AAAH...dinner time

Tonight - at 6.30, which is most peoples' dinner time or close to it, I had an Indian gent come to the door (again - last time it was an Indian Lass) to talk to me about Origin Energy.

I know this because after he used his pen to tap on the glass, I could see his clipboard in his hand, and I called out "NO THANKS", but he tapped on the glass again.

I then said "NO THANKYOU" and it was then that he spoke through the glass and said that he was from Origin.

I then had to yell a form "NO!" for him to go away. He did, and I didn't need to leave my chair. ;)

Not 30 seconds later, the phone rang, which I answered (normally I let it go through to the keeper) and another Indian sounding gent wanted to speak to me, but I simply hung up.

But it gets better...he rang me back immediately, and I answered it again, and after I said "hello" he said he was not trying to sell me anything, but was in fact from the Federal Gubbermint.... Right.

I hung up again without saying a word, and went back to my chardy and dinner.

This is a regular occurrence now - at least one per week, and I have gravitated to being quite rude to these dudes, and enjoying it.

Hey, I'm harsh, but I didn't invite them to cold call me again, and again, and again.
 
get a silent phone number (about and extra $2.50 a month) and there is half your problem gone. I have had a silent number for years, it really works.
 
Tonight - at 6.30, which is most peoples' dinner time or close to it, I had an Indian gent come to the door (again - last time it was an Indian Lass) to talk to me about Origin Energy.

He was probably trying to tell you about that upcoming power outage they had scheduled...
 
It's hell annoying. We get the phone calls all the time. We usually just take phone off the hook for a few hours if they don't get the hint. As for door knockers well we just don't bother even getting up to answer the front door, everyone we know always comes straight through to the back door.
 
I prefer to play around with them. When they call at work we try and make out they are placing an order and we need their credit card details.

Sometimes I'll say the manager works in another building - if they ask for the phone number I give them the local prison.

On one occasion it was too busy and I just hung up on "Bob". He rang back 6 times! I offered him a job and the flattery stoped him from ringing a seventh.
 
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I prefer to play around with them. When they call at work we try and make out they are placing an order and we need their credit card details.

Sometimes I'll say the manager works in another building - if they ask for the phone number I give them the local prison.

On one occasion it was too busy and I just hung up on "Bob". He rang back 6 times! I offered him a job and the flattery stoped him from ringning a seventh.

hahahaha love it....

At work... we play "how long will they stay on hold?" whoever answers the phone says "certianly sir/ma'am I will put you throught to Max who can help you"

Then they go on hold and we guess. The best(worst) we have had is 3.5 minutes!!!!
 
If it's a phone call you say, 'can you hold on for a minute' and you go back to having your dinner :D.

It's funny how they're never there when you get back :p.
 
when we moved in the phone number we were given was for a business that was no longer active. wasn't a big business and not advertised any longer so we weren't worried ... but ... they were obviously on some sort of deal with an indian call centre company.

we got calls several times a week - each time i would patiently explain that the company no longer existed as this was now a private residence.

okay, understood, went away, called again 2 hours later!! after several months i started going spare at the callers "don't call me, this is not XX company. they do not exist anymore ... " at which point they would hang up on me and someone else would call 2 days later. after several months of that i then politely would ask the callers name, who they worked for and then demanded their manager. at which point they would hang up on me. calls then slowed to once ever 2 weeks.

no one rings the home number except my father in law (everyone calls the mobile) so i usually let the phone go thru to the machine. if i do pick it up and there is the long pause after answering (while the dialing machine puts me thru to an operator) i just hang up.

after 10 months calls are finally dwindling. why they can't just take one off the calling list i have no idea. very very poor customer service.
 
when we moved in the phone number we were given was for a business that was no longer active. wasn't a big business and not advertised any longer so we weren't worried ... but ... they were obviously on some sort of deal with an indian call centre company.

we got calls several times a week - each time i would patiently explain that the company no longer existed as this was now a private residence.

okay, understood, went away, called again 2 hours later!! after several months i started going spare at the callers "don't call me, this is not XX company. they do not exist anymore ... " at which point they would hang up on me and someone else would call 2 days later. after several months of that i then politely would ask the callers name, who they worked for and then demanded their manager. at which point they would hang up on me. calls then slowed to once ever 2 weeks.

no one rings the home number except my father in law (everyone calls the mobile) so i usually let the phone go thru to the machine. if i do pick it up and there is the long pause after answering (while the dialing machine puts me thru to an operator) i just hang up.

after 10 months calls are finally dwindling. why they can't just take one off the calling list i have no idea. very very poor customer service.

bahaha lol @ the notion that these telemarketing techniques have anything, whatsoever to do with customer service

Some telemarketers probably wouldnt take the time to flag a phone number so that it gets taken off a list. Might then take a while for that incomplete list that they do receive to get removed from their list of potential targets etc
 
My 12YO and 14YO boys usually answer the phone, and start asking them pointless questions about sport/computers/ whatever. It is all clean and hilarious to listen to. After about 3 minutes they get the hint and hang up. So any cold callers get passed straight onto the boys:D
 
cold calls dropped around 90% when we listed on dnc register.

fortunately we don't get the door knockers as much in Brisbane.
maybe we don't have enough cheap foreign student labor up here.

I think Origin and others that adopt this strategy should be phoned daily by all the miffed people, and told how miffed they are. This would cost them real money and upset their staff.

Apart from that, my strategies are
- "I can't talk now but if you give me your name and number I'll call back".
- put the phone down and let them talk their head off while I get back to what I was doing. it is amazing how long some will keep yacking on, before you hear hello, hello, hello.....
 
It's funny. Since moving from the lower income area to where we are now I have noticed the number of cold calls, both at the door and phone calls have dramatically reduced. Previously I would get knocks on the door a couple of times a week. I can count on one hand the times we have had this happen in the new home. Same with phone calls. I get a few, but nothing like the amount we used to get.:D
 
i dont have a home phone.
Works wonders.


Havent really had any door knockers in my new home.... they are probably afraid of entering the townhouse complex.
 
I have a silent number at home and never receive marketing calls.

As for the door knock thing, I have a simple rule, if I'm not expecting someone I don't answer the door. This was more difficult when I lived in a house, but is even easier to ignore now that I'm in an apartment and they ring the buzzer. If friends do turn up unexpectedly they can ring my mobile, but everyone knows I hate unexpected guests so they simply know not to do it. :D
 
I think Origin and others that adopt this strategy should be phoned daily by all the miffed people, and told how miffed they are. This would cost them real money and upset their staff.

That might work if you were put through to a human immediately, but noone's going to wait on hold or navigate artificial stupidity for that long.

I've had the (Indian) Origin representative come to my door, but I actually took up the offer.

I've also had someone knock at the door and when I asked "who is it?" they said "the milkman". I thought they were joking, like this was suddenly 1960 again so I just ignored them and sat down again. So they knocked again and said something about selling milk/fruit/groceries door-to-door (like a real milkman) so I just yelled "no thanks".
 
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