Answered the phone today to someone who asked if I was Mr (wife and S-i-l's maiden name which they both use professionally). I said I wasn't and there was no such person.
caller: Who are you then?
me: Who are YOU?
Caller gave the name of some outfit and told me they knew spyware and viruses had attacked my computer. Had I noticed it being a bit slow for example?
Me: There's nothing wrong with my computer at all.
Caller: How do you know?
Me: Because there are no symptoms of anything being wrong.
Caller: You wouldn't know that.
Me: Listen, I think you want to sell me something and I don't want it. Goodbye.
I felt a bit guilty being so rude because the caller sounded Indian as well as damned annoying and cheeky. I imagine others are much ruder. But I couldn't help nourishing longing thoughts of having his bosses (not him) bound and gagged, with a plentiful supply of virus-laden excrement to pour over their disgusting heads.
What utter crap goes on in the modern world. I wonder how many people a day get conned with this rubbish.
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Never feel guilty about having been rude in these circumstances. I'm willing to bet that these type of outfits make note of who might be worth a second punt, and blunt refusals aren't on that list.
My standard routine is to ask them immediately if it's a sales call. If they say yes, or dither, I say "Goodnight" and hang up.
I really don't care if they're offended; I didn't ask them to contact me.
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What utter crap goes on in the modern world. I wonder how many people a day get conned with this rubbish.
>
>>>>>> many i reckon
((hope the way ive linked gets rtvj70 somethings approval by the whey,is he a teacher))))))))))
personally i would like to rub ginger in their eyes as i peeled a spud
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I love the Indian call centre phoning up to tell me I have problems with my PC. I suddenly become irate accusing them of hacking into my PC, threatening to call the police, and demanding to speak to the Managing Director of their company.
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And guilty you should feel AC, if everyone did the same as you jokers like this one might have to go out and get a proper job.;)
We do not buy anything from cold calls, this modest gaff is our retreat, and we repel boarders.
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>> jokers like this one might have to go out and get a proper job.;)
To me the work such people do seems utterly nightmarish. If I had to spend a whole day telephoning people with that sort of come-on I would feel near-suicidal in the evening.
I once spent a few days trying to sell vacuum cleaners - sorry, 'multi-purpose household units' - in Greenford, without any success. The supervisor seemed to like me and praised my 'classy dem' but I really, really hated the experience. My colleagues were a right bunch of spivs, chancers and yobbos. Perhaps one or two of them took to the metier.
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As a business ( of sorts ) I get these kind of calls all the time and after a while, they irritate from the minute they open their mouths.
Credit to one girl the other day, her opening line was this isnt a sales call ( it was but she succeeded in getting 10 more seconds than they usually get for sheer balls ) - she then proceeded to ask me if I wanted to sell my business - since I am the business, I asked her whether she was proposing she become my pimp, at which point she put the phone down.
Maybe Im getting old but those kinds of conversations amuse me more and more, my wife nearly wet herself yesterday just before we were off to a funeral at my in-laws, they got a repeat caller at a very inappropriate moment so after the 2nd call, my wife said give it to Stu. It was Virgin apparently and I protested with much vigour that I was indeed a virgin and thanks for checking, numerous times. Needless to say it provided a light moment for everyone before we went off to send off a man taken well before his time.
Scottish Power seem to like me, having called 7 times now in two weeks and as soon as the scottish voice on the end pipes up, i know where its going - ' this is the ... time you have called me, I will never, shall never even if you are the only provider left on the face of this planet, ever get my electricity from you again, I left you because I didnt like you, now you have confirmed it by total administrative incompetance that rivals Bernie Madoffs accounting. .... off'. So far so good, no calls for days, hope im on a blacklist some where.
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I usually just hang up on these folk, but being in an odd mood the other evening I played one of them along for a while. Some random Indian sounding person phones and tells me I have been ripped off by my credit card company, entitled to a refund, yada yada.
So, it gets to the point where she has to chceck something on her computer, so she tells me DON'T HANG UP. So I hang up of course. She rings back, and we go through the whole charade 5 times before she finally gives up on me.
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I was unspeakably rude to the NHS Transfusion service when they rang with my wife's appointment for giving blood. I misunderstood and thought it was something to do with hair transplants.......
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My favoured response goes a bit like this...
Caller - Is that Mr D'About?
Me - May I ask who's calling?
Caller - Tom, Dick or Harry from ACME Ltd.
Me - OK, I'll get him for you, he's in the garden...hang on...
Few moments pass...
Me - OK, he's coming, two ticks...
