A typical day for a telemarketer

[UkyoKuonji2004]

For two years, I called Americans offering them garbage. 'Nuff said.
Also, because of the way outbound works, all I called were American numbers. So I'm not being racist or anything, they were just who I called. I can't do anything to change that because the computers dial our numbers. I'm well aware that there are jerks of all nationalities and religions, I just haven't encountered many of them yet.

Starting out a normal day:

SC: Hello?
Me: Hi may I speak with-
SC: NO YOU MAY NOT!
Click!

Thank you. Next:

SC: Hello?
Me: Hi may I speak with <woman's name>?
SC: This is her is there a message?
Me: o_O

What did she want me to say, "That's okay I'll call back when all your lights are on?" Anyways, next:

SC: Hi welcome to <pizza place> may I take your order?
Note: We're not supposed to be calling businesses on this program, so whenever we get a business we are supposed to exit the call.
Me: I'm sorry I must have the wrong number.
SC: You called <pizza place>.
Me: Yes, and I apologize for my call. Tha-
SC: You just called <pizza place> so make an order!
Th(thought): You must be kidding me -_-
Me: No that's fine, thank you.
SC: Whatever, stupid b***h.
Click!

Funny, I don't remember seeing that name anywhere in my birth certificate. Next:

SC: Hello?
Me: Hi may I-
Click!
Me: o_O

The usual classics. I get them about 50 times a day.

After about a half hour of this a supervisor tells me she wants me to go on another program. In this program all I'm doing is calling old cardmembers from a company and activating their new cards and reminding them to destroy their expired ones. Easy right? Wrong:

SC(Man with a very thick southern accent): Hello?
Me: Hi may I speak with Amber <last name>?
SC: ...
Me: ... Hello?
SC: Do I sooooound like an Aaaaamber to you?
Me: (Startled by the loudness of his voice) N-No sir. May I speak with her please?

That call began promising -_- Next:

SC(man): Hello?
Me: Hi may I speak with Heather <last name>?
SC: Okay sure. Hang on a second.
Th: It took me an hour and I finally get a sensible call...
SC: (Same guy, imitating a woman voice) Hi. This is Heather.
Me: -_- I'll call back another time...
SC: GOOD!
Click!

*sighs* Next:

SC(man): Hello?
Me: Hi may I speak with <man's name>?
SC: Will... you give me... A BLOW JOOOOOOOB?!
Snap! That be my patience
Click! That be SC hanging up
Me: (looking at the address and seeing it's California) You gonna pay for my plane ticket buddy?

At that point I gave up and took a few minutes off. Starting a shift as a TSR is the hardest part of the day.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Hi, yes, I'd like to leave a message for you. Will you please pass it along to yourself, thank you. :huh?:

[UkyoKuonji2004]

Hi, yes, I'd like to leave a message for you. Will you please pass it along to yourself, thank you. :huh?:

Yeah that's where I got confused too XD Some people just don't realize what they're saying lmao

[Kara]

You probably have the worst job in the world. I've never yelled at a telemarketer, but I hang up as soon as they call me. Of course, working for a wireless phone company I don't even have a landline, so they aren't supposed to call me (even though I get more minutes than you can imagine on the employee plan, this is some kind of regulation so they don't waste your minutes), they still do.

I'm glad I only take inbound calls.

[UkyoKuonji2004]

You probably have the worst job in the world. I've never yelled at a telemarketer, but I hang up as soon as they call me. Of course, working for a wireless phone company I don't even have a landline, so they aren't supposed to call me (even though I get more minutes than you can imagine on the employee plan, this is some kind of regulation so they don't waste your minutes), they still do.

I'm glad I only take inbound calls.

Trust me. MANY people hang up without saying anything. You're not alone.

[Imogene]

MANY people hang up

Got a call from my bank a few weeks ago, and the guy was trying to sell me some new program that adds my credit score to my account info or something. Told him no, he repeated himself. So I hung up.

I know, try three times and all that, but, he didn't change his pitch. He repeated himself, word for word.

