Dealing with telemarketers

[niclosam]

Initially when telemarketers called I used to be polite and sometimes (rarely) I do buy stuff from them, so they aren't 100% nuisance.

However in the last 2 years, they have become a pain. They ring about the same things again even when you have asked them to take your number off the mailing list. I have already blocked my number so that no new marketers will get me, but still they come. What infuriates me is that

a. They lie and will not get to the point
I ask them what are they selling and if I am interested we can talk further so it saves both of us time. Instead I get the spiel they are not selling anything, then it turns out they are offering a financial product. But no, its not selling anything. This is frankly an insult to anyone's intelligence and a waste of time.

b. They reserve the right to ring you back

I once said, please take me off your ringing list. The man then said, "Ok I will ring you back at 5." That's when I lost it and started berating him over the phone and then he said "this is recorded message," thus further insulting our intelligence.

Its not like me to go off and verbally abuse someone on the other end of the phone. But these people really have no sympathy. Is there anyway to deal with them.

I am thinking of trying to troll them or just shout out over the phone.

Perhaps asking what are they selling, and when they inevitably say they are not, just say that I am not interested in talking to them unless they are selling something.

[bilateralrope]

a. They lie and will not get to the point
I ask them what are they selling and if I am interested we can talk further so it saves both of us time. Instead I get the spiel they are not selling anything, then it turns out they are offering a financial product. But no, its not selling anything. This is frankly an insult to anyone's intelligence and a waste of time.

Once they lie to you, they have proven themselves a scammer. At that point, you are morally justified in hurting them as much as you can. Which means keeping on the line, and thus delaying when they get to their next victim, for as long as you can by whatever method works. Usually by politely stringing them along.

But you're also free to hang up or swear at them at any point.

That's when I lost it and started berating him over the phone and then he said "this is recorded message," thus further insulting our intelligence.

If I got to that point, I'd probably reply to them that "I don't fucking care about the recording". Which would be completely true.

Though I'm curious what would happen if you started recording them with an app that makes it clear they are being recorded the moment you realize it's a telemarketer. If they hang up, that tells you all you need to know about their honesty.

[The Infidel]

Initially when telemarketers called I used to be polite and sometimes (rarely) I do buy stuff from them, so they aren't 100% nuisance.

However in the last 2 years, they have become a pain. They ring about the same things again even when you have asked them to take your number off the mailing list. I have already blocked my number so that no new marketers will get me, but still they come. What infuriates me is that

a. They lie and will not get to the point
I ask them what are they selling and if I am interested we can talk further so it saves both of us time. Instead I get the spiel they are not selling anything, then it turns out they are offering a financial product. But no, its not selling anything. This is frankly an insult to anyone's intelligence and a waste of time.

b. They reserve the right to ring you back

I once said, please take me off your ringing list. The man then said, "Ok I will ring you back at 5." That's when I lost it and started berating him over the phone and then he said "this is recorded message," thus further insulting our intelligence.

Its not like me to go off and verbally abuse someone on the other end of the phone. But these people really have no sympathy. Is there anyway to deal with them.

I am thinking of trying to troll them or just shout out over the phone.

Perhaps asking what are they selling, and when they inevitably say they are not, just say that I am not interested in talking to them unless they are selling something.

#1: Flatulence and burping... Right into the phone.

#2: Derail by asking them in a horny voice what they're wearing. Don't take no for an answer. Whatever they're wearing, moan a little and say "oh, kinky. You have a nice voice, you know. You don't mind if I'm touching myself now?"

#3: A whistle.

#4: Meow until they hang up.

#5: Speak a foreign language loud and angrily into the phone.

#6: "I have a set of particular skills..."

#7: Just put the phone down and let them talk. Do other stuff. They'll hang up quickly.

They probably have their own, internal do-not-call-list. Behave so that they will put you on that list themselves. Beware though, that each telemarketing company might have their own list that they don't share.

[LaCroix]

I tell them that they are currently commitng at least two felony crimes for calling me unsolicided and pretending to be someone they aren't. Tell them that they are a petty criminal no better than a purse snatcher and that their ancestors and family would be ashamed of them if they know what they did.

Apparently I made enough people quit their jobs (A good in my book, each of them is a soul saved...) one day that their supervisor called me himself and yelled at me, trying to insult me, where I told him the same thing, told him that as long as they keep calling me, I will make his people quit and his company lose money...

Then I blocked the number, looked up what provider they used, called that service hotline and informed them of the fraudulent forwarding of their numbers, and they cancelled all numbers for that company.

A rather fun day...

[Gandalf]

Having been a telemarketer in the past, I simply tell them that having done the job before, I'm not going to be a sell. I follow that by asking if they were using the Noble telemarketing system, and if so, to please put me on the built in "angry list," and then wish them the best for meeting their targets for the shift.

Works well so far.