To be a bit rude to cold-callers?

[Vagabond]

I loathe being cold-called at home. You get up from your comfy position to be propositioned by a foreigner (who can barely speak English) who wants to offer you cash-back on PPI insurance. Drives me mad. I used to be polite. I'm now a demon. I demand to know where they got my number, I tell them they've woken my baby up with the call and I tell them to never, ever phone me again.

Hmmm, I suppose that's quite tame! What do you say?

BTW, even if you register with that hotline number to never get cold calls, it's entirely legal if they call you from foreign call centres. That must be why I get so many foreigners (or computerised messages) calling me at home. Drives me crazy!

I either do one of two things depending on the mood I'm in.

1. I say no thanks and hang up.
2. (and I only do this if I'm in a really bad mood) I either give the phone to my son and let him chat their ear off or I say 'Ok I'll get her hang on just a sec' then I just put the phone on the side.

My favourite one is the Windows scam. They phone and say 'Hi, I'm from Microsoft windows and it's showing on my system you have a problem with your computer' and I let them go right the way through their speech and It normally goes like this:

'So you're from Microsoft and I have a problem with my computer, how do you know that'
'Well when you logged on it came up on our system'
' Wow! That's impressive, so I have a problem with my WINDOWS computer?'
'Yes'
'Well that's very strange since I don't own a windows computer, I own a mac' (I don't haha)
'..........................' then they hang up.
It always makes me laugh.

I normally answer it and then leave the phone on the table whilst I go around doing the cooking/cleaning or whatever. It's funny hearing go: "hello? Hell-oooo? Helloooo?"

We keep getting calls for Mrs Tap or Mr tap if DP answers the phone.

When we say wrong number the cc then says " I might have the name wrong, what it is is blah blah blah(usually double glazing, loft insulation, ppi etc)

Its so annoying as we get 3 or 4 day.

I always ask them to speak to the dog n Put the handset next to the dog. They get bored before I do

I'm in the phone book under my maiden name cba to contact BT to change which I find helpful as the ask for Mrs D when I am in fact Mrs B.
But I appreciate they are just doing a job, one they probably hate. So I just say I don't respond to cold calling. I thank them, wish them well and say goodbye.
My policy is: I don't expect people to be rude to me at work so I won't be rude to someone doing their job, even if they've interrupted a very interesting documentary Corrie

French I do that too - I have a MAC so I'm very interested to know how there's a problem with WINDOWS!! Provides a bit of fun

I am getting the "accident compensation" ones now on a daily basis on my mobile phone. Have spoken to them a few times and each time asked to be taken off their list - and then next day, another call & another voicemail.
I agree not being rude to people just doing their job, but surely it is unethical to take a job where you lie to people (whether through obvious scams like microsoft one, or pretending you "know" someone had an accident, or even the calls that start off with "I'm not trying to sell you anything" when they clearly are! Why should I take time away from my job or family to speak to them?

Yes they are annoying but I'm absolutely astounded that someone up thread thinks its funny to tell the caller they will come down there and bum them to death????
Would it be so funny if it was a female caller who was threatened with sexual violence? What in gods name???!

I'm firm but give them grief, your right tps is only valid from uk call centres...

I had one who was calling from India who was bloody rude and called back constantly hurling abuse at me for saying no! Was mobile phone related.... Reported to BT as well it nearly turned into a police matter!

In the end for about a week or so I had them phoning me being abusive!

My method now is simply I'm on tps do not call again if they start getting arsey I either put phone on side still connected their call cost and walk around doing my own thing or I just hang up...

I tend to leave the call connected these days so they don't call back asking why I've hung up! Which is how the abuse started with the mobile company!

Love the password idea will Defo be using that for uk companies....

Everyone knows you have to register you number every year with tps? I didn't initially.....

Only me then...

I worked as a cold caller as a student (sorry!) But I only lasted a week as I have too much if a conscience - I just KNEW I was that annoying person who rang poor unsuspecting people just as they'd sat down to watch Eastenders and proceeded to badly sell them a kitchen!

We had to put on a smarmy voice, and were ONLY allowed to read from a script. We had books with lists of numbers that we went through and had to cross them out if they said they rented (i rescued a few streets this way before I left!)

If someone said they actually wanted a slimy salesman to go out and talk to them about an overpriced kitchen, we had to tell them we'd pass them to a "supervisor" and shout to a bloke who wandered round the office that we had a "bite" - the terminology still makes me cringe!

I can safely say it's the worst job I've ever had.

Mostly i just say no thank you and end the call.
If it is the computer scammers, I ask them to hold while I go and turn the computer on, when of grey ourselves I do no such thing. After a while i just hang up.

