to be 'abrupt' with this cold caller

[QualityTime]

I told him he had the wrong number and he replied.

Well, maybe you can help me madam, I am calling from teh consumber 'somethign bollocks' service and we are updating our database.
-Well no, I can't help you, as you have the wrong number

I'm always abrupt with them. They drive me bonkers esp right on dinner time/bath time any time really.

I wonder who does engage in convos with them. Actually my parents do, come to think of it. But they have the time to I guess

I have one person calling me from a withheld number and either hanging up before I answer or hanging up after I answer.

It's gone on for a couple of months now and I'm getting really pissed off with it.

Cold callers expect rudeness - I know, I did that job for 2 weeks before I left for something a lot better.

Not at all unreasonable.

I used to work in call centres all through univeristy and was mostly cold calling. It was not fun so I am never overtly rude.
I am with TPS though but am getting more and more calls lately, mostly from overseas call centres as they are not covered by TPS, grr.

Rude would be unreasonable but abrupt is fine, especially if they don't take no for an answer.

May I recommend the Telephone Preference Service.

we have TPS and it does work mostly, but those annoying recorded messages which phone you still get through........I HATE them with a passion and you can't be rude to a machine

Interesting.

Now, what if he hadn't actually got the wrong number.
As in he asked for me by my full name?

IPOM i have been getting that too. my dad says it is an automated thing to check what time of the day i am most likely to be in.

whenever i get cold callers they ask to speak to me and i say, "yes, i will just get her now." i balance the receiver on it's side and walk away. they usually hang up afetr about 6-7 minutes.

I tell them I am on the TPS and they shouldn't be ringing me. They gp pretty sharpsih then.

Banks are great. I wont tell them anything until they tell me who they are and what the call is about.

They get annoyed when I ask them to tell me what MY password and details are seeing as they must have looked at the accounts to get the phone number in the first place.

Booyhoo - thats great! PMSL.

Thing is though they are calling my mobile number so trying to find out what time I'll be in is a bit daft.

ah right, ive only ever had it to the landline.

after months of calls, sometimes several times a day, i snapped - No i am not Mrs Hague, how would you like it if i rang you when you were eating your tea when you were in bed all the time every day asking you if you were Mrs Hague, no you wouldn't like it would you?
i didn't use any swearwords but we didnt' get the calls again for a while
ps i really never have been mrs hague and i don't live at everest avenue either

I had an old lady insisting I was Carol the hairdresser. At first I thought she was going mad but then someone else called asking for her. Carol had business cards printed but didnt check the number.

After being very very polite to this old woman for a no less than 18 months, I did, unfortunatly, loose my rag. And told her very ubruptly that I'm not CAROL, I'm not a hairdresser and to bugger off and find one that has the right number.

I'm still ashamed of that now.

I'm always abrupt with cold callers, whether it be on the phone or at the door. Last week a weedy little guy knocked on our door and got DH engaged in conversation about our TV service. DH is too nice to shut the door in someone's face. I, however, am not. After 5 minutes of this guy asking questions, I finally popped my head out and said, 'what's this about? and where are you from?' to which the guy pulled out his Sky folder. Felt totally justified in pointing out our 'No sales calls' sign, saying 'Bye!' in a slightly sarcastic tone, and slamming the door on him.

If you have no intention of buying anything over the phone/at your door, I think it is better not to waste your time and theirs by listening for one second longer than necessary. Sales tactics absolutely DEPEND on you 'not wanting to be rude'. The longer they can keep you engaged in conversation, the likelier you are to agree to whatever they're selling.

ask 'em for their home phone number and tell them that you'll call them back on it later..

I just say: 'I really don't like being pestered by cold callers, doorsteppers or chuggers, so if a company uses them, I won't do business with that company. Sorry, but honestly, you won't get your commission here.'

TPS doesn't seem to always work anymore. I always cite it first, but quite often I get triumphantly told that it 'doesn't apply! You gave your details to one of our sister companies, so we're allowed to ring you!'

Oh well, since you put it like that, I'd love some double glazing.... Suspect it's bollocks anyway?

I keep getting called late at night (11/12ish) and asked for a chicken korma.
Next time I will make the guy one - that'll be the last time he'll come to this "takeaway" (I am no chef)

I am abrupt, I say "No thanks, not interested" and hang up before they can try any further spiel.

Sister companies don't count. After all, the sister company is breaching the Data Protection Act by passing on your details, aren't they?

I had this once myself. So, I asked which sister company passed on the details. When they told me, it turned out to be one I had never had dealings with so then I pointed this out, and said they were lying.

No more calls, at least from that company.

While I was at university I worked at a call centre doing opinion polls and people rudely ranting and raving about the Telephone Preference Service used to really get on my nerves! FYI there are a lot of things it does not apply to e.g. opinion polls because they wouldn't have a random selection of the general public if so many people were excluded.

A lot of call centres use random number generators so they have not been given your number or looked you up anywhere.

A lot of people are unreasonably rude to cold callers IMO. A polite "no thank you" is fine... Once a man swore and yelled at me for pestering him "so late at night" when I called around 6pm!

SPB PMSL! I had visions of you poisoning the curry!!!

I'm being harangued by an overseas caller at the moment. I've told them I'm not interested / I don't live here / put the phone down, but they're persistent fuckers. Might just tell em to fuck the fuck off next time.