Cold callers

[Dr Jekyll]

The phone rang a few minutes ago.

'Hello is that Dr Jekyll?'

'Yes'

'Good morning, I'm from such and such investments and I'd like to spend a few minutes going through what we can do for you'

At this point I felt it was at least an improvement on the usual 'hellohowareyoutoday' from someone who doesn't introduce themselves. So rather than let the caller waste his time telling me how he can make my fortune I told him quite politely that I wasn't interested. The rest of the conversion went as follows.

'Did you catch the name of my firm?'

'No'

'Good, you're a fking , goodbye.'

Isn't it time all cold calling was simply banned? The TPS service is totally ignored anyway.

[Negative Creep]

THe best way to do it is to tell them you'll just go and get the homeowner, then just leave the phone by the side until they hang up. Wastes their time and stops them wasting that of others.

[Snowboy]

I hate cold calling.
However, I do find that story mildly amusing.

Cold callers (that aren't foreign) are generally minimum wage temp workers doing jobs they hate.
By being a bit mischevious it must make the job a little more bearable.

[Dr Jekyll]

Snowboy said:

I hate cold calling.
However, I do find that story mildly amusing.

Cold callers (that aren't foreign) are generally minimum wage temp workers doing jobs they hate.
By being a bit mischevious it must make the job a little more bearable.

Bullst.

Cold callers are sick people who get their kicks from annoying others. I wouldn't be allowed to make obscene phone calls so why should they?

[MG CHRIS]

You haven't seen the call centre have you. That's one job I would never have. Although they do piss me off when im home during the day, I either wind them up by giving them false information or just hang up.

The worst though are the hi you have a problem with your pc/laptop which we can help you with love winding them up bunch of wkers.

[Busterhighmen]

[fido]

I pretend to be a teenager sometimes. Kevin or Vicky. Tell them my mum is out and talk to them about my problems. This works even with the f8ckers from an Indian call centre.

[iphonedyou]

Dr Jekyll said:

Bullst.

Cold callers are sick people who get their kicks from annoying others. I wouldn't be allowed to make obscene phone calls so why should they?

As a rule, I can't imagine that they are, no. So committed are they to their sick cause that they'll willingly take on a terribly paying job, just to abuse people?

I can't see it.

[P-Jay]

I just put the phone down, it's annoying but I've been on the other end of things getting my first foot on the employment ladder and annoying people for £3 an hour. It really is one of the worse jobs in the Western World, I've done in-bound too which is just as soul destroying - at least back in the early 90's there wasn't such thing as zero hours contracts so you would occasionally get 5 blissful mins between calls to exorcize your mind when they were 'over staffed'.

If you're the creative type, by all means come up with some strange story or 'wind them up' it'll be the highlight of their hellish day - swearing and shouting won't make a dent though, imagine making 100-200 cold calls a day, the odd 'f bomb' isn't going to make you bat an eyelid.

[Adam B]

Dr Jekyll said:

Cold callers are sick people who get their kicks from annoying others.

Or just people trying to earn a wage? Your particular caller was unusual in that he was funny/rude too.

Not saying they aren't annoying of course. I never get them though, think they must call during day when I am at work.

Edited by Adam B on Wednesday 16th April 13:50

[Celtic Dragon]

I agree, cold calls are a complete I've been on the receiving end of them for the last 2 years by an ambulance chasing company used by my old insurance company. 2 years ago I had a car park prang at about 4mph, where we both traded a bit of paint and that was it.

I still get calls of these saying the file is still open (despite me telling them the matter is settled) and the other insurance company have put money aside for a compensation claim, so why don't I claim it. Despite me asking them to never contact me again they still do, and now somehow they are managing to ring me from different parts of the country so my block list on my mobile doesn't activate.

[CatfishCKY]

I thought I would put in my 2p worth as well!
It's only just 12pm, and I have had 3 cold calls already. I work as a receptionist in a company at the moment, but all of these calls have just been fishing for business.
One was an IT company, I said no thanks we have it sorted - they couldn't take no for an answer so I just hung up.
Another one was to do with Fire Safety, I said no thanks as we have it sorted again - he hung up immediately after I said that.
Another one was a company we have dared to enquire with regarding roofing - they are now chasing every couple of days to finalise the quote.

Tis very annoying when I have other things to do! (on lunch though at the moment )

Edited by CatfishCKY on Wednesday 16th April 12:04

[Dr Jekyll]

P-Jay said:

I just put the phone down, it's annoying but I've been on the other end of things getting my first foot on the employment ladder and annoying people for £3 an hour. It really is one of the worse jobs in the Western World, I've done in-bound too which is just as soul destroying - at least back in the early 90's there wasn't such thing as zero hours contracts so you would occasionally get 5 blissful mins between calls to exorcize your mind when they were 'over staffed'.

