to be rude to people on the phone?

[MrsTerryPratchett]

I'm so sick of this. By nature, or possibly inclination, I am a polite person. However, because of all the bloody sales calls and surveys and people calling at annoying times, I have become rude. Someone called today from an unknown number to ask about a recent transaction I had made. It was probably the insurance company like the woman said but I hate being called and asked questions by strangers.

I ended up saying, "I don't like talking about this sort of thing over the phone, so I'm not going to" and hung up. I would never have hung up on someone before but the constant, "can I ask why" or "this is not a sales call, madam" responses have rendered me incapable.

So, AIBU to talk to people this way I think I am and should I just deal with the inevitable annoying follow up questions from people who don't get paid a lot. I used to work in a call centre so may be over-thinking this.

My most favourite cold call has been from someone telling me they were ringing about a competition I had recently entered online to win a car which I actually hadn't entered 10 minutes of him arguing with me about the fact I had I said politely I was hanging up as he was being rude to me.

The computer virus ones are good fun - and a scam btw - they ring up and say they've noticed viruses on our computers and start asking information. standard reply "if you've traced a virus to my laptop which is registed to me then you'll have all those details" Oe man actually got VERY angry with me saying he had no details about me, I was being difficult when he's trying to help etc. He hung up when I said "if you have no details about me how did you get my phone number?!"

Mostly I just don't engage and hang up!

Some people are much naughtier than me. I feel very cheered. I must be a soft touch.

If I have time I string them along for a bit - fun to toy with the virus ones before confessing I use a Mac.

coola yes they do if you threaten to cancel your contract. Have done it twice. sorry

I have so much fun with cold callers. When someone called me recently with the usual 'you recently entered a competition to win an ipod' spiel I immediately cut them off shouting 'oh my God I won, I won didnt I?" Then I started crying hysterically about how I never win anything and this was the greatest day of my life. They hung up. Hopefully I brightened their day a little, It must be such a boring and demoralising job!

I get around it by prefacing everything with "I know you're just doing your job and this isn't personal, but..." and then being abrupt (not rude) from that point onwards. Its true that they are just trying to earn a living and you shouldn't be aggressive or unpleasant to them but I also think you the consumer have a right to be pretty hardline about allowing them to eat into your time when ultimately they just want your money. If your life is anything like mine you struggle to get all the things you need to do done in the day without three or four tedious, pointless and often rambling and ill-directed sales calls, so I don't see why one should feel obliged to hear their spiel out before cutting them.

I answered it on another thread. Tell them you are dead. The End.