Seeing as though anyone, anywhere who has a blog gets to harp about telemarketers who call them, I figure I might aswell cash in my chip and write my telemarketing story. Also, Count High is getting attacked with comment spam. Any suggestions for good WordPress comment spam blocker things would be welcome.
So I am sitting here and the phone rings. Hello, I say. Silence. I repeat, hello, and the response is silence. Then a thick accent says “Please hold the line. We have a call waiting.” A second later a suspiciously familiar voice with an equally thick (some would say identical) accent lets me know he is from business and they have a free phone to offer me. My first thought is - “Free phone? Cool.” and “I bet I can get this guy to sing a funny song before I hang up.”
So he tells me all about this great phone and the shopping coupons he’s going to give me for free. Just because I picked up the phone. What a guy. I’m not even listening as I surf the web with the hand not holding the phone and as soon as he takes a breath, I speak. I think I came on a little too strong with the sudden “Can I just ask one question? Where did you get this number?” and the guy shuts up.
I wait for an answer, but there’s nothing. No noise. He hasn’t hung up, so I say, “This number. Where did you get it?” still silence. So I ask, “This number that you called me on. How did you get this number you used to call me?” and there is no response. This continues on for a good five minutes until I ask if he’s still there. He says he is and I say good, because I asked him a question and I want an answer. Now.
He says he needs to put a supervisor on, and I say good. Do that. He passes the phone to some other person with, again, a similar accent and he says he is from business and how am I doing? I say “Fine” and ask him to repeat who he works for. He mumbles it again then when I ask, he says thenumber comes from business database. When I ask what database, he mumbles it again.
I press this guy for an answer for a bit then he suddenly says, “We are putting your number on database. You never get any of these calls like this again. Goooodbyeeeee.” and he hangs up.
I am on the DO NOT CALL list in USA and if I get a call like that, I just plugged it in to the complaint form on the DO NOT CALL website. I don’t have that problem too often. I also warn them that they are committing a crime and I will be very lenient with them that one time and not report them (I lie). Sometimes, while they are talking, I hang up on them. They are not worth my time listening… LOL And also I have those can horn… I can be very devious with those little thing… While they are yammering away, a good short blast close to the mouthpiece (it’s very loud) will shut them up for good and I hope hurt their ear for the rest of the day, week, month or year. One telemarketer out of commission is one less hassle for everyone. Heck if they say they are only do their job, I say, get one that doesn’t involve annoying people.
But… there are legal ways to get even with those smarmy people.
Left by Fran on August 8th, 2008