....to be so ANGRY at the way people speak to me? (RANT)

[tigermoll]

I work in a call centre. It's hardly my dream job, and most days it makes me want to put my head on the desk and cry. I have been applying for other jobs since I started here (6 months) but, (as you may be aware ) it is not a brilliant time to look for work. So I'm stuck here for the forseeable future.

Often, very often, when I call people they are so rude and aggresive it can bring tears to my eyes. The people I call have voluntarily put their phone number into a request for information, so can hardly be surprised that they then recieve a call. However, this doesn't stop them from swearing at me, denying they ever made the enquiry, accusing me of lying about the enquiry, blowing whistles at me, claiming to have never ever heard of the company I'm calling from, or indeed the service we offer, sometimes even denying that they are the person they said they were a few moments ago, or that they even know what the internet is, mocking me, sighing, tutting, ranting, deliberately wasting my time then hanging up, asking aggressive questions in an attempt to 'catch me out' as they see it, and being as patronising and dismissive as they can. They assume that they can speak to me however they like, in a way they would never dare to speak to my face.

I understand that recieving calls can get annoying for people. In this case I would respectfully suggest that they:

Go on the TPS register
Get an answerphone to screen their calls,
carefully check any form or enquiry they make and tick the 'do not contact me in the future' box
and:
STOP PUTTING THEIR PHONE NUMBER INTO WEBSITES

But, no matter how irritated the recipient of the call may be, or how justified they may feel, do they forget that they are talking to a human being? A human being who:
a) is unlikly to be doing the job out of a strong desire to work as a call centre operative, and more likely, works long hours at low pay in a job they dislike.
b) is not responsible for the business model of the company, - it wasn't their idea to make all these calls.
c)is not a shareholder in the company, and probably doesnt like their employer very much
d) has no power whatsoever to take them off OTHER companies' phone lists, or change the fact that other companies may be contacting them, especially if they make a habit of chucking their phone number around.

It is actually illegal for a company to 'cold call' - ie get your number and phone you without obtaining your prior consent. So when you do recieve a call, it is as a result of your actions (ie you have given them your number and not ticked a box that says they can't pass it on), NOT because the company calling is EVIL.

If you are called by a company, and have no interest in the service they are offering, why not just politely say 'Thanks for your time, but I am not interested in the service you are offering. Cheers, bye.' There is no need to act out your irritation in a pettish display of superiority just because you feel yourself so justified that you can act any way you like.

Grrr. Here endeth the rant.

[worraliberty]

Sorry but many many telephone companies totally bullshit people

Most of the time you'll find they've asked for a call regarding...say double glazing and then their phone number gets sold on to lots of other companies as a mailing list.

Simply telling them you'r registered with TPS (as I am) doesn't always shut them up...some of them decide it doesn't apply to them for whatever reason.

Once you've had your sleep/dinner/whatever disturbed more than a few times in a week, It's quite natural to want to tell them to fuck off and leave you alone

Though I'm not normally that rude, I just remind them their company can receive a fine and then hang up.

[worraliberty]

Oh and you shouldn't have to tick a bloody box telling them not to pass your number on. You should have to tick a box allowing them to pass it on.

But of course these bloody cowboys know that not everyone spots that in the small print.

[aldiwhore]

Its a horrible job, but you cannot blame people for being annoyed. They may be telling the truth, they may not have seen the small print that says "You will now get nightly calls from 3rd party companies". I'm afraid you'll just have to roll with it, learn to deal with it and DO NOT take it personally. You're a voice on a phone, not a real person with real feelings, you're not ringing them for a chat, you're ringing them to sell them something.

I've done your job and never would again. I took it personally. You just cannot do that.

People are usually polite for the very ocassional sales calls, but when you're getting four a night you either get angry, you play games to at least get a little enjoyment from it, or you hang up...

