!
04/16/2013
Contributor: MK434 MK434
I have caller ID so I just don't pick up.
04/16/2013
Contributor: SydneyScreams SydneyScreams
I try to be nice, but I'm on the do not call list, and getting calls puts them at risk if calling from an unblocked number.
04/16/2013
Contributor: Rossie Rossie
We usually check the caller ID to determine whether we should pick up the phone or not. If the same number shows up repeatedly every day, I'll pick up the phone and tell them to remove our number from their list, and never call us again.
04/16/2013
Contributor: Stagger13 Stagger13
Quote:
Originally posted by Wicked Wahine
What do you do when a telemarketer calls your phone?
Tell them the number they used is on the do not call list!
04/16/2013
Contributor: The Vixen The Vixen
I don't usually answer my phone if I don't recognize the number.
04/17/2013
Contributor: sunkissedJess sunkissedJess
I ask them to please stop calling my number, and then I hang up.
04/17/2013
Contributor: Melan!e Melan!e
Typically I'll screen my calls and not answer a telemarketer. I just hate dealing with them and those automated messages really bug me...they're always so loud and call at the worst times.
04/17/2013
Contributor: Gone (LD29) Gone (LD29)
Quote:
Originally posted by Martiniman
I politely tell them I'm not interested, then I hang up before they can give me a harder pitch.
This is what I do also.

If it's a first time call, there's no need to be rude. It's just someone doing their job. I only start asking about being removed from their list if they call me more than once, and I only start getting defensive if I've asked to be removed from their list more than once.
04/17/2013
Contributor: Jordan B Jordan B
I listen and then tell them no thanks bye.
04/17/2013
Contributor: doowop doowop
I actually worked as a telemarketer once for a local cable company. We only called existing customers. It was the most stressful job I've ever had. It made me hate the general public with how ugly and hurtful most of the customers were. A simple "no thank you, take me off the list" would suffice, but most of them practically wished me dead. I didn't have my period for months and I cried every day before or after my shift. But I had to do what I had to do because my city completely lacks jobs. It eventually came down to me choosing to be broke and unemployed over that job because I just couldn't handle it anymore.

Now, I quickly tell telemarketers that I'm not interested and I ask them to take me off the list. I never cussed one out before, but I did dodge their calls. I'd rather get my name off the list so I don't waste their time.
04/17/2013
Contributor: Allstars316 Allstars316
I tend to say that I'm not interested and hang up the phone
04/17/2013
Contributor: Rokmai Rokmai
The only one that still calls me is a wine of the month club, who is programmed into my phone as "Telemarketer".

I can't wait for the day when phones let you block calls for free...
04/17/2013
Contributor: Wicked Wahine Wicked Wahine
Quote:
Originally posted by Rokmai
The only one that still calls me is a wine of the month club, who is programmed into my phone as "Telemarketer".

I can't wait for the day when phones let you block calls for free...
Oh, how I long for the opportunity to block calls! It would take the profit right out of a lot of the abusers & make them work harder to circumvent the law.

Thanks everyone, for all the answers, seems like most of us are NOT the rude, hateful people those who worked a telemarketing job mentioned!
04/18/2013
Contributor: Hummingbird Hummingbird
I've tried many times to tell them I'm not interested but they never listen. I've worked with marketing reps before and that's their job to be aggressive, the only way they can make their commission. But it is my choice to listen or not, unlike a conversation you are having with someone voluntarily you're talking to I find this invasive and just hang up.
04/18/2013
Contributor: Red Vinyl Kitty Red Vinyl Kitty
If I notice VIA caller ID that it's probably a telemarketer, I don't pick up. If I'm in the "mood" to pick up, it's only to tell them that I want to be taken off the list. If they call me AGAIN then I ask to speak to a manager and make THEM take me off the list.

