Phone spam
I am getting way too many unsolicited phone calls of an evening. I had 3 on Wednesday, 1 last night (but I went out so there could have been more) and have had another tonight. It is really pissing me off to the point I have considered contacting my local MP, or perhaps even my federal one (after all Simon Crean is always sending me nice letters offering to help with my problems).
I don't know what they wanted because nowadays I hang up on them before they can tell me. You can tell straight away - if you have to say "Hello" twice before anyone answers you, it's a safe bet you've been rung from a call centre. My current strategy is:
Me: "Hello"
Phone: (silence)
/me hangs up
Does this make me a bad person?
posted by Trace @ 9:54 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
No, it doesn't make you a bad person. I should adopt the same strategy we've had the same guy (or at least a very similar guy, and certainly from the same company) call our place four times in the last week or so. The last time I finally realised he was a telemarketer (he'd originally said he wanted to speak to my housemate Darren about the phone bill, and since it was in his name I just said he wasn't home at the moment). However, it took me a good 5 minutes of conversation on the third call to convince the guy we weren't interested in his phone plan (which he insisted didn't involved changing anything, the git), and I still got another call from the same guy (or, again, at least same people) a few days later.
It's bollocks. Any company that relies on the small amount of sales generated by cold-calling should be made to fail, and it's obscene that it's risen because I know for a fact the legislation has got tougher on them in the last 12 months (they reduced the size of the Outbound calls team in sales at Primus to about a fifth of its original size for this reason, if that gives you an idea). We're not the only people to notice this recently, either... One friend made up a name because he had so many of them at his work number and answered a few questions, and then was called back within three days by someone wanting to speak to the non-existant Bob.
I agree, I adopt the exact same strategy. If no one answers immediately, and I've dead air, I hang up. Often Dean then phones back because he was adjusting the mobile, but other than that it works well. :-)
Trace no bad - call centre bad.
I like the idea of answering and then just walking away from the phone...bugger em
Personally - I plan to change the phone number I've had for the last 10 years - stuff the little buggers! (oh.. well - yes - I can't take it with me to the new house....but, same yes?)
SJ
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