Was I rude... Well yes I was, but was it deserved?

[PizzaPower]

It’s a WIBU rather than AIBU: I know I was rude (the 3rd time), but was it deserved, let me explain.
Mobile rang this afternoon, asking for DW, said unfortunately unavailable and could I help? It was about her accident and they could help with the claim. (Haven’t had an accident and certainly no claim to be made). Explained not interested as hadn’t had accident etc, hung up and blocked number.

Phone rings 5 min later, apparently it was the man who I had been speaking too’s supervisor and I had been rude to his member of staff!! Told him to go listen to the recording and he might draw a different conclusion, and no I wasn’t interested in their services. Hung up and blocked this number.

Five minutes later, another supervisor. I’d had enough at this point and summoned Mumsnet and told him to fuck off to the far side of fuck and when he got there fuck off some more (my God, I love that phrase), but never used in anger until today. He tried to get a few more words in at this point but I just laughed and hung up.

So yes I was rude, but will the Mumsnet jury forgive me?

Oh and if you’re on here call centre bod, no matter what the result, I may remain unrepentant so until I tell you other wise, you can stay fucked off!

When I tell them they shouldn't be ringing as I'm registered with the TPS they hang up sharpish. That's rude.

What's reaaaallly scary is that if you hang up, they can still be on the line. There was a warning recently that if you are phoning your internet provider or bank or whatever to check whether there is really a problem, you should do so from another phone, or at least wait half an hour if you use the same phone. When you put your phone down on someone, they can remain on the line, so that when you pick up your phone they are still there

You don't need another phone, or to wait half an hour. You just need to pick up the phone and dial someone you know first, before phoning the bank (using a number you have found independently of the phone call). That way if the bank answers and you were phoning Auntie Mary, you know it's a scammer.

They asked for it, in fact I think they deserve to be told to do one. I had a call other day at work saying it was the police and wanting a directors mobile number which I gave out .. turns out he was selling advertising and was redirected to me as that’s my responsibility so he got told to fuck off for being a sneaky lying twat

Totally forgiven.

I now say "Oh yes hold on a moment I'll just get a pen." then leave them waiting while I go and get on with my life.

Can I just ask if anyone knows why/what these companies get out of this?

I genuinely can't get my head round why you would cold call a mobile number - I could be 80 or 12 as far as you know. I am unlikely to want double glazing or PPI and I can't imagine that many of their calls are successful.

Surely it costs a fortune to call all these mobiles/landlines? For most people to just put the phone down on them. I'm obviously missing something but it completely bewilders me.

You’re completely forgiven op!
And I like your...phrasing 😇

When I receive one of these CF calls I’ll either hand the phone to a very young child or if my partner is in we’ll sing them a song...

The 020 numbers are not actually from the UK, they are fake numbers used by scammers from the far East. We have an answer phone and they never leave a message. We also get called from 0191 numbers and they are also scammers. I tell them to f off and I don`t swear. Now can you tell me how to get rid of Jehovah's witnesses? Calling on me twice in 7 days!

Loislovesstewie getting rid of Jehovah's was easy in the end.

I answered the door while breastfeeding my son. Boob full on display. They didn't bother coming back for another 3 years

Them: We've heard you had a terrible car accident...
You: Nope, not had one
Them: what day is it?
You: Thursday the 15th of March
Them: Oh... Sorry we'll call back tomorrow.
You: oh oh..

I'd try that but my son is now an adult! That would freak them out !

I don't understand why some people think we should be polite as these callers are "just doing their job". Say, what? They are trying to cheat elderly and/ or vulnerable/ gullible people out of their money. It is no more a proper job than a burglar's activities. They deserve all the rudeness we can muster and then some!

So what if you were rude ? is it a crime ?

Is this just another plure to make you feel guilty and listen to their drivel ?

@zarya
We have a Kingdom Hall just 2 mins away so the jehovahs are always out once a week, always get a different set every time, so I have a new way every time to get rid of them.
Excuses I’ve used
I’m gay
I’m a Buddhist
I’m Muslim
I’ve had a blood transfusion
Christmas is my favourite holiday
We are celebrating my birthday
I’m into Scientology.
Sorry I was just studying the quaran
I’ve used all these and more. I wouldn’t have too if they bloody just took no for an answer. I have no issues with their beliefs as long as they don’t try shoving it down my throat. Needless to say they leave promptly once I’ve informed them of my status 😂

When l owned my house, l used to get a lot of cold calls from local companies trying to flog various home improvements. l used to act all enthusiastic then after they'd wittered on for a while l used to say "oh, l'd better check - the house is being repossessed next week. Does that make a difference?"
They didn't usually hang round long after that.

