Cold calling computer maintainance companies
Twice in the last two days I've received call about the same time of day from these morons.
"You are a registered Microsoft Windows user and we have been informed by your service provider that you are downloading a large amount of junk and spam"
"Who is my service provider?"
"You are a registered Microsoft Windows user"
"Who is my service provider?"
"You are a registered Microsoft Windows user"
"WHO IS MY SERVICE PROVIDER?"
"You are a registered Microsoft Windows user"
At that point I began to use a lot of foul and abusive language and told her a few home truths
Day 2.
"We have received data showing you have downloaded potential viruses"
"And where have you got this data from?"
"We have received data showing you have downloaded potential viruses"
"And where have you got this data from?"
"Do you know who my ISP is?"
"No"
"So where have you got this data from?"
"We have received data showing you have downloaded potential viruses"
*groan*
cue torrent of verbal abuse
and then he hangs up on me...
"You are a registered Microsoft Windows user and we have been informed by your service provider that you are downloading a large amount of junk and spam"
"Who is my service provider?"
"You are a registered Microsoft Windows user"
"Who is my service provider?"
"You are a registered Microsoft Windows user"
"WHO IS MY SERVICE PROVIDER?"
"You are a registered Microsoft Windows user"
At that point I began to use a lot of foul and abusive language and told her a few home truths
Day 2.
"We have received data showing you have downloaded potential viruses"
"And where have you got this data from?"
"We have received data showing you have downloaded potential viruses"
"And where have you got this data from?"
"Do you know who my ISP is?"
"No"
"So where have you got this data from?"
"We have received data showing you have downloaded potential viruses"
*groan*
cue torrent of verbal abuse
and then he hangs up on me...
Post edited by rich_chandler on
I wanna tell you a story 'bout a woman I know...
Comments
Bytes:Chuntey - Spectrum tech blog.
If the 'phone shows a call-back number then more info on them is probably available on one of the reverse look-up sites, although it might be necessary to wade through pages of dross to find the odd posting from someone who has taken the time to ferret out the details.
The number I'm currently ignoring is 0845 1113111, who have been calling me several times a week for the last few months; being a tele-marketer registered under multiple company names and who've changed their registered office many times; purveying home improvements, financial services and personal injury claims. A dodgy portfolio if ever there was one.
http://egbg.home.xs4all.nl/counterscript.html
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"Who is the director there?"
"Who are you?"
"I am calling from the Department of Business Records in London."
"And why do you need this information?"
"Mmm-hmm, sure, how many people do you have there?"
"Sorry, why do you need this information?"
"I am calling from the Department of Business Records in London."
"I can't find any trace of you guys on the internet..."
"Mmm-hmm, sure, who is the director there?"
And so on. It's the same woman every time, and she always says "mmm-hmm, sure" when she can't give me an answer. Somewhat irritating at first, but now I just find it rather amusing. :smile:
Then put the receiver down (don't hang up), and carry on with what you were doing before.
Waste their fecking time and money.
Fact is that the people you talk to, are usually very limited in what info they have, what they're allowed to do etc. If a new 'prospect' is contacted, the call itself might be automated & person on the phone may not even know what number was called. Number lists to be called are often bought from 3rd party companies, and maybe filtered using do-not-call lists by yet another party (and the data itself might be out-of-date!). Few of those telemarketers will ask their boss where the info came from, the (middle management) boss itself may not even know.
Basically: if you're interested in what they're selling, skip the chitchat & get down to business. In most countries there's a grace period in which you can get out of any deal done over the phone, no questions asked. Consumer rights are pretty strong in this area.
If you don't want what they're selling, all you have to do is make sure the other side understands there's 0 chance to 'get lucky' with you. If you don't feel like making the other side understand that, simply hang up. No point in getting annoyed (or talk rude) as it'll ruin your day a little bit, but the 'cold callers' will be used to it & don't care much. And besides: as much as you might hate getting telemarketing calls, it's still people you talk to, people with feelings, people that are doing what's necessary to make a living like everyone else. If you want to kick something, kick that company's bottom line (by not buying), not the poor folks on the phone...
Beyond that you're just wasting both sides' time, and IMHO you should always consider your time more valuable than theirs. To cut down on calls like this, there's a few simple steps:
Final note: if you have done business with a company & they're calling you for a legitimate reason (for example a follow-up on a problem, or because you gave them specific permission to contact you), don't treat them as telemarketers! There's a *WORLD* of difference between cold calling & customer support... :-)
Oddly enough, they probably should as they're far less likely to scam people who they already know are unwilling to accept telemarketing calls.
anyone got karingals number ? :) give woody the day off.
do what I do, say you have another call and you'll be right back..
then go and watch tv etc
Then a male voice made a weird noise at t'other end. So a bit startled I said "Hello..." again.
Then the voice went "Is that...errrmmm...prostitute?" in quite broken English.
I just said to him to Fook off! Wish I'd found out where he was and directed him to some rough Manchester neighbourhood - if he was thereabouts like.
At the very least, the dirty bast could have had a kickin'!
First thing is to ask them all the questions. Ask them what company they work for and get the registered no. of that company. Then ask the callers full name. Then inform the caller that this call is unsolicted, which is a crime. While the caller is stumbling and panicking about breaking the law, tell them to delete all your details from their database. They're usually most obliging.
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I usually tell them that I don't even have a phone, and how the heck were they able to get a hold of me!?!?!?
Caller: Hello can I speak with David Jones please,
Me: There is no David Jones here.
Caller: Ah, who am I speaking to then?
Me: Why do you need to know?
Caller: Are you the bill payer in your house hold.
Me: **** off! *Puts phone down.
My father inlaw has a much better way of dealing with them, he just says 'oh tell me all about your exiting offer or product', then quietly puts the phone down on the table and walks away. He says if we all did this the company would soon be out of business.
nah they won't .. remember they get sod all abroad.. e.g. call centre = 1/3 of the UK cost in bangalore.. .they expect a certain % of people to give em the f'off type spiel.. most of em are commission based like annoying chuggers here... no commission = no wage
While you're at it, ask if you can have their home phone number and call them back at a time convenient to yourself. After all, if it's OK for them to do it to you, it'd be a bit rich of them not to agree to that.
the other week some woman kept ringing up my house asking for social services. i kept telling her she got the wrong number, but she was very persistant, i was tempted to ask her how big her tits the next time she called but decided against it. in true sitcom fashion it'd be my gf's mother that was ringing the time i asked.
It's mad - my voicemail states the company I work for - yet people still call me by mistake and after listening to my VMail greeting they leave all their details(PPS number etc.) in a voicemail anyway???
How do I know this? BT gave the number to a debt collection agency and then cut them off, so the agency have been calling *every single day* to try and harass them.
I don't care because 99.9% of the time I'm at work when they call, but applying a bit of common sense to the situation you'd quickly realise that the phone number of someone cut off for non payment of bills *isn't going to work*
Yep, just gonna grab a cuppa first :p
One guy refused to believe me when I said it was a computer company, the seventh time he called back I suggested that he used a candle to find the gas leak he was complaining about.
He never phoned back.
I have always wondered why
www.amazon.com/Terrorizing-Telemarketers-Jim-Florentine/dp/B000056T9B
...unless you work in telemarketing.