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AIBU?

Was this the rudest cold caller ever?

95 replies

otchayaniye · 10/07/2011 14:39

I was at home looking after toddler while husband slept off his night shift (small one-level apartment)

Phone goes and it's a marketing call from Sony, obviously from overseas (from someone called Dayan, so am thinking South India, or likely Colombo), asking if I had a Sony TV. I briskly said I did, bought when I lived in Asia but that I was sorry, I couldn't talk now as I was busy putting child for a nap and didn't want to answer questions (he was reeling off my address to me). I then clicked off.

Phone goes again. It's him. I repeated that I couldn't speak as people sleeping and noise will wake them. He continued to ask for my postcode. I said no and clicked off.

Now you'd think I'd turn my landline off. But since moving back to the country just picked up any old phone and cannot for the life of me work out how to mute it or switch the damn thing off. Really, I'm good normally with electronics but this has a plug I can't reach and you can't mute it on the actual phone itself. Plus I was in a panic trying to run away from all the sleeping people so they wouldn't wake up.

He calls. Says he 'doesn't care about sleepers, I will keep calling 'ma'am' until you give me your postcode'. I click off.

This ridiculous farrago goes on 20 times with him calling back to shout at me that he 'will get my address!' and me saying "no!" and clicking off.

Eventually I go out into the corridor and chuck the phone on the roof!

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worraliberty · 10/07/2011 14:41

Yeah right Grin

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otchayaniye · 10/07/2011 14:42

eh?

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oohjarWhatsit · 10/07/2011 14:42

how hilarious

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worraliberty · 10/07/2011 14:44

He called 22 times? Hmm

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otchayaniye · 10/07/2011 14:45

I mean has anyone had a call from Sony (or another company) like this? It was freaky.

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LRDTheFeministNutcase · 10/07/2011 14:46

That sounds more like a scammer than a legit cold caller.

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otchayaniye · 10/07/2011 14:47

Honestly he did. He must have flipped after I cut him off briskly.

I had to put the phone somewhere I couldn't hear it. There were further missed calls (guessing him as no one I know uses my landline) when I went to retrieve it hours later.

It really freaked me out

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otchayaniye · 10/07/2011 14:48

Well yes, that's what I thought. He rattled off my address but wanted my postcode (which you could get by Googling)

It was weird and his anger was weird

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worraliberty · 10/07/2011 14:48

You threw it on the roof rather than bury it under a pile of cushions or washing or something?

Also, how does that stop the base from ringing? Confused

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PuppyMonkey · 10/07/2011 14:49

Should've left the phone of the hook for a bit.

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ThumbsNoseAtSnapewitch · 10/07/2011 14:50

Why didn't you just leave the phone off the hook?

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otchayaniye · 10/07/2011 14:51

the base doesn't ring, the handset does. Nowhere to put it in our small flat - honestly. Had to leave the flat.

Leaving it off the hook does nothing -- it's a handheld.

Listen, if I wanted to make something up, I'd go to town. Just wondered if anyone had had such treatment before in UK. I've been living in Asia and had noticed that I was getting LOTS of cold calls since returning. This was WEIRD though.

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ThumbsNoseAtSnapewitch · 10/07/2011 14:53

even handheld phones can be made off the hook - you just press for dial tone - ta dah! Unless it's one of those that cancels the dial tone after a few seconds if you don't do anything useful with it...

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ThumbsNoseAtSnapewitch · 10/07/2011 14:53

Alternatively, just place the handset facedown somewhere while he's still talking, leaving him talking to nothing.

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worraliberty · 10/07/2011 14:54

Oh well fair enough...

No, I haven't had that sort of treatment because I'm registered with TPS.

Google it and get yourself registered...takes while for the calls to stop, but they do or you can report them and the company gets fined.

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manticlimactic · 10/07/2011 14:56

Unplug the phone at the socket?

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otchayaniye · 10/07/2011 14:57

"Unless it's one of those that cancels the dial tone after a few seconds if you don't do anything useful with it..."

It's one of those.

He was shouting and I was beginning to panic. I realise I sound like a cretin but to be honest just wanted the fucking ringing to stop without it waking everyone up. Didn't have time to get the manual out although I pressed every setting I could think of.

Can I use TPS if my phone contract is with Talk Talk? I thought not (had asked huaband about it) but I will as these calls always come at kids bedtime and drive me INSANE and wake my husband up when he's sleeping off a shift.

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otchayaniye · 10/07/2011 14:58

"Unplug the phone at the socket?"

Behind a heavy bookshelf - I did try!

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worraliberty · 10/07/2011 15:00

I don't know.

If not, I imagine Talk Talk has it's own thing?

Still don't know why you didn't bury it under some cushions.

Is it still on the roof?

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AmyStake · 10/07/2011 15:01

Some American bitch woman rang our house about 5 years ago, told my mum she'd won a cruise. My mum said "no thanks" (honestly, she's v polite!) and the bitch woman told my mum to "go fuck herself then"!!

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purplepidjin · 10/07/2011 15:02

I had some dude call about a questionnaire. On the work number. Didn't seem to understand that I don't answer questions about my service users unless the person asking needs the info (confidentiality)

It took nigh on a dozen consecutive and increasingly stroppy responses for me to get it through his thick skull. "No" is a complete sentence, my hairy arse!

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ChickensHaveNoEyebrows · 10/07/2011 15:03

I'm registered with TPS and still bet scam phone calls. We had one ring back after DH gave a brief 'No thank you' and hung up. He ranted to DH that he was going to sell our details to everyone, that he knew where we lived, that he'd make our lives hell etc. DH enjoyed himself immensely swearing at him in Irish, before singing him a rendition of 'You're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool'. The caller eventually gave up. Considering how bad DHs singing is, I'm amazed he lasted as long as he did.

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SchrodingersMew · 10/07/2011 15:04

We had one of these just under a year ago.

Foreign man saying he was from a "fix your debt" type thing.

I told him that we didn't have any debt and were waiting on an important phone call and he just kept calling back, eventually swearing and shouting abuse over the phone because I wouldn't give any details. Admittedly I started getting pissed off and shouting back, obviously didn't help matters any and he literally called for about an hour.

We got calls like this every night for a week! Shock

Then we registered with TPS and it got better fairly quickly. :)

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FabbyChic · 10/07/2011 15:05

Your base has the other end of the lead that goes into the wall, you can remove it from the base and the phone will not ring.

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otchayaniye · 10/07/2011 15:09

I checked that Fabbychic. No, it's joined further down which sadly is behind a big bookcase.

I don't have many cushions and besides they are right on the wall by the bedroom where my husband was sleeping (think Tokyo style apartment) and the phone is loud, really loud and for some unknown reason (it's a pile of shit basically) I can't turn it down.



I'll try tio register with

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