But Ds is of an age where he will grab the phone before I get there if he can. He then keeps asking them what company they are and giggling - they usually give up first!!

If I pick up when I don't know the number (usually don't, they will leave a voice mail if important) I try not be rude, as they don't own the company and are just someone trying to make ends meet with a low paying job. I do tell them right away, to take us off the call list. I don't respond to any questions, just say that and say good bye.
I used to play with them, and sometimes if I am bored I may, but not in a rude way.

Yabu. Get TPS. That's how the law works.
Don't blame the people calling, they earn fuck all but have to have a job. Write to head office.

It's funny how you all think your little ways of annoying them are unique. You hear the same 'joke' 10 times a day and don't give a fuck if you want to ignore, just want to get paid..

Hello Krum

I have been on TPS for years and only get cold callers from people who ignore TPS or are international fraudsters.

What's the chance I will engage in a pleasant conversation?

Caller display and an answerphone are the best solution

Peppapigsarse

You register with TPS only once. I have been with them for many a few years and even now receive only foreign unsolicited calls.

Krumbum, TPS only helps to a point, as has already been explained above.

I dislike these calls, but I don't understand people calling them "invasive" etc. If the phone rings when you're in the bath, don't answer it. It isn't an imperative, it's an invitation. If it's important, they'll leave a message or call back.

Anyway, for PPI calls, I tell them I've never had it. For house improvements, I tell them I rent or I live in a listed building. For PC problems, I string them along for a bit then say, "I don't have a PC so I know you're talking rubbish."

I often say, "I'm with the TPS, please take this number off your list," or something like that, but I'm never rude, except for putting the phone down on the occasional ones who keep going.

I don't very often answer calls from withheld numbers, or numbers that I don't recognise because it is usually a cold call, and if it's important they can leave a message and I will call back.
My DS (4) is very chatty and if I don't stand beside the phone while it is ringing, will answer it. He answered one yesterday and asked if it was the milk man, could they please bring some milk we have 6 pints in the fridge at the mo! and maybe they would like to play with his Lego when they came..... They soon hung up.

I answered one last week because I thought it was my DH, but it was the Microsoft scam, I let them go through the speech they give, and then told them I didn't have a computer. The guy was spluttering with surprise, and then told me that I needed to go and buy one. I asked him why and he told me that I needed to buy one so he could call me and tell me there was something wrong with it!! Wtf?!

I like the password one, I might actually answer the phone next time so I can do that!

My DH always answers them and winds them up, one night before we had DS, we were drunk enjoying a bottle of wine, and we got a cold call, he answered and then proceeded to try and sell them double glazing. It was probably only funny because we were under the influence, but I remember crying with laughter!

I do feel sorry for people in call centres, but that's the nature of the job unfortunately.

I have several strategies.

1. Let them speak to my daughter.
2. Tell them that I'll listen to their sales pitch if they give me five minutes for mine. I then pretend to have a cutlery business and extol the virtues of my spoons.
3. I completely deny the usefulness of their product. If it's double glazing, for example, I tell them that I don't believe in windows and have bricked up all the ones in my house to stop people looking in.
4. Tell them that the conversation is being recorded for quality and monitoring purposes. I then ask them for their mother's maiden name and the town they were born in. If they are still with me I keep going with the security questions.
5. I ask them if they ever wonder if there is more to life than sitting in a call centre receiving abuse from people who aren't interested in what they are receiving a minimum wage for pushing. I then try to engage them in philosophical discussion on the meaning of life and whether they need to accept God into their life.
6. Instruct them, under the Data Protection Act, to remove my details from their records and state that if I hear from them again they will be hearing from my solicitor for breaking the DPA.

If someone is unwise enough to phone me up in my time, then I assume the right to set the terms of the conversation. Most realise I am taking the piss and hang up fast.

Some of you seem to have far too much time on your hands.

I will usually say "yep, I'll just get them, I'm putting you on hold for just a second"...

And leave the phone.

I can't bring myself to be rude, ever. In fact when I politely say "no, sorry, I'm not interested" there's a silence, because the person on the other end is expecting me to just hang up, so I end up saying "ok then, thank you bye".

I'm such a wuss.

I feel so sorry for these people who are just trying to earn a living and are expected to tolerate abuse from strangers. It's enough to say "No thanks I don't disclose personal info to strangers" and hang up. No need to be abusive to them.

I've never had a cold caller be abusive or rude to me, so can't help wondering if some people on here were rude to the caller and got a taste of their own medicine

I've worked in telesales. It was grim. I only survived one week! We were given the BT phone book and told to go through it. I didn't have any abuse off anyone, but I felt like right shitbag.