Cold callers can go to hell
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I'm sure we've all been there before. You've just got in from work and sat down with the family to have tea, or maybe your relaxing by watching some TV or a film. Suddenly, the phone goes and you feel compelled to answer it, after all it could be something important, you just don't know. But no, it's another bloody cold caller with a survey or trying to sell you something! Grrrrr... |
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The last thing I want is to be pestered by cold callers When my working day is done the last thing I want is to be pestered by cold callers trying to wheedle some business out of me. I really feel that it is an invasion of my privacy and they're taking up my valuable personal time, time I'd rather spend with family relaxing than answering inane questions. When my dinner is interupted by some telemarketing company trying to sell me something, I can only be polite to them for so long before I've had enough and hang up. |
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Here's what happened the other night around teatime. Yet another kitchen sales person who wanted to come out and do a survey called us. My husband took the call and I distinctly heard him say "No thanks, we're not interested", very politely at least five times before hanging up. Lo and behold, within the hour the same company rang us back again. This time it was the supervisor who went into her long spiel and asked us why we didn't want a survey done, "Surely there's something that you would like to change in your kitchen?" she said. That's the thing about cold callers, they're quite thick skinned and this one was no exception. Clearly she wasn't about to take 'No' for an answer, so after being terribly polite for the first eight minutes, I told her that she shouldn't presume that my kitchen wasn't perfect the way it was and could she not call me again. She then had the audacity to say "But if you want to change something in the future, you will give is a call wont you?" Well I had to bite my tongue at that point because a few choice replies sprang to mind. "Not on your life" I said and then hung up. Thinking about the sheer number of cold calls we receive I'm actually quite perplexed. We aren't in the phone book and I've signed up to the telephone preference service (TPS) so I'm quite puzzled as to why we still get so many calls. I do shop on the Internet and occasionally sign up for offers etc., but I am very careful and always check the appropriate boxes so that my details aren't sold or forwarded on to telemarketing companies. Something is going on though and a system is broken somewhere, because I still get pestered by loads of cold callers. Perhaps they've started dialing randomly now or something? Another thing that really bothers me is when they don't get my name right. If they're trying to score some business, the least they could do is figure out how to pronounce the name of the person they're calling. A fair amount of them are from foreign call centres so that explains it I guess. I've had so many different pronunciations it's unbelievable. By: Joyce |
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Comments from visitors
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We also have caller display and don't answer out of area calls and we also refuse to accept hidden number calls, another BT service.
It's a war with these calls but I am winning, this week.
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I would like to make 1471 compulsory at revealing a telephone number. There has to be a means of indentifying origin of calls. This must be made law somehow.
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Criminal Calling - 31-May-11 11:25
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I ask to be taken off their lists and legally they SHOULD oblige but rearely do. I am polite the second time the same company calls and repeat that I wish to be taken off the list. If it happens again I am generally very narky with them. I was almost shouting at one of them earlier today.
I find it hard to be rude and to not hear people out, but I am getting increasingly annoyed with them.
Cold calling is illegal, or it was last time I heard. However they get round it by lying "you or your partner filled out a survey some time ago and expressed an interest in...." This is where I really get annoyed and I tell them that I know they're lying, we haven't filled out the survey, and I point out that their call is illegal.
Yeah, I'm surprised this gripe didn't get more comments, it's one that I think the majority of the country has!
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Cold callers do just randomly dial numbers. They would get a list of area codes one being an example would be 0208 for london and then they just add on a bunch of random numbers. If someone answers, they hang up straight away. They then know what time to call you and that your number works. Simple
You can also program a machine to do this called an auto dialer which is illegal. However, most cold callers will get an auto dialer to dial numbers and hang up when someone picks up. The machine automatically forwards the numbers that have worked to a database for the actual cold callers to use. All companies will not admit using an auto dialer because it is illegal but most of them do.
One way to stop cold callers is to not be polite. I found if you pick up the phone to find its some bloke trying to sell you double glazing, shouting the words "I just drank a pint of liquidated manure" down the phone will stop that company calling again. Or if you say hello when you answer and when they say they are trying to sell you double glazing respond by saying "Im sorry this is a taxi firm" they will then not bother calling you again. This is a proven method of dealing with them. I hardly get any cold calling now.
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Stuart Leslie - 24-May-11 16:13
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You cant even block the numbers as they change every 2 weeks, I bet they would find a way to prevent the calls if a 5% tax was due on every marketing call made.
Sorry im just furious.
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Good luck.
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I have told them I am registered with the Telephone Preference Service and expect people NOT to abuse my request for privacy.
I am outraged when they told me 'We are a service who have a current "business relationship" with you'. How dare they abuse my line like that. How dare they abuse my preference.
I want to ditch BT, but I can't because they have a monopoly.
Therefore the only thing I can do is name and shame the abuse they are showing of their monopoly here.
What else can I do?
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BT are Pirates of your Privacy - 16-Nov-10 18:58
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I call that cold-calling with a vengeance.
When I complained they put the phone down on me. Frigging rude weren't they. I have a good mind to cancel our contract next year because of this.
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Stop Interrupting Our Lives - 11-Nov-10 15:52
http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/
The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is a free service. It is the official central opt out register on which you can record your preference not to receive unsolicited sales or marketing calls. It is a legal requirement that all organisations (including charities, voluntary organisations and political parties) do not make such calls to numbers registered on the TPS unless they have your consent to do so.
What if someone cold calls me after that?
What recourse do I have?
Is this yet another toothless tiger organisations can ignore?
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Click Life Insurance
http://www.clicklife.co.uk/
They cold-called us today. We have no previous business with them. They said we made an enquiry 2 years ago with them. So what, we didn't take up any business then. What right does that give them to try to get into contact with us on our "private" phone line? How dare they interrupt my day.
How dare they trouble us 2 years later.
I handle the staff who cold-call me very roughly indeed. I give them a piece of my mind. Most of them are thick-skinned, but a proportion might give up this dreadful kind of work as possibly psychologically damaging to them.
No hawkers, no circulars, no junk mail, no cold-calling!
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Kill Off Cold-Callings - 8-Nov-10 11:11
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If I phone a Friend I always Open my number by putting in 1470 in front of their number and can get through. I have now changed my Telephone Provider, to a much Cheaper Service ,but am still getting these Callers,I have even now put my own Message on my Answer Phone which States that I do not Accept calls from Abroad or Witheld Numbers. Suppose they either don't understand English?
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I just say "no thank you" & put the phone down. If someone wants to have any chance of selling me anything they could at least do me the courtesy of getting someone with a decent standard of English to call me.
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grumpyoldwoman - 25-May-10 17:15
They always hang up, and never ring back, Works everytime =]
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Richard (UK) - 25-Mar-10 08:15
I found that I get the odd call now and then but much better than 5 a day!
I think it's annoying for people who have to make these calls too, I used to be a telesales person but I guess the guys who have stuck with it have developed thick skin.
It's actually the fault of government who make it easy to access public records and the technology these days makes it so easy for these marketers to identify you and predict your purchasing habits.
It's an invasion of privacy & unless people learn to protect their own personal data it will continue.
optout also do a device called truecall (£89.99) which I think is really cool also but a bit pricey for me :) so I stuck to their standard service which only costs a one off £7.99.
At first sight I thought why should I pay to stop nuisance calls, but I gave it a try and I feel satisfied and I can relax in my private time.
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