I've had this happen to me. I was in the middle of getting changed when the phone went so I answered the call and it was something alluding to being from BT and wanting to offer me a different phone package. I said no thanks and they kept talking and I suddenly realised I was politely standing half dressed waiting for them to finish talking so I just ended the call. Straight away they called back and the man was telling me I'd just been very rude to him and he wanted an apology. I said I wasn't rude, I'd said no very politely but he'd ignored me so I put the phone down. He again said I was very rude and he wanted an apology. I said surely this must happen very regularly to him in his line of work and he said no because everyone else is decent unlike me. I laughed and put the phone down again.

He phoned me back and said he still wanted his apology so I told him to eff off (laughing). He then said the call was being recorded and he'd play it to his manager so I asked him why I would care about that and then gave him a string of swear words in a singsongy voice. He then said he was going to call me every 5 minutes until I apologised.

He then called me every 5 minutes for a couple of hours. I mainly ignored him but he left a break of about 20 minutes once so I answered the next call and said I was very disappointed because he'd told me he'd call every 5 minutes. He was really annoyed. I told him to put the phone down on me while I was talking and then we'd be quits. I sat there saying, go on put the phone down, put it down, I'm still talking. In the end he put the phone down and never called back.

It was so strange and it actually freaked me out quite a bit. I called BT to tell them and to ask them if they could identify the number and block them from calling me but their overseas call centre advisor couldn't understand me and just reassured me that the caller hadn't been from BT which I already knew. I think they did block the number though, I seem to remember I got charged for it.

You can have such fun though and remember when they think they're fooling you they're not trying to con someone else so you're taking one for the team so to speak!
How did you guess I asked and then I had a chat with one who cheerfully informed me that I was entitled to Category B compensation and I got rather excited, this was so much better than the Cat C I had been promised in another call. But was it as good as the Cat A that I had got a cheque for that morning?
You could hear the brow furrowing, oddly I got no further calls.
An Acme thunderer by the phone can also be useful.

*Can I just ask if anyone knows why/what these companies get out of this?

I genuinely can't get my head round why you would cold call a mobile number - I could be 80 or 12 as far as you know. I am unlikely to want double glazing or PPI and I can't imagine that many of their calls are successful.

Surely it costs a fortune to call all these mobiles/landlines? For most people to just put the phone down on them. I'm obviously missing something but it completely bewilders me.*

This.

The best solution I've seen was a guy who purchased an 0800 number. He then used this for all online forms etc. with permission to call. If he was home, he'd take and prolong the calls, otherwise the answer phone would take it. In doing so this paid for the line and a healthy profit for the trouble. Friends just called his mobile x

What do they get out of it?

Money - they find out information used to answer security questions, bank info, or they sell vulnerable people things they don't need at inflated prices, gain access to properties to commit theft by distraction...

Local police here just put out a warning that local pensioners have been targeted by a group claiming they can give them free double glazing/roofing/garden work due to a govt grant but need their bank info to put the grant info their account before the work can be done, sadly a few have been caught out gaining the conmen £10,000's so far

All of us on this thread seem to be savvy that these are scams not everyone is.

Oh - and in some cases THEY Aren't paying the phone bill to call you - they've piggy backed onto someone else's line so even the phone calls aren't costing them.

Even if the calls do cost them anything it's still worth their while due to how much they con far exceeds what they invest.

I’ve been getting calls to my mobile from a similar ambulance chaser. I don’t answer calls from numbers I don’t recognise, or when nothing shows in the screen. If the calls are genuine there’ll be an answer left on my voicemail.

This particular annoying woman doesn’t seem to realise she has got voicemail, and spends ages saying ... hello, hello, can you tell me about your accident, can you give me the details ... hello, hello, are you there?

She gets increasingly exasperated. But keeps called no!

I did make the mistake of answering one of her calls once. As soon as I realised who it was, I said very slowly and very loudly: GO AWAY!

So yes, OP, definitely forgiven!

I had a caller like that once about my accident I'd had. Funniest part of that was I'd had a car accident that morning, about an hour before the call. My reply was something like 'yes I have had an accident, an hour ago, how did you find out so quickly?' which I guess isn't a scripted answer as she stuttered a bit so I went 'Im not interested don't call back again'. They haven't surprisingly.

Hello, City of London police, cyber fraud team. How may I help you ?

Some years ago, I took a call on my direct line at my then work. They can't have listened to my speil as they launched into some cold call rubbish.

I said, with obvious bemusement in my voice: "you DO realise that you have just called a police number, don't you?“

The phone was slammed down very quickly at the other end. 😀

My DH had one of those 'your Microsoft windows has been compromised we'll help you fix it' scam calls. He played along with it and when the man at the end of the phone said 'what does the dialogue box say' DH replied 'it says, this man is trying to scam you and he's a very naughty boy' in his best 'Life of Brian' voice.

I must admit, having had four calls in one day from one of those survey people - who aren't really a survey - I got hold of my DS plastic whistle and blasted them with it. Funnily enough I didn't get a call for a few weeks after that.