I was called every day of 3 weeks by one company (and I am pretty careful who I give my number to) and every day for a week I said 'no thankyou la la la' but after a while I had to say 'please stop ringing me you're pissing me right off'... it was a different telesales operative every day, but for me, it was the same irritant. I think I eventually told them to fuck off.

Its a horrible job, but then, what you're being paid to do is also pretty horrible and annoying.

[aldiwhore]

worra at one company I worked for they'd just tick the 'allow' box or rub it out.

I lasted a week there! Grr.

[faverolles]

YANBU.

But, I am registered with TPS. I never put my phone number on any websites, or ask for more information, yet I still get squillions of these calls every day. Usually in the two hour tea, bath, bed time. And I'm not always as polite as I should be.
I can't screen calls, because a lot of friends use different phone providers, and their numbers come up as Private, Unavailable or International.

I do feel for you though, it must be one of the most demoralizing jobs out there.

[cuteboots]

I work on a big sales floor and on a daily basis we are bombarded with cold calls. They are mainly for our accounts team who wont take the call or our tech support team who also vet calls and refuse to take them! Im always very polite and inform them that we dont take cold calls as a company but still they call. I may start using the "your comany can recieve a fine bit". I do feel for you though as it must be a very tough job to do.

[coraltoes]

Of course, websites with a tick box aren't at all sneaky...leaving many unticked for you apart from the "pls fee free to call me to sell me shit, pass my number around so others can sell me shit, and generally sell me shit" box, which you have to often actively seek out to untick. Then the call you receive is aautomated thing, "pls hold" cos of course i should hold for someone to sell me shit.

I am however polite to the people who call and are not automated messages.

Do not get me started on people who knock on my door to SELL ME SHIT.

[worraliberty]

I can believe that Aldi

Also the telesales person needs to realise that they're getting paid to annoy/disturb people so a certain amount of understanding on their part is required imo.

I'm not paid to keep leaving the kitchen when I'm cooking/dash out of the bath/whatever to answer these people

[Pascha]

I agree with all the points worraliberty has said. You should definitely have to opt in, not opt out; but I also agree with you tigermoll, that there is no excuse at all for being rude to the phone operative who is just doing a job and is not in any way responsible for you being on their list.

I hope you find another job soon.

[Angel786]

Op you hAve a right to not be harassed at work, if it's making you feel that bad speak to your manager.

The customers may not have knowingly entered their number, sometimes other ppl do fir a joke, so etimes numbers are passed to third parties and although they consented they probably don't remember.

I've received so many calls from club lacosta even though I've told them several times I am not interested and it really winds me up.

[emsyj]

Sorry, but if you ring my house it is my phone and my home and you are intruding into it. It is up to me how I choose to respond. I am pestered constantly by callers asking for someone called Mr Bowden, but no such person has ever lived at my house. No matter how many times I tell them, they keep on calling. I now tell them to f* off. I put up with it and was polite for almost 2 years, but everyone has a limit.

I would think if it was true that all the people you were calling had inputted their number onto a website enquiry form about the particular service that your employer offers, they would react very differently. Are you sure you're not just calling lists of numbers that have been bought from other companies?

[SnapesMistress]

YANBU and also YABU. Its horrible but its part of the job. Pretend you are a robot not a human. I used to play swearing bingo with colleagues when I worked in telesales make a game out of it.

[Alexmummy123]

Hey Tigermoll,

I agree with you. Having worked in a banking call centre (where customers telephone us), I was totally staggered at people's rudeness. I have every sympathy with you as you need to pay the bills and so you have to tough it out for a while longer (remember not forever). When people were rude to me I used to think it was because the were a bit thick and hadn't been brought up well. Used to make me feel sorry for the grumpy folk and make me feel less like I was something nasty on the bottom of their shoe! Don't let them get you down and don't take it personally. .

[colken]

We are registered with the TPS but we still get the odd sales call - usually from abroad because TPS doesn't apply to them (or can't). My first response is that I don't deal with cold calls. Sometimes, I have to repeat it three or four times for them to get the message and go away.

