Sales Calls

[dyne]

I keep getting telephone calls and when I say "Hello", there is no response except I
can hear a faint recording of my HELLO played back. If I wait, eventually a person
who can not speak decent english answers and I discover that they are trying to sell
something. So I intend to HANG UP when I hear NO answer to my HELLO or the
recording playback of my hello. I believe this to be auto-dialers or computer devices.
I imagine when I answer, a light goes on to notify the caller and after a pause, they
will pick up the phone to talk to me.

[Snaggletooth]

Ultimate Sleaze

Dyne, you are exactly correct.

And this is double sleaze. Not only sleazy for telephone soliciting, but also too cheap to be paying telephone operators. They know no one wants to talk to them, so they cut back on telephone warm bodies. A skeleton crew rushes to answer a blinking light when someone on the receiving end picks up the phone.

Even if these people had something worthwhile to buy, I wouldn't give them the time of day.

[oceanlovin'ea]

caller id

I look at my caller ID. I don't answer any calls from 800 service, FOP, out of state numbers or unknown caller.
If I am expecting a call from IRS I will answer private number calls.

I don't have time to deal with these calls now. I get at least 6 a day.

Linda, EA

[S T]

Its those robotic

Yes it is, On some type of robotic calling system, if you talk too much, then a live person comes on the line, if you only answer Hi, doesn't seem to click in and sounds like a "dead phone call"
Then if a person comes on the line and starts their pitch and you ask them to remove you from the list, they act "stupid" and say they can't - it is computer generated phone call.

If no one there after I have said HI, this is Sandy, I am done and click - hang up good-bye I can see the Caller ID on both my Cell phone and my landline- .I have an unlisted phone # and they STILL reach me - so much for that idea.

Sandy

[JG EA]

This is because the IRS sold or gave away all of our phone numbers.

Thanks so much - my tax dollars at work.

[jeff501]

I posted this a month or so ago. We were always being bothered by sales people walking in the office and almost demanding to see the owner (me). Didn't matter if I was busy. So, I came up with the following:

************************************************** *********************

A couple of years ago I was having one of those days we all have from time to time. To complicate things further, I must have had three sales people walk in unannounced. The third person kind of caught a bit of grief from me and I told him we have a company policy of charging $75 for a sales call, paid upfront. Plus, the call needed to be scheduled at least a week in advance and we would give them 15 minutes to make their sales pitch with no guarantee of us purchasing anything. I never saw this sales person again.

I even typed up our policy on company letterhead and handed it out a few times. Also had the office staff tell telemarketers our policy. So far, no one has paid (imagine that!) and the sales calls pretty much stopped for a while ):.

Putting the phone down for a long time and making them wait works too.
************************************************** *****************************
I would be glad to e-mail our policy if you want to use it in your business.

[oceanlovin'ea]

heard that one before

I heard of someone that asked the telemarketer to hold on a minute. They put the phone down and went back to whatever they were doing....eating supper, watching tv. After about 10 minutes they picked up the phone to see if the person was still there. That kills them. They usually get paid by the call.

I had a security agent from the government come to my office a couple of weeks ago. She was doing a background check on a neighbor who is in the service and wants to get into a branch needing security clearance. She didn't have an appointment, didn't ask if I was busy...just came in and sat down. She showed me her ID and started asking questions. She could have at least said do you have time to do this now, but she didn't.

Linda, EA