cold calling from double glazing companies

[alicemama]

Must have a rant....just been called for the millionth time today by cold callers. This time it was a double glazing company who are always ringing asking if they can come and give you a quote.
I explained quite politely that they've rang lots of times and we DO NOT need double glazing and could they please take us off their calling list. the reply to which was a very shrill NO!

"thats wonderful customer service skills" I said and she snorted back " I don't get paid enough to be polite!"

don't they realise that we have a life and lists and lists of things to do without them calling and disturbing me while feeding a 9 week old baby!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have fun with them
give me the quotes and then tell them I dont own the house
sorry to waste their time

Register with Telephone Preference Service - then they're not allowed to ring you. It takes about a month to go through.

I read a piece recently which said that so many people are registered now that the ones who aren't are getting more and more calls

JanH, it certainly feels that we get more calls now...what is more annoying is that its the same company that keeps on calling...should I call them and try to speak to custmer services as I was so annoyed with the girl that just rang?

This piece was where I read it I think. There were pics in the magazine of the cobwebs and spiders - very jolly, not.

It makes you feel a bit sorry for the cold callers (but not enough to buy anything from them!)

Well, you could try, but if they cared they wouldn't do it in the first place!

Has ANYONE EVER said "Oh yes please, that sounds wonderful!"

I did this job for 3 weeks, I must have rung 10,000 people, and not one was remotely interested. Some were rude, some were polite, but non were interested.

Why do they bother employing people to do this? It must cost more than it's worth!

Alicemama, the girl who rang you was probably 15 and on £3 an hour, it does happen a lot in that job.

I'm still getting though JanH, not in the smae volume but a couple a week. The excuse that their database is out of date or that I need to renew it every so often wears a bit thin 4 months on . Some are bl*ody rude when I query it too and rarely apologise.

Do you report whoever it is to the TPS every time, Liz?

right just completed registration with tps..... can't wait for 28 days to pass!

Message withdrawn

no I haven't - they always catch me at a n awkward time, like cooking the kids' dinner, so never get around to it or can't remember who when I think of doing so. Getting a number of kitchen ones atm and haven't requested it. If you enquire to one company can they pass your details to another ? I donated to a cancer fund and now get lots of speculative cancer-related charity mailings.

silly question - are you in the phone book? i know lots of people who worked for companies who just took the numbers out of there, so they couldnt take you off the list as they couldnt be bothered going through the rest of their phone books and crossing you out

no not in the phone book, purposely went ex-directory when we moved here because of the exact same problem before

If you say straight away to any cold-caller that you are renting the property you will find that 9/10 times they will put the phone down on you!!

Just had yet another call from talktalk so have reported them ! dh is in the directory but they often have my name.

Try some of these - I have tried and tested most of them

1. If they want to loan you money, tell them you just filed for
   bankruptcy and you could sure use some money.

2. If they start out with, "How are you today?" say, "I'm so glad you
   asked, because no one these days seems to care, and I have all these
   problems. My arthritis is acting up, my eyelashes are sore, my dog just
   died . . . "

3. If they say they're John Doe from XYZ Company, ask them to spell
   their name. Then ask them to spell the company name. Then ask them
   where it is located, how long it has been in business, how many people
   work there, how they got into this line of work if they are married,
   how many kids they have, etc. Continue asking them personal questions
   or questions about their company for as long as necessary.

4. This works great if you are male. Telemarketer: "Hi, my name is Judy
   and I'm with XYZ Company. " You: Wait for a second and with a real
   husky voice ask, "What are you wearing?"

5. Cry out in surprise, "Judy? Is that you? Oh my God! Judy, how have
   you been?" Hopefully, this will give Judy a few brief moments of terror
   as she tries to figure out where she could know you from.

6. Say "No" over and over. Be sure to vary the sound of each one, and
   keep a rhythmic tempo, even as they are trying to speak. This is most
   fun if you can do it until they hang up.

7. If bt calls trying to get you to sign up for the Family and Friends
   Plan, reply, in as sinister a voice as you can, "I don't have any
   friends, would you be my friend?"

8. If the company cleans rugs, respond: "Can you get out blood? Can you
   get out goat blood? How about human blood?"

9. After the Telemarketer gives his or her spiel, ask him or her to
   marry you. When they get all flustered, tell them that you can't just
   give your credit card number to a complete stranger.

10. Tell the Telemarketer that you work for the same company, and they
    can't sell to employees.

11. Answer the phone. As soon as you realize it is a Telemarketer, set
    the receiver down, scream, "Oh my God!" and then hang up.

12. Tell the Telemarketer you are busy at the moment and ask him/her if
    he/she will give you his/her home phone number so you can call him/her
    back. When the Telemarketer explains that telemarketers cannot give out
    their home numbers say, "I guess you don't want anyone bothering you at
    home, right?" The Telemarketer will agree and you say, "Me either!"
    Hang up.

13. Ask them to repeat everything they say, several times.

14. Tell them it is dinner time, but ask if they would please hold. Put
    them on your speaker phone while you continue to eat at your leisure.
    Smack your food loudly and continue with your dinner conversation.

15. Tell the Telemarketer you are on "home incarceration" and ask if
    they could bring you some beer.

16. Ask them to fax the information to you, and make up a number.

17. Tell the Telemarketer, "Okay, I'll listen to you. But I should
    probably tell you, I'm not wearing any clothes."

18. Insist that the caller is really your buddy Leon, playing a joke.
    "Come on, Leon, cut it out! Seriously, Leon, how's your mother?"

19. Tell them you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak up .
    . . louder . . . louder . . .

20. Tell them to talk very slowly, because you want to write every word
    down.

pmsl! How funny! must try some of these out.

We are harrassed all the time, when they say "can I speak to Mr/Mrs X" and I can tell it's a nuisance call I say 'just a second I'll get him', leave the phone and continue with whatever it is I am doing with the line open.

I'm registered with the TPS - and even though we're in the book, we don't have any problems.

IF you do get a call, all you have to say is "did you know I'm registered with the TPS?" and they can't get off the phone quickly enough!

Trouble is the TPS only affects companies in the uk, they have no authority over call centres outside the uk, which are increasingly common. I'm on TPS and I still get around 4 calls a week - all from Bombay!

With calls outside the UK, there is always a click or a long pause..... I always take that opportunity to hang up!

Just had one from Anglian Home Improvements - 3rd since Christmas, each time promising there would be no more - and reported them. Guy had the gall to say that my TPS couldn't be working properly or the number would be barred from his phone - yeah right ! Immediately had a silent, number withheld call - perhaps to overwrite the original dialler's number from 1471. Do TPS follow up number withheld calls ?

PMSL Fullmoonfiend

pmsl at fullmoonfield too i had a call today (one of 3 actually) trying to force a loan on me after he rambled on about blah blah blah i said but sir, i am rich i dont need a loan .... he hung up. also had 1 at 7;30 which woke the baby , i held the reciever to her mouth (while she was screaming) funnily enough she hung up too. this is so annoying especially as i am registered with TPS.

Anyone registered with donotcall.gov ? Is it more effective than TPS I wonder ?

Just had a vile conversation with "James" from some mobile phone company - began with "C" but didn't catch it all, asked about my mobile phone expenditure so tried to explain about TPS but he just didn't/wouldn't get it, got quite aggressive and demanded to know what we did for a living etc. He refused to restate who he was calling from and eventually hung up when I told him calling our number was against the law - can't report it as not sure of company and number withheld, but would love to Feel very uncomfortable that he knows my details.