We're on the Do Not Call list, but unfortunately, charities and non profits are still allowed to call you even if you're on the DO Not Call list in our state. I wouldn't mind a rare call now and then, but some organizations call every single day asking for clothes, blankets, used furniture, etc because they will have a truck in my area. Er.. If I didn't have any furniture yesterday, I like do not have it today. Frustrating.
04/18/2013
Contributor: Feisty Feisty
tell the telemarketer never to call again and hang up
04/18/2013
Contributor: Kitka Kitka
Most times I won't answer my phone unless I know the number that's calling.
04/18/2013
Contributor: TransMarc TransMarc
I had some the other day. It went like this:
"We're not interested."
"Oh, but we're not trying to sell you anything, even if you're not interested... blahblahblah"
Then I got them to hang up. When I say, we're not interested, it means WE'RE NOT INTERESTED. Not only that we won't buy. We're not interested in hearing the talk. So it was really weird when they still talked after that, I thought they would hang up, as my mother told me to say we weren't interested and the sentence worked in other cases.
Then another one called from the same company, same day.
"Are you from Company?"
"Yeah, I'm bothering you?"
"Yes, you are."
And the last time they called me I got them to put me on the black list or something.
One day I met an human telemarketer and talked to her and apparently, she was going to get fired because she didn't make enough sales. It was weird because, human.
04/18/2013
Contributor: Sbmsvschoolgirl Sbmsvschoolgirl
I don't usually pick up, but when I do I almost immediately tell them I'm not interested and hang up.
04/18/2013
Contributor: MrWill MrWill
I try to sell them something. I explain to them how wonderful my art would look on their cubicle wall, or try to give them my affiliate code for Eden, and then explain they can get great deals on wonderful sex toys. Then, when I start breathing heavily into the phone... it's over. they hang up, or start laughing.
04/18/2013
Contributor: LAndJ LAndJ
I don't pick up based on the ID
04/18/2013
Contributor: Darling Jen Darling Jen
Quote:
Originally posted by MrWill
I try to sell them something. I explain to them how wonderful my art would look on their cubicle wall, or try to give them my affiliate code for Eden, and then explain they can get great deals on wonderful sex toys. Then, when I start breathing ... more
This is freakin' hilarious and I would love to be the telemarketer on this call!
04/18/2013
Contributor: Darling Jen Darling Jen
Quote:
Originally posted by TransMarc
I had some the other day. It went like this:
"We're not interested."
"Oh, but we're not trying to sell you anything, even if you're not interested... blahblahblah"
Then I got them to hang up. When I say, ... more
People who telemarket for a living are trained not to stop talking with the first objection you give them. They could lose their job for not providing a rebuttal or trying to keep you interested. I've done one of these calls recently (not quite a cold-call, but it was close) and the lady kept saying "Not interested" and she was very polite but... she wouldn't get off the phone! I'm not ALLOWED to hang up or give up. I kept trying to send her mind waves telling her to hang up on me lol. But we both stayed very polite so it wasn't bad. Usually three objections is what it takes.
04/18/2013
Contributor: Wicked Wahine Wicked Wahine
Quote:
Originally posted by Darling Jen
People who telemarket for a living are trained not to stop talking with the first objection you give them. They could lose their job for not providing a rebuttal or trying to keep you interested. I've done one of these calls recently (not quite a ... more
You know, this is a very good point you bring up! I never thought about it that way, you were dying to have her hang up on you, ha ha!

@MrWilly, I would love to see you & raffi in action, you two have such hilarious ways of dealing with this! I bet you break the monotony for the callers & give them some funny war stories to share!
04/19/2013
Contributor: Trysexual Trysexual
Tell them to take me off their list.
04/19/2013
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by Darling Jen
I've done work as a cold-caller before. I wasn't selling something; I was asking for money for my school to people who were connected to it. But I was shocked at how horrible and threatening people felt comfortable being with me on the ... more
The university I graduated from calls me regularly and I hate it.

I try to be polite, but I've asked them repeatedly not to call me and ask for money. They got LOTS of money from when when I went there, I couldn't afford to send my own kids there, as they raised their tuition several hundred percent, and I've told them so. They continue to call me and it really pisses me off. I answer the phone because we have our physicians at the same University and I always assume one of our doctors are calling. I feel bad that they convince students to do this, but when you've told someone NOT to call you repeatedly, it's gets really irritating when they call and just assume you have money to give them. I don't HAVE any extra money, if I did it would go into my children's college fund, not to a university I can't afford to send my own kids to.

My middle daughter hasn't even started paying back her student loans back (which are huge) as she is in grad school and the university she graduated from calls her repeatedly, even though she has asked them to stop.

Maybe the fact that many people feel they have ALREADY paid more than their education is worth (especially in this economy) they are probably short on money, and probably can't afford to pay for their own kids' educations is why they get so angry. People don't like to be reminded they are not doing as well as their university promised them they'd be doing with their education at this point in life.

There never a reason to threaten people, but I have been brought to TEARS trying to get my university to simply STOP asking me for money I don't have. I say, "I don't have any money" and they say, "Oh, only 3 or 4 hundred would be good." WHAT? What part of "I don't have any money!" do these kids NOT understand? Yes, it pisses me off that they won't stop and have even made me cry.

I wish colleges would STOP doing this to their alumni.
04/19/2013