General Chat

I'd like to add to Shirley's comments about the Telephone Preference Service. It is free, takes about five minutes to complete on-line and any company who cold calls you when you are listed on the Telephone Preference Service is breaking the law.

I registered a couple of years ago and I rarely get a call now. If one does get through, I just stop them dead by advising them that my number is registered with TPS and they should therefore remove my details immediately and not call again or I will make an official complaint to the authorities.

You don't need to be rude, just firm, and it works without fail. It's also much easier to pull off as you feel empowered, knowing you have the law on your side. I'd recommend it to anyone who is bothered by cold callers.

Here's their website:

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/

Ed

We get quite a few calls even being registered, this is because at some stage we have contacted them or a subsidiary of theirs for something. OH often does a trawl for insurance comparisons etc. So it is legal for them to call. I am hard of hearing and without fail all these young people gabble on the phone, so I say 'sorry I can't hear you', initially because I don't know if it is actually somebody I want to talk to. If it is someone I know they realise and speak up. These people don't seem to understand the problem and continue to speak softly and fast, after the 3rd time of saying 'sorry?' I put the phone down.

Somebody who was running up debts in a lot of places was using my phone number.He was evidently giving it as his when he applied for loans or something.

ai was forever gettint calls from credit companies asking for him.Over the course of time I found out his name and where he lived.It was in the same dialling code as me but it was quite evidently not the number for his address.

Eventually I managed to persuade all the companies that he was nothing to do with this address or me.
His wedding was in the paper recently.Lucky girl!!!!!!!!

I usually (when I make the mistake of answering the phone) just say "hello"...pretend I can't hear them -"hello?"....."hell-oooooo?" and press the disconnect button. Don't know why but they never ring back lol

Mary

Dermot my friend,

I agree that someone earning a living should be congratulated for having a job. However, unsolicited cold calls after 8 pm are, as I said earlier, intrusive and annoying and it is downright bad manners to disturb people at that time of the day.

I like Bernie's suggestion - must try that next time.

A year or so ago year I had several calls from a certain East Anglian glazing (oops) company, asking for me by name. On the second call I asked them to remove my name from their computer but to no avail.

The next time they rang I politely asked where they had obtained my number form, to which I was told 'The Telephone Directory'

At that point I responded Sorry, that is a blatant lie, as I am Ex Dir, and my number has never been published, so that could not possibly be correct. I then reiterated my question asking for the true answer, at which point the operator went a bit hysterical and called for her supervisor to take the call.

Next bit beggars belief. The supervisor said that they had obtained my name and address from the electoral roll.

(role, rule there are conflicting spellings on here viz instuctins for newbies and oldies - Sorry, couldn't resist that one.)

I said ok fine go with that but how did you get my phone number, given that it is Ex Dir?

Her response was that they had a clever dicky in IT who had taken the Electoral Roll and previous copies of the phone book and had matched addresses.....! They then added the current name on the electoral roll back to the phone number and gave this to their operatives to cold call.

Ugh....?!

PS a referees whistle is good, but don't answer the phone in the next hour or so unless they reciprocate.

I find this a simple solution ... "where did you get this number? this number is ex-directory and we don't accept cold calls. please take us off your database." and hang up.

the ones that drive me insane are the recorded message ones "are you in millions of pounds of debt?" and similar. they always seem to come when you are right in the throes of summat - those ones I usually scream obscenities at ... there's no-one at the other end to hear, but it makes me feel better :-))

Maz. XX

I have stopped picking up the phone recently as I have had so many calls like this.I wait and see if someone starts to leave a message and then I will pick up.
I always try to be polite as it is someone just doing a job,and they are lucky to have a job these days.But I do get exasperated when they keep on and on ,so I just say sorry and put the phone down.There are some that always ring just as I'm cooking ,or just sat down to eat!!!!!!!
I wish I could be rude ....but I just can't bring myself to be.

That is what I do now too.... I say "I'm not interested"... they say "You don't know what it is about yet"..... it can go on and on and on... so now?
I hang up.
I do understand that they are only trying to
make a living, but I have taught myself that that is NOT my responsibility!
Deanna X

Dont always work Dermot, I have said no thanks, and then they keep telling me how good the product/ service is.
Had two lately think from Solicitors touting for work.
First one, - Did someone in your family suffer an accident and was in hospital, I said yes me, broke my arm, Do you want to sue, I said No I did it in a Church ,and dont feel like suing God.
Only this week- Did someone in your family work in a Factory, I said what Factory, they said- Dont you know what a Factory is, I said Yes but I want to know what this has to do with me.
He said Did anyone work in a Factory. I said no, well it was the truth.
Mind Boggles!

Mo

Unfortunately Dermot a firm No Thanks doesnt deter some of em who think if they can have you online for a time they can browbeat you into agreeing to what they are selling. Had that several times before putting the phones onto Telephone Preference Service.
I had often had to put the phone down to get rid !!
My OH was a night worker so slept during the day .we have a telephone extension in the bedroom and he was often woken up by the same persistent caller,so much so he put the phone off the hook when he went to bed cos once waken he often couldn't get back to sleep. The problem with that was our provider would keep us without a connection cos the phone was off the hook. WE finally had to resort to putting the phones on the Telephone Preference Service to get some peace
Shirley

I just assume from these postings that nobody on here ever worked in a Call Centre. A firm 'no thank you' is generally adequate to terminate the call in a civilised manner.

Country Gal This is hilarious. Wish I had the nerve to say that to them lol
I know someone who always says she's a DSS private tenant, and they can't get off the phone quick enough.

I actually found a whistle which was taken off my g.son, while looking in the drawer for something, so I'm gonna blow that and say I can't hear for a whistling noise on the phone.
Do you think that'll teach them NOT to ring back lol!!!

You Tube 'ANGRY CALLER', that is the most hilarius way to deal with code callers!

Got our house phone and mobiles on the Telephone Preference Service which stops most of these cold calls. If one should get through then I throw a spanner in the works by telling them they are putting their Company at risk because they could get fined as we are on Telephone Preference, they bluster and panic and cant get off the phone quick enough.
Unfortunately it doesnt stop companies where you have previously given your number for say furniture deliveries etc
Shirley,

I have had a silent number for years, but I keep getting the same voice ringing me every afternoon. When I ask "where did you get my number?" the answer is "from our data base". I then ask him to take it out of their data base and he gets lost, because he doesn't have the answer to that in his script - so he starts again - and I put the phone down.

Just tell them you are out on day release or you are only the cleaner lol.

It sure is. Especially as they begin to get frustrated and you can imagine them panicking as they realise they have wasted all those precious minutes and are not going to get any commission.

Now, before anyone says that they are only doing their job, I don't mind if it is from a legitimate source such as someone you have already dealt with. But a cold call at 8.30 in the evening is intrusive, annoying and downright bad manners and these callers deserve all they get.

Oh Bernie - I love it ! Great Idea. It's bad that charities are now getting in on the act - I know they all need money but they never used to telephone. It is possible to have ALL cold calls barred - contact BT

I say, "you have the wrong Mr Smith, (or Brown, or Jones, or Bloggs,) you need my son, I will go and get him, hang on".

Then I just leave the phone laying on the arm of the chair. After about a minute you hear, "hello, hello", then a minute or two later, "hello, is anyone there?".

In they end they realise and hang up. The best bit is, they remove you from their database because they never ring again.

Occasionally I am very naughty and I wait until their exasperation is obvious and they are about to hang up and then I blow a big raspberry down the phone !!!!!

Try it, its great fun.