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Being Mean To Telemarketers: Unethical Or Understandable?
Beliefnet.com ^ | Saturday July 25, 2009 | Hillary Fields

Posted on 07/25/2009 10:48:54 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows

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To: Slings and Arrows

I got rid of my landline 5 years ago. Probably the best decision I ever made.


41 posted on 07/26/2009 1:40:58 AM PDT by VeniVidiVici (ABC-AP-MSNBC-All Obama, All the time.)
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To: VeniVidiVici

Oh, me too. But some of those SOB’s ignore the law.


42 posted on 07/26/2009 1:59:11 AM PDT by Slings and Arrows (Crazy is the new sane.)
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To: green pastures

A gift, to be sure.


43 posted on 07/26/2009 1:59:41 AM PDT by Slings and Arrows (Crazy is the new sane.)
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To: Slings and Arrows

Telemarketers have once chance to hang up first. They have once chance to remove my number from their dialing list.

After that repeat calls for the same purpose/campaign receive zero tolerance from me.


44 posted on 07/26/2009 2:02:10 AM PDT by coconutt2000 (NO MORE PEACE FOR OIL!!! DOWN WITH TYRANTS, TERRORISTS, AND TIMIDCRATS!!!! (3-T's For World Peace))
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To: Smokin' Joe

Supposedly, you can do this, but I’ve not tried it.

You know if you call someone and they moved or whatever you hear the message “Da Da Da the number you have called has been disconnected or is no longer in service...”

Well, seems the autodialer machines recognize the “Da Da Da” tone. And remove the number it dialed from their database.

So you can program that .WAV into your answering machine. Just tell your friends you really are still there!


45 posted on 07/26/2009 2:09:06 AM PDT by djf (The "racism" spiel is a crutch, those who unashamedly lean on it, cripples!)
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To: Kevmo
This is from Beliefnet, which is christianity based, right? So the answer is simple: preach the gospel to the telemarketers. It may be the only time they come into contact with a professing christian.

That's an excellent suggestion, Kevmo!

(By the way, the words "Christianity," "Gospel," and "Christian" should be capitalized, according to the dictionary.)

I'm not even a Christian, but I think that I'll adopt your strategy, praise the Lord!

Regards,

46 posted on 07/26/2009 3:02:43 AM PDT by alexander_busek
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To: TNdandelion
If, for instance, they only want me to spend $9.99/month to insure something, I ask them..."Do you know how many gallons of milk I could buy with that $9.99 to feed my children this month? Do you want my children to go without milk? They don't argue for very long after that.

A "good" telemarketer would only reply with response no. 17b:

But sir, don't you realize that you would actually be saving money by purchasing our insurance? That you could actually then buy more milk for your children, after you've joined our plan?"

My advise: Either hang up, or - if you have the time and want some free entertainment - employ one of those pre-written scripts you can download from the Internet to confuse, offend, and yank the chain of these people.

Regards,

47 posted on 07/26/2009 3:08:29 AM PDT by alexander_busek
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To: Slings and Arrows

In Australia there’s a gap of time between when you answer and their auto-dialler connects to the human at the other end - that’s enough time to put the receiver down without any fuss and get on with your day! Always puts a smile on my face.

Mel


48 posted on 07/26/2009 3:20:02 AM PDT by melsec (A Proud Aussie)
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To: Slings and Arrows

I’ve had friends who have resorted to telemarketing, in between jobs, to help support their families.

I usually thank them for their kind interest in helping me to save money on Product XYZ, but also that my mover is here and I’m moving out of state.

That seems to work.


49 posted on 07/26/2009 3:59:24 AM PDT by Daisyjane69 (Michael Reagan: "Welcome back, Dad, even if you're wearing a dress and bearing children this time)
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To: Slings and Arrows

I was always polite to telemarketers, I had a number of friends and acquaintances who worked in the business. I would always say, “No thanks, I’m not interested.” If they were agreeable to it and hung up everything was fine. If they became obnoxious and insisted on talking I’d try to keep them on the line as long as possible if I had the time - for a telemarketer time is money. My record was half an hour. By the time they hung up they were angry, often asking why I kept them on the line if I wasn’t going to buy. “I told you at the beginning of the call I wasn’t interested.” Some of those calls were fun - better than the junk on TV.
I haven’t been bothered since I gave up my land line for a cell phone.


