Correct Telephone Habits

HoosierDaddy · Aug 9, 2013

Here in Indiana with the "do not call" list sales pitches changed from "you need new energy efficient windows with our lifetime guarantee"...to..."We are taking a survey".

HD

fashion frank · Aug 9, 2013

HoosierDaddy said:
Here in Indiana with the "do not call" list sales pitches changed from "you need new energy efficient windows with our lifetime guarantee"...to..."We are taking a survey".
HD

I agree with you on that .
Doesn't that get your goat how they have the gaul to circumvent the system and call it a survey.

I remember a Sienfelt skit where the local newspaper ring's him up and asks him if he would like to take out a subscription and he answers "yes " and them promptly hangs up the phone

plain old dave · Dec 9, 2014

Military telephone etiquette works a little differently.

You ALWAYS let the phone ring 2 times. ALWAYS. Whether you're busy or not has nothing to do with it.

Answer: "Good (morning/afternoon/evening), (command name) (specific office/department). This is (rank/grade, name). This is a non-secured line. How can I help you, Sir or Ma'am?

So, if you call the Already Broke (USS Arleigh Burke) inport Norfolk at about 8 in the morning, THIS is what the garbled sentence actually says:

"Good morning, USS Arleigh Burke quarterdeck. This is BM3 Smith. This is a non-secured line. How may I help you, Sir or Ma'am?"

Once you and the Petty Officer of the Watch figure out who you need to talk to, he/she should offer the extension before they transfer you.

2jakes · Dec 13, 2014

I have a recording that answers my phone that goes something like this:

"Greetings...I am monitored to respond to the name Robby.
If you do not speak English, I am at your disposal with 187 other languages along with
their various dialects & sub-tongues."

I usually let the telemarketers duke it out with Robby !

Stray Cat · Dec 13, 2014

2jakes said:
"Greetings...I am monitored to respond to the name Robby.
If you do not speak English, I am at your disposal with 187 other languages along with
their various dialects & sub-tongues."
I usually let the telemarketers duke it out with Robby !

That is a great idea.
I know those folks are people, too. And I know it's JUST their job.. but, they are so pesky.. And once you finally think you've gotten rid of them, they pop back up on a SUNDAY. :rage: No one gets to yank my nerves on a Sunday. Sunday is my day off.
And, ladies & gents: I don't have to be nice on my day off.
So those who DARE to call and offer me Special Discount on Matrices - get me to meet the Nasty Me. lol

2jakes · Dec 13, 2014

Stray Cat said:
That is a great idea.
I know those folks are people, too. And I know it's JUST their job.. but, they are so pesky.. And once you finally think you've gotten rid of them, they pop back up on a SUNDAY. :rage: No one gets to yank my nerves on a Sunday. Sunday is my day off.
And, ladies & gents: I don't have to be nice on my day off.
So those who DARE to call and offer me Special Discount on Matrices - get me to meet the Nasty Me. lol

OOOHHH pls let me have your telephone number ! I'm in the mood for a Sunday of Nastys from you...

Stray Cat · Dec 13, 2014

2jakes said:
OOOHHH pls let me have your telephone number ! I'm in the mood for a Sunday of Nastys from you...

I warn you: it is NOT what it sounds like.. some of the words pronounced are not for the fragile ear. lol

2jakes · Dec 13, 2014

Stray Cat said:
I warn you: it is NOT what it sounds like.. some of the words pronounced are not for the fragile ear. lol

up196 · Dec 14, 2014

Some time back, I started getting calls on my personal cell phone about my "loan" being delinquent and asking for immediate payment by money order. I didn't have an outstanding loan, and no amount of explaining made any difference. The calls always showed different originating numbers, so blocking wouldn't work. I finally just quit answering any calls unless it was a number I recognized, but the payment requests continued to be left as voicemails. Then one day the message was that if I did not call their resolution center in 48 hours, I would be sued and have charges filed against me. The caller left a number for me to call to arrange payment. Oops. big mistake! I forwarded my cell phone to the resolution center number and told my famliy to call me on my work cell phone if they needed me.

Stray Cat · Dec 14, 2014

2jakes said:

Yes - great idea. :thumb:

up196 said:
I forwarded my cell phone to the resolution center number and told my famliy to call me on my work cell phone if they needed me.