Few more moments....
Me - he'll be with you shortly, he's had to go for a wee...
Few more moments...
Me - Rightho, I'll pass you over now, what's your name again?
Caller - Er..Tom
Me - Jolly good Tim, here he is...Oh and speak up a bit, he's quite deaf you know !
Caller - Mr D'About?
Me - Eh?
Caller - Mr D'About is that you?
Me - Who's calling?
Caller - Tom from...
Me - Speak up lad !
Caller - It's Tom from...
Me - Hang on a tick, I've left the cooker on...just hold on....
Few moments pass
Me - sorry about that, now, what can I do for you?
Caller - Well we're conducting a survey...
Me - Survey eh? Are you Surveyors?
Caller - No, we're...
Me - Hold on, there's someone at the door, hang on a tick....
Go and put kettle on, have fag, come back. Usually no one there...
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Thu 21 Apr 11 at 20:45
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Very funny devonite I must admit. Where do people find the time though?
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Just posting a relevant reply from a thread I started in the Computer section re spoof infection alerts.
"A retired friend 'phoned me this week because he had taken a call from a firm alleging they knew his computer was infected and offering to sell him some anti-virus to fix it. He allowed them remote access to his Windows 7 PC (!!!) whereupon they showed him the Windows Event Log which had lots of yellow and red icons in it - which it would in any normal uninfected PC. They convinced him that each red icon was a virus and conned him out of £40 and got his credit card details at the same time. They also must have scanned his computer for other financial details and passwords as an attempt to use a long unused John Lewis credit card was made that day. He now has lots of bank and credit card details to change!"
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Anonymous call reject is a good way to get rid of most sales calls. Costs money though.
Another good tactic is to answer with a hello, then say nothing else. Let them whitter on then they will hang up. Their sales training can only deal with objections but complete silence isn't something they can do anything about. It annoys the carp out of them as they have to hang up on you so it goes on their record as they've terminated the call.
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An hour ago I heard my nephew walking up and down outside bawling porkies into the phone about the string of academic prizes he had won, the computers under experimental test in his laboratory and the very high security code on his mainframe.
Yes, the same toerag outfit had called again and the phone had been answered by an unwary nine-year-old girl. My nephew - who really does know an enormous amount about computers and modern electronic communications in general - so scared the caller that he got put on to the supervisor, who quickly hung up on him. Ho ho! Perhaps they won't be calling again.
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I often tell them 'you want my dad, hang on I'll go and dig him up'.
He died in '65.
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>>Anonymous call reject is a good way to get rid of most sales calls. Costs money though>>
I now leave the answerphone on and to respond after four rings. Scam callers usually terminate the call, whilst if someone has rung who I know (you can hear them at the start if leaving a message) or a caller I'm prepared to speak to, I pick the phone up.
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I never, ever, ever, ever, ever answer the house phone. Although I'll pick it up and chuck it at my wife.
I only answer my mobile if the number is in my address book and I want to speak to them.
It's a gated street so few people slip through the net (usually only the local priest) but I don't answer the door till I've looked through the spy hole. (I told the priest to fudge off a few years ago and he hasn't bothered me since).
My wife opens all the mail.
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It's become a major problem over here too and there doesn't seem to be an effective, official, way of dealing with it.
On advice, I now usually say (in French of course) 'I'll fetch my wife, don't hang up', put the phone down and walk away.
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We were bugged by some Indian sounding chaps called, incredibly, Chris, Dave, Tony and even Oscar about a lifstyle survey for a few weeks. The tactic I tested seemed to work (i.e. no more calls) by replying "yes" to everything they ask - it seems to work for them for the first few questions. Trouble was suppressing the need to laugh was hard....
Last edited by: Pugugly on Fri 22 Apr 11 at 18:07
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>> It's become a major problem over here too
I don't quite know how to put this MH, but are the callers apparently, er, native French, or do they speak exaggeratedly correct French with the odd unnecessary subjunctive (Algerian) or pompously roll their r's (further South)? Just curious because it must be terrible work.
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Got called this afternoon by someone working for some xxxx utilities. Sounded Indian and offered an English sounding name. They were asking questions and I told them not interested but they kept trying to talk. I said goodbye and hung up. Couldn't even bother threatening them because of TPS registration .... was in the made of making some sangria. Priorities.
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We are getting lots of junk phone calls just now, despite being on TPS. Part of the problem is that TPS only applies to cold calls.
That still leaves all the organisations of which you are a customer, plus any that have collected or acquired your details legally with the appropriate DPA permissions from you (as might happen for example when you use comparison sites). "Market research" calls are not covered by TPS either.