50 posted on 07/26/2009 4:02:54 AM PDT by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink)
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To: kcvl
"BTW, the ‘Do Not Call List’ is a joke. As is everything else the government tries to do."

I used to get a call from a tele marketer now and then, so I signed up with the "Do Not Call Registry". Since then I get a steady stream of calls from charity groups and solicitations disguised as surveys.

51 posted on 07/26/2009 4:05:44 AM PDT by GregoTX (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.)
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To: Smokin' Joe
In the meantime, I have acquired this lifetime supply of mailing labels...

So have I, I’m still on the mailing lists. Maybe it’s the NRA that keeps me on the lists - I haven’t sent money to any organization for a dozen years. The last one was for $19.97 to Oliver North’s campaign. I still get pleas for money from both the Republicans and Democrats, usually asking for a donation of “only” $1,000.
52 posted on 07/26/2009 4:14:12 AM PDT by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink)
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To: Slings and Arrows
The people calling you on the phone are typically young mothers making $8/hr trying to feed their children. Yelling at them belittles the one doing the yelling.

Hanging up politely works for me.

53 posted on 07/26/2009 4:46:11 AM PDT by muir_redwoods ( How come when I press "1 for English" I still can't understand what's being said?)
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To: Slings and Arrows

We just say, “We aren’t interested, thank you,” and hang up before they can launch into their pitch.


54 posted on 07/26/2009 5:01:38 AM PDT by OpusatFR (Those embryos are little humans in progress. Using them for profit is slavery.)
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To: fatnotlazy

I don’t get many actual sales calls but a lot of calls from political groups wanting money. College Republicans is the latest group that constantly calls. If I’m polite and explain to them that I can’t spare even five dollars right now, they continue talking and say they just want to ask me a question about Obama’s healthcare, or whatever. I end up hanging up on them because THEY DON’T LISTEN and that’s a whole lot ruder than a hang-up.


55 posted on 07/26/2009 5:44:04 AM PDT by ChocChipCookie (Survival is a Mom's Job! Check out my blog: www.thesurvivalmom.com)
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To: VeniVidiVici

I got rid of mine too. I’ve never had a telemarketing call on my cell.


56 posted on 07/26/2009 5:54:38 AM PDT by My hearts in London - Everett (There is a demand today for men who can make wrong appear right. Terrence, c. 160 B.C.)
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To: Slings and Arrows
I just don't answer unfamiliar calls, or calls from businesses. I'm on the US and Tennessee "do-not-call" lists. I won't even answer calls from entities with which I've had previous business dealings (that's how they circumvent the "do-not-call" lists - by claiming previous business relations).

My latest frequent caller is the home warranty company - I got a free 1 year home warranty when I bought the house last year, and the idiots think that I might want to pay to renew. Having looked at their customer relations record on line, I will never deal with them. Besides, there isn't a lot that can go wrong in the house that I can't fix.

57 posted on 07/26/2009 6:08:27 AM PDT by meyer (Obama's failure is America's Success.)
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To: Slings and Arrows

I abuse telemarketers all the time.
So far I’ve had several tell me that I am [expletive] evil/insane/twisted/deviant/etc.
None of them will give me their phone number.
I don’t know why.

(Might be my mentioning keeping their souls in a chalcedony jar.)


58 posted on 07/26/2009 6:25:40 AM PDT by Darksheare (Tar is cheap, and feathers are plentiful.)
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To: alexander_busek
"But dear telemarketer...I don't think you understand. That $9.99 IS my children's milk money. If I send it to you, there's nothing to replace it. I can't buy a gallon of milk at Kroger with a certificate stating I've saved $9.99 with your plan. Kroger wants cash."

BTW, I don't mind arguing. lol

59 posted on 07/26/2009 7:15:33 AM PDT by TNdandelion (This should be fun.)
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To: Daisyjane69

lol I told a few that my husband was in jail and wouldn’t be available until sometime after ...(insert made up probation date.)


60 posted on 07/26/2009 7:19:16 AM PDT by TNdandelion (This should be fun.)
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