Smart move, sir. :yo:

Thunderhead19 · Apr 27, 2015

I Love telemarketers. They're good listeners.
As soon as they ask me how I am today, I start telling them about my most recent bowel movements, my mother's hip surgery, my recent car repairs, how work's going, what I came home from work smelling like today etc...
They don't seem to mind me taking up an hour and a half of their time, then abruptly saying, "Oh #@!%&!!!! I have to go!" then hanging up.
For some reason they don't call back though.
Do you think they get paid per call? I think they do.

2jakes · Apr 27, 2015

Thunderhead19 said:
I Love telemarketers. They're good listeners.
As soon as they ask me how I am today, I start telling them about my most recent bowel movements, my mother's hip surgery, my recent car repairs, how work's going, what I came home from work smelling like today etc...
They don't seem to mind me taking up an hour and a half of their time, then abruptly saying, "Oh #@!%&!!!! I have to go!" then hanging up.
For some reason they don't call back though.
Do you think they get paid per call? I think they do.

Lately telemarketers don't seem to love me & hang up within seconds when I answer the phone in my
best Andy Griffith hello followed by a couple of smacks & spit sounds into the speaker.

Stanley Doble · Apr 27, 2015

I try not to be mean to telemarketers. Think how bad you would need a job, to do what they do for the pay they get (not much).

If I have time I will chat for a minute, if not I just ask them to take me off their sucker list. In any case it costs nothing to be polite. I don't even like hanging up on them, even though I know they are forbidden to end a conversation.

Zombie_61 · Apr 28, 2015

Stanley Doble said:
I try not to be mean to telemarketers. Think how bad you would need a job, to do what they do for the pay they get (not much).

On the other hand, they must surely know going in that everyone on the face of the planet loathes telemarketers and that they're going to get some very unkind comments.

Many years ago (before the days of answering machines and caller I.D.) I answered a call from a telemarketer. She sounded young and had a pleasant voice, so I patiently waited for her to finish her opening statement. When she had, I replied in the friendliest voice I could muster by saying, "No matter what you say, I'm not going to buy whatever it is you're selling." I could hear her frantically turning the pages of her "script", and after a few moments I said, "They didn't give you a response for that, did they?" After a slight pause she laughed and said, "No, they didn't," at which point I wished her a good day and hung up.

That was, by far, the most pleasant conversation I've ever had with a telemarketer. Most of the other telemarketers I've spoken with seemed to have been doing it for a while and were clearly burned out, and the rest began the conversation nicely but turned nasty at the first sign I was going to reject their offer. It wasn't long before I'd answer the phone, hear the words, "Hello, I'd like to talk to you about...", and just hang up because it was the simplest and fastest way to resolve the situation.

Fading Fast · Apr 28, 2015

Didn't the government (after much pressure from its constituents) create a do-not-call number that you can call and, once you do, it is illegal for telemarketers to call you at the number(s) you register? My girlfriend did that for our phones and I received one or two calls a year now. It's made the problem all but disappear.

Also, I did telemarketing research in college (basically, we asked questions about one's family make up and phone use habits as this was for a phone company) - not sales - but still a lot of not happy people to hear from me. It was a decent job as the pay was a good hourly rate and the hours were flexible, but I just didn't like bothering people so I left that and took a lower paying hourly job with a department store.

LizzieMaine · Apr 28, 2015

Telemarketers are the modern equivalent of door-to-door salesmen -- another desperation job people would take when there were no other options available. But increasingly, even those jobs are now being outsourced overseas.

I've been on the DNC list since it was introduced, but it doesn't do anything about foreign callers. I've started getting a lot of those recently from people with Indian accents trying to sell me "computer upgrades." It's gotten so the moment I detect an accent from the caller, I hang up without a further word.

Fading Fast · Apr 28, 2015

LizzieMaine said:
Telemarketers are the modern equivalent of door-to-door salesmen -- another desperation job people would take when there were no other options available. But increasingly, even those jobs are now being outsourced overseas.

I've been on the DNC list since it was introduced, but it doesn't do anything about foreign callers. I've started getting a lot of those recently from people with Indian accents trying to sell me "computer upgrades." It's gotten so the moment I detect an accent from the caller, I hang up without a further word.

I don't know how long my luck will hold up - but so far, DNC list has worked well of us.

And as to telemarketing, I wouldn't argue - I wasn't even selling anything and I hated the job. Definitely one you only take until you find something better.

scottyrocks · Apr 28, 2015

Telemarketing has been happening so long already that I usually just hang up once I have determined what they are going on about, as