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Stuff them and their market research. Rudeness from me in future.
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This number was new to us when we got it (dormant BT number assigned to us) and registered on TPS. This is mostly random calling for us.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Fri 22 Apr 11 at 22:29
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>>Part of the problem is that TPS only applies to cold calls.>>
It doesn't apply to calls from abroad rather than just "cold calls".
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As I said, part of the problem is that TPS only applies to cold calls. However companies do stretch this in my opinion - e.g. a bank where you have a current account might call you about insurance on the basis that they are looking after an existing customer (mine does this). You can ask them to stop, but TPS itself won't stop these.
Regarding calls from abroad, UK companies can't legitimately get round TPS by "offshoring". Overseas companies calling from outside UK are not covered though.
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We get around this problem by having our 'phone loaded with the names of all our relatives, friends and others who are likely to call. We also have the answerphone on most of the time.
Incidentally, we've only had this 'phone for a month or so (a Panasonic recommended by DD in another thread), and we are receiving a lot of calls which are identified as 'out of area'. Are these calls from abroad, or are they just outside our immediate area?
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Wasn't there a gadget to monitor calls which was backed by one of the Dragon's Den businessmen?
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>>I don't quite know how to put this MH, but are the callers apparently, er, native French<<
I think they are native French. I have acquaintances who have worked in call centres based in the Limousin - which most of France regards as a foreign country anyway.
A couple of days ago we rang the English-speaking Electricite de France helpline for a friend. The girl who answered sounded as if she was Thai...
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My phone either gives a number, number withheld or International. I take latter to mean a call which has needed 0044 prefix to reach me.
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Some of the foreign calls are getting clever by appearing as a kosher UK number. Look carefully and you'll notice there's too many digits.
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But why does Anjit pretend he is called Tony? He doesn't sound like Tony, he sounds like Anjit trying to sound like a Tony.
If he is going to lie about his name, what other BS is he going to feed you.
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i want to know why they have to wear thais
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...But why does Anjit pretend he is called Tony?...
"Good morning, how is it you are today Mr Zero?
"I am thinking what it is that is happening on the Eastender is very exciting.
"What am you doing for the wedding royal?
"It is a great day that it will be for the London, isn't it?"
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>> "Good morning, how is it you are today Mr Zero?
>> "I am thinking what it is that is happening on the Eastender is very exciting.
>> "What am you doing for the wedding royal?
>> "It is a great day that it will be for the London, isn't it?"
How's your Gujurati, Panjabi or Hindi, Iffy?
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...How's your Gujurati, Panjabi or Hindi, Iffy?...
Non-existent, but I worked with Indians and Pakistanis when I was in London.
We sometimes sent someone to a local cafe for a breakfast order.
One of the Indian girls often had toast, which she called 'hot bread'.
Last edited by: Iffy on Tue 26 Apr 11 at 14:55
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There are many ways to have a "local" number. I used to use Vonage, an internet phone, and I could have had a local call in the States, or most European countries, or most UK major cities - and as many numbers as I was prepared to pay for, all routing to the same phone. (The benefit for home users being if your old aunt lived in Washington you could have a local number for her and speak forever for pennies).
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When I get a junk call I say "Just a minute please" and put the handset on the table.
The longest somebody has waited is 10 minutes!
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>> Incidentally, we've only had this 'phone for a month or so (a Panasonic recommended by DD in another thread), and we are receiving a lot of calls which are identified as 'out of area'.
Not seen that on my handset (yet).
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>>Not seen that on my handset (yet).
I'll pick-up next time and find out who it is.
Thanks.
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The scam callers with computer problems I have no time for or sympathy for at all.
However, people selling DG are trying to make a living too, just like the rest of us, and some people actually want what they're selling so "thank you very much for your call but I'm not interested" is my response.
Last edited by: Mapmaker on Tue 26 Apr 11 at 13:51
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It was probably Terry Tibbs (Fonejacker)!
Last edited by: L'escargot on Tue 26 Apr 11 at 14:38
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I've developed a new method to avoid these calls disturbing me. I bought a pay as you go mobile with £10 credit for £10.99 and now always give out that number on forms, websites, and for delivery information and the like.
If I'm expecting a delivery or want contact I keep the phone switched on, otherwise it's switched off. I give it for car servicing contact too.
It'll take a while to get rid of all the junk calls on the landline and we'll never lose the random diallers but for £10.99 I'm well satisfied.
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Damn cheeky junk phone call - Harleyman
