I hung up on a telemarketer today

[Magpie]

Yes, I know that it's not really a good policy. But honestly, when "No, we're not interested" doesn't work, nor does when I (stupidly, I know) explain why I'm not interested in response to her pretend surprise, there really isn't any other way to deal with a third incidence of her pretending that I'm interested in the services she's offering.

Can anyone with a home phone with Rogers tell me if they call less than once a month trying to get you to sign into locked contracts/sell you TV/otherwise harass you? I'm not on the do-not-call list, because most of our telemarketing calls are from our phone company.

And for anyone who has to work in telemarketing, you have my sympathy. The scripts of most of the callers I get really make them sound completely stupid. "You mean you wouldn't want someone else to do your grocery shopping for you?" "You don't have TV with us, so I'm assuming you have TV with our competitor." etc.

[Pairou]

We're on the Do Not Call list. Even then, I try to be polite. It's just someone's job after all. If they persist, I mention being on the list. If they STILL persist or call back, I usually pull a "sorry, so-and-so DIED" (usually a lie, unless it's for certain deceased relatives) and hang up on them, or just the latter.

[Flying Grype]

We're on a DNC list too, but we still get calls. I'm polite with them. But their job requires them to be slightly rude in that they have to talk and talk and talk and not let you get a word in edgewise. As soon as they take a breath I say "Thank you, I'm not interested" and I hang up before they can get in another sentence. No offense to them, but they're wasting my time and I'd be wasting theirs by listening longer and not buying. This way is better for both of us.

[Ghel]

The only telemarketing calls I get at home are scammers pretending to be charities or mortgage brokers. I had one last week try to argue with me when I told him that I wanted him to remove me from his call list. I finally ended up hanging up on him when he told me, "we ARE the government." What a load of crap.

[Bandit]

Unfortunately in Canada, the DNC list allows companies with "existing relationships" to continue to call.

I wouldn't expect any more when the rules were written by Hell Bell, Robbers Rogers, and Hellus TELUS...... the companies who can make the most money from it....

B

[sirwired]

I am rude to, and chew out, illegal telemarketers. The folks doing this have to have heard on the phone in the first 10 minutes of their job how illegal what they are doing is. When it blatantly violates the law, it's "just a job" in the same way working in a shady stock-selling boiler room is "just a job." (Got one of those just last week.) No sympathy from me.

Really, even before the DNC list, I chewed out telemarketers. It was rude for them to waste my time to begin with; I had no problem with being rude right back.

I figure that the quicker the phone jockey gets burnt out, the higher the turnover costs for the scum will be, and the less profitable the whole operation is.

SirWired

[RxBoy]

Typically, I just say "No thank-you" and hang up the phone.

[Stormraven]

Same as RxBoy, well, more or less.

On getting a call from someone I don't know, I first ask, 'Who's calling?'. Then, 'And what is this regarding?'. If either of those answers are evasive, I say 'no, thank you.', and hang up. I don't give them a chance to respond or push.

If their answers are honest and straightforward, I'm usually willing to find out how they got our number, and politely let them know we're on the DNC list.

[fma_fanatic]

This is exactly why I like my call block feature. I don't care if they're a company I do business with. If I tell them not to call, I expect (and yeah, call me sucky) that request to be honored.

Apparenty AT&T has this clause in their Terms of Service now. So I'll just be adding numbers to my call block list when it comes to that.

[Magpie]

Unfortunately in Canada, the DNC list allows companies with "existing relationships" to continue to call.

Yeah. And this is why I'm not bothering to sign up. Heck, telemarketers who would have to stop calling are a welcome break from the ones who would continue to be allowed to call. I'm really tempted to convince my husband that we should switch to Rogers, and get the next Bell telemarketer to put in our file that we will switch if we receive another such call.

I've had them try to trick me into locking into a two-year contract with them, twice try to sell me TV, and we keep getting call after call after call that seems to have no purpose.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

"no thank you" does not legally obligate them to stop calling. "Do not call again" does'

[underemployeed]

I just got a call form my university that I graduated from in May last year asking If i wanted to donate only $500. Even after i mentioned Im working part time minmum wage because the economy is so bad in america and I can't seem to find a good job in my field since i have little experience. I let her go through the speil because it is the first call they have made that my mom forwarded to me, and it made me laugh. because it went into how we in our centienal year. And they have aggresive plans for expansion. And how they have scholarships. How about $250! Then asked if i got any scholarships while I was there, so how about $100. I mentioned about, well I just spent how many thousands on tution in the last year. then she asked, how about joing many of your fellow alumni at the $50 level. I'm almost in tears from laughing, So i asked her if they had a $25 level, She said no. which i replied GOOD because I wouldn't do that either. In retrospect I should ahve asked they call me back with a job offer for the one positon I applied to and I would make a donation.

[Magpie]

"no thank you" does not legally obligate them to stop calling. "Do not call again" does'

"Do not call again" doesn't seem to work, and I'm not sure we can require them to take us off their list, what with the "prior business relationship" loophole.

Hence me wondering if the other phone company is any better about not harassing us.

[underemployeed]

"Do not call again" doesn't seem to work, and I'm not sure we can require them to take us off their list, what with the "prior business relationship" loophole.

Hence me wondering if the other phone company is any better about not harassing us.

This actually reminded me of "The dove foundation" or something like that, they were constantly calling my house for my mom to take a survey at least weekly about cleaning up TV. So I grabbed the phone one day and took the survey. Mentioned my 3 kids (i was 17 with none) but they I took them for a ride when I started describing the suggestive sex scenes and how it was wrong to see the couple laying in bed after what was obviously sex. They were speechless when I said "Yeah I want my kids to see that slut getting slammed" then went into violence and how when they show guy with gun black screen with gunshots, then blood on wall. of they also need to see it happen. needless to say after that they didn't want to finish the survey and never called back.

So if you have some time, have fun with them. their day sucks. At the very least they will think your nuts and not worth calling. Which is why I can't wait for the next call asking for money. Im either going to ask htem for their home # since they have mine and well they sound cute. Or if I'm gonna get something named after me. like " Underemployeed's overpriced plaque"

[rageaholic]

I wouldn't lose any sleep over hanging up on them. The simple fact is a lot of them will not take no for an answer. Therefore, waiting for them to hang up is a non option. The way I feel is why should I have to listen to a sales pitch unless I am interested?

In the end, hanging up is probably the most polite thing to do if you're not interested. Hell, it probably makes it much easier on the phone jockey (correct me if I'm wrong).