Posted on 02/06/2018 1:18:28 PM PST by huckfillary
Let's face it, nobody but my mother-in-law likes phone solicitors. She'll talk to them for hours and the Jehovah's Witnesses that knock on her door every Saturday morning. She once hung up on my wife because the Jehovah's witnesses were knocking on the door.
But this is mostly about handling phone solicitors. The phone rings. You know immediately it's a solicitor.
Homeowner: This is Chief Inspector Flanagan from Homicide. You've called in the middle of a crime scene investigation. The homeowner was found dead a short while ago. But while you're on the phone, let me ask you some questions about your relationship with the deceased.
In no time at all, the solicitor will have hung up.
It all depends. Sometime I will sit through their chat and then use an old credit card that expired and just was 2020 instead of 2015 for the date and of course it declines and then I said, “Sorry it didn’t work out. Have a great day”. Typically loses around 20 minutes of their time......mine to but it seems so worthwhile. lol.
I love that. I may use that.
You stole my idea;) LOL!
I thought of saying “This is Office Philbin, how may I assist you. If this is an emergency, please call 911.”
Call blocker. We went from about a dozen calls a week, down to maybe one or two, all because we block every number that comes in from a solicitor. Believe it or not, eventually the calls stop, although some of the more enterprising scammers spoof their numbers to make you think it’s your pharmacy, or some such.
Now with Robo-callers, the new way to deal with them is Jolly Roger Telephone, a real phone service that stays on line with the ‘bot, gets to a real person, and keeps him on for as long as possible wit its own ‘bot, saving you a recording for your entertainment. You can choose male or female bot, and different personalities. There’s the guy who has a bug crawling up his arm, the old lady who things the phone solicitor can help her set up her DVR, etc. Featured on the Tom Woods podcast.
http://jollyrogertelephone.com/about/
A VERY LOUD SPORTS WHISTLE
Really, this is an example of why the FR set can get a reputation of being assholes. I think it better to be frank and say that I’m not in a position to accept phone sales calls but that I hope the next person they call is, and have a great day, goodbye.
I have posed as a LEO. Typically I will answer the phone saying:
“XYZ County Sheriff’s Office, Fraud Division, Detective Yancy...this number has been associated with interstate fraud, what is your name and where are you located?! (All spoken loudly and authoritatively). DO NOT HANG UP! WE HAVE TRACED THIS CALL. THIS IS A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION, WHAT IS YOUR NAME?!!”
They never call me again.
>>It all depends. Sometime I will sit through their chat and then use an old credit card that expired and just was 2020 instead of 2015 for the date and of course it declines and then I said, “Sorry it didn’t work out. Have a great day”. Typically loses around 20 minutes of their time......mine to but it seems so worthwhile. lol.
I’m with you. I waste their time if I have nothing else to do. Act stupid and ask lots of questions. Make them explain over and over again. Haggle with them. I love to make them get mad and start cussing at me before they hang up. Every minute you waste is a minute they aren’t convincing some senior citizen that they are legit. It’s my public service.
Something like we don't have a head of household, we're an anarcho-syndicalist commune where we take it in turns to act as a sort of executive officer for the week. But all the decisions of that officer have to be ratified at a special biweekly meeting, by a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs but by a 2/3 majority in the case of external affairs and cost expenditures such as you want. If anyone has ideas to make it better I'm open. ;^)
My wife has a better sense of humor than you. And she has none.
I call forward the number another telemarketing number.
You are a nice person.
Tll them you’re with Scientology and welcome the opportunity to sign up a new recruit and that you’ll need THEIR credit card number, home address and a phone number to call them back.
Or even better, get out a Bible and read John 3:17-18 to them. At a minimum, you’ll get the Gospel out to a few folks.
Hubby does that. Or he keeps them on the phone forever.
I don’t answer or if I do by accident then immediately hang up and block the number.
Well when it’s at the expense of some poor schmoe who might not have found anything better to do in a still selective job market — I cede the opportunity to jest.
Are tactical nuclear weapons off the table?
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