The other day, after using my script, I just laid the phone on the table for a few minutes.

[tigermoll]

I understand that it can be frustrating to be called. Get an answermachine and screen your calls. Don't gve out your number.

If you have made an enquiry for double glazing, then the company CANNOT sell your number on without your permission. Granted, this 'permission' may take the form of a tiny tick box at the bottom of the screen. But we all KNOW how this works, so find the box and tick it.

But that STILL doesnt give you the right to abuse someone because you don't want to be called.

[Pascha]

I had a friend who worked for Eurostar who lasted about a year doing nightshift calls. He said 18 months was about the limit for most people in terms of how much crap they can take before the stress gets to them. Unfortunately in this climate they can't all just up sticks and leave.

[Esta3GG]

If you come to my house and knock on my door and try to sell me something I will tell you politely 'no thanks'.
If you come again the next night I will get a bit shirtier.
If you continue to pester me on a nightly basis (which is what we are getting at the moment on the phone) I will tell you in no uncertain terms to fuck off.

I have no sympathy for you - you do a shit job for a shit industry.

[DuelingFanjo]

"have voluntarily put their phone number into a request for information"

is this true? some sites I visit won't let you move on in the application unless you put a number in. Some people I know change a digit in their number so someone else gets their calls.

count yourself lucky you don't get my husband who loves to wind up cold callers

[SecretNutellaFix]

well, we received a phone call earlier today.
A gentleman on the line, speaking with a very strong Indian accent

Hello, Is that MsFex. (So not my proper title and an annoying mispronunciation of my surname)

My name is ...er... Peter and I am calling about your computer. Our systems tell us that you are receiving error messages on your screen.

I am ashamed to say I lost it. I demanded he tell me exactly what computer I had and he tried to continue with his script. I stopped him and told him he had failed to answer my question to which he responded, "but your computer is giving you error messages on the screen" I then told him to stop talking, it's obvious he's scamming, we do not accept cold callers and that he was to have our number removed from the database they are using immediately before hanging up.

We are registered with the TPS, don't give our home number out without checking it cannot be passed on and that was the 8th call this bloody week.

Screen calls you say? Not when I have a very low tolerance for excess noise, which is what a phone ringing is. I answer it the ringing stops.

I'm sorry if you are calling for a genuine company and getting all that rudeness, but I would suggest keep on looking for other work. I wouldn't do it.

[Teetik]

I'm a hanger-upper, I don't want these calls and I feel no obligation to keep talking on my time just out of politeness. (I am reg. with TPS too, it helps but doesn't stop the problem.)

I always feel bad because I know that you have targets. However - this is crucial - it isn't my responsibility to feel bad about that. By ringing me, your company has tried to make it my responsibility and this is dishonest on their part. I'm sorry on a personal level that you're a cog in their wheels but I am also being used by them, and I have the power not to be. Sorry.

[Pascha]

"notinterestedbye" slam

Takes 2 seconds. Not offensive.

[worraliberty]

I understand that it can be frustrating to be called. Get an answermachine and screen your calls. Don't gve out your number

"Get an answering machine and screen your calls"

Do you understand just how bloody arrogant that is?

Errrrr no, just stop calling people who don't want to hear from you...no need for call screening then is there?

And as many people have pointed out, illegal or not...companies still sell on mailing lists because no-one can prove they didn't give out their number.

[Pascha]

SNF i'm dying for one of those computer error scammers to call me. The fun I could have sending him round and round in circles.

[aldiwhore]

Tigemoll the company may not legally be able to sell your number, but I've worked for a few who do.

Like I say, its a horrible job. See it as part of your job description to be verbally abused by annoyed 'customers', just like whether I liked it or not it was part of my job as barmaid to be surrounded by pissed people. In my barmaid days, if someone was rude to me, they could be removed. If someone is rude to you, don't call them back.