Nuisance Calls And How To Deal With Them

[poliphilo]

When people with English names and Indian accents ring me up and tell me they don't want to sell me anything but could they have my opinion on this that or the other (currently they all seem to want to know if 'm with Sky)) I tell them I have a policy of not answering questions over the phone and as often as not they hang up before I finish the spiel.

I try to be polite. I know they're doing a thankless job. I know they get shouted at a lot.

But when people ring up saying they're from Microsoft and there's a fault with my computer I tell them curtly that they're not and there isn't- and sometimes I take it a little bit further. I care less about their feelings because what they're doing is not merely annoying but downright crooked.

Comments

[kishenehn.livejournal.com]

I just hang up on those calls without even speaking nowadays.

The ones claiming to be from Microsoft make me chuckle, though, since I just use Apple products! It's so very tempting to taunt them ...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I have in the past played games with them- like pretending to be really stupid and asking dumb questions in order to keep them on line and waste their employer's money- but after a while it palls- especially when you're getting four or five calls a day.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

I tell them we're an ex directory number which means they're breaking the law in having it and that we're also signed up to TPS which generally gets rid of them.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We've been on TPS in the past and it never seemed to make much difference.

[vinib.livejournal.com]

My sis likes to pretend to be McDonalds, or some cinema, or railway booking office, and starts by thanking them for calling and then proceeds to troll them until they get confused and hang up.

[w. lotus (from livejournal.com)]

I completely agree with these tactics for the same reasons.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've done that sort of thing but after a while it just stops being fun...

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

It has for us although you get the occasional scofflaw who you then report and get into trouble.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

Yes, I used to do things like only answer them in Welsh or string them along by asking which of the 4 computers we own has a fault, but as you say, the novelty wore off a long time ago.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The call centre workers must get awfully sick of the British sense of humour.