[CRXPanda]

I worked for AT&T in 1988-92 when telemarketing was in its infancy. When we called US numbers from THE U.S.!!! Not to mention, CALLER ID was not in force as it is now. We had something on the inbound programs in 1992 called A.N.I. (Automatic Number Identification) but we weren't allowed to tell the people who called us that we had their number. Now, just realize that you are doing something that has been happening in the US for way over two decades...and now the consumer has caller ID and blocking and much more at their disposal to find out "who's calling me". You can even google the 800, 888, and out of town numbers and there's like a bulletin board of times and what they were calling about.

Some play funny games, like the blowjob one...some just hang up.

I just don't answer when it's a number I don't recognize.

[BookstoreEscapee]

My dad likes to tell them he'll give them one chance to say our name correctly (because they always say it wrong), and if they do then maybe he'll talk to them. So they try again, and then there are 2 possible outcomes:

-Sorry, wrong again (even if they're not). Please take me off your list. Bye.

or

-That's right. But maybe I won't talk to you after all. Please take me off your list. Bye.

[UkyoKuonji2004]

My dad likes to tell them he'll give them one chance to say our name correctly (because they always say it wrong), and if they do then maybe he'll talk to them. So they try again, and then there are 2 possible outcomes:

-Sorry, wrong again (even if they're not). Please take me off your list. Bye.

or

-That's right. But maybe I won't talk to you after all. Please take me off your list. Bye.

In a telemarketers language both sentences mean the same, so you really didn't give us two options. lol

[Kilamon]

My dad likes to tell them he'll give them one chance to say our name correctly (because they always say it wrong), and if they do then maybe he'll talk to them. So they try again, and then there are 2 possible outcomes:

-Sorry, wrong again (even if they're not). Please take me off your list. Bye.

or

-That's right. But maybe I won't talk to you after all. Please take me off your list. Bye.

I've done this. I've gotten some fascinating variations on my name that way. You'd think it'd be easy. *sigh* The Fiancee's name is worse and people screw that one up 10 ways to Sunday. She's already admitted to taking on my name for the simple fact that she won't have to sign a longer name on checks.

Another thing that I'll do is listen politely and decline, very nicely, at which time, WITHOUT FAIL, the telemarketer or survey person becomes pushy. I hate that. If I decline once, and I usually say no a second time, then I am going to hang up. I'm not being rude, just matter of fact and I already tried being nice.

[Horsetuna]

I politely tell them I'm not interested.

what I am getting though is MACHINES calling me.

And there's always one that says 'please hold for an important message'. Over and over again.

I'm definitely not buying what you are selling if you dont want a REAL person to talk to me.

[ditchdj]

Pre-recorded telemarketing calls are actually illegal. Sadly, most people dont know this or refuse to believe it which is why it's popular today.

[UkyoKuonji2004]

In our call center there's sort of a three strike rule. In other words, if the customer says their not interested, we are REQUIRED(by Federal law) to make another attempt(called a rebuttal). After this, if the customer says no again, the TSR is again REQUIRED(again by federal law) to make another one, different from the first attempt and the offer(but obviously still offereing the same product). So it's not really our fault, it's just the law makes us do that. Either that or we'll be fired. I think I know where I stand, my income is a lot more important than these wise asses I get on the phone.

[Kara]

UkyoKuonji2004, have you ever heard the album "Revenge on the Telemarketers" by Tom Mabe? As soon as he realizes it's a telemarketer, he starts messing with them. Probably not the kind of guy you'd want to talk to, but it's absolutely hilarious.

I have a link to one of his calls. There's some laughing all the way through it since this was prerecorded then played live on the Bob and Tom radio show: http://www.ebaumsworld.com/2006/10/t...emarketer.html Everyone should hear this if you haven't already

[RecoveringKinkoid]

"And there's always one that says 'please hold for an important message'. Over and over again"

This blows me away. I hang up as soon as I recognize that it's a machine. Usually, I hear "Please hold..." and the phone goes back onto the cradle without a second thought. Does anyone NOT do this? How it is even possible that there are enough people who actually stay on the line to make this an effective business model?