If you're the creative type, by all means come up with some strange story or 'wind them up' it'll be the highlight of their hellish day - swearing and shouting won't make a dent though, imagine making 100-200 cold calls a day, the odd 'f bomb' isn't going to make you bat an eyelid.

But maybe if they always got an 'f bomb' and never managed to sell anything the employers might decide to stop employing them.

[funkyrobot]

fido said:

I pretend to be a teenager sometimes. Kevin or Vicky. Tell them my mum is out and talk to them about my problems. This works even with the f8ckers from an Indian call centre.

I have convinced plenty of them that I am either:

1. An old man who is easily led
2. A Russian gangster hiding in the UK (I even had a woman on the phone speaking louder and slower because she thought I couldn't understand her)
3. A murder scene cleaner
4. A homosexual African president

If I have the time, I don't bother hanging up. Much more fun.

[P-Jay]

CatfishCKY said:

I thought I would put in my 2p worth as well!
It's only just 12pm, and I have had 3 cold calls already. I work as a receptionist in a company at the moment, but all of these calls have just been fishing for business.
One was an IT company, I said no thanks we have it sorted - they couldn't take no for an answer so I just hung up.
Another one was to do with Fire Safety, I said no thanks as we have it sorted again - he hung up immediately after I said that.
Another one was a company we have dared to enquire with regarding roofing - they are now chasing every couple of days to finalise the quote.

Tis very annoying when I have other things to do! (on lunch though at the moment )

Edited by CatfishCKY on Wednesday 16th April 12:04

I might have paid the IT ones to call you, if I did sorry about that. One agency we use promise us they don't hard / over sell and so far they've been true to their word judging on feedback from customers.

[fido]

funkyrobot said:

If I have the time, I don't bother hanging up. Much more fun.

Hehe. I had one guy who still wanted to sell me PPI even though I was apparently sitting on the bog and squeezing out a log. How f8g desperate do you have to be? I'm like 'do you want to continue the conversation?' and he's "yes, if you have the time"!

[CatfishCKY]

P-Jay said:

I might have paid the IT ones to call you, if I did sorry about that. One agency we use promise us they don't hard / over sell and so far they've been true to their word judging on feedback from customers.

How dare you!
I think you may be alright; they were adamant they had to speak to the MD regarding IT, even though he wouldn't know about it! I kept on saying that we outsource it but it wasn't getting through which is why I hung up. They called from an 0151/0161 number and didn't give a company name.
Sounds like your agency wouldn't have been like that!

[P-Jay]

Dr Jekyll said:

P-Jay said:

I just put the phone down, it's annoying but I've been on the other end of things getting my first foot on the employment ladder and annoying people for £3 an hour. It really is one of the worse jobs in the Western World, I've done in-bound too which is just as soul destroying - at least back in the early 90's there wasn't such thing as zero hours contracts so you would occasionally get 5 blissful mins between calls to exorcize your mind when they were 'over staffed'.

If you're the creative type, by all means come up with some strange story or 'wind them up' it'll be the highlight of their hellish day - swearing and shouting won't make a dent though, imagine making 100-200 cold calls a day, the odd 'f bomb' isn't going to make you bat an eyelid.

But maybe if they always got an 'f bomb' and never managed to sell anything the employers might decide to stop employing them.

Possibly, personally I'm yet to be convinced cold calling works, but time and again we've gone through the stats and it's doing more for us that SEO/Pay per click or networking - I still don't trust it thought, because I'll never take a call unsolicited - I'm not sure if they're hypocritical or ironic, probably both.

Depends on the agency, the ones who are calling from India are pretty terrible, I've used them in the past and spent a lot of time and money sending reps to non-existent businesses, to un-booked meetings with people they've never heard of, or just straight into arguments about the agent calling them 5 times a day.

The ones we use now are friendly, don't push and will only call back by 'invitation' basically if they're told no one is available etc - if they're told 'no thanks' they don't call back.

[9mm]

Whistles hurt.

[P-Jay]

CatfishCKY said:

P-Jay said:

I might have paid the IT ones to call you, if I did sorry about that. One agency we use promise us they don't hard / over sell and so far they've been true to their word judging on feedback from customers.

How dare you!
I think you may be alright; they were adamant they had to speak to the MD regarding IT, even though he wouldn't know about it! I kept on saying that we outsource it but it wasn't getting through which is why I hung up. They called from an 0151/0161 number and didn't give a company name.
Sounds like your agency wouldn't have been like that!

Phew - Wasn't us then, our guys are based in South Wales, would be an 01443 or 0845 number, I've been on the other end of their patter in an different role, they're very good and don't scream 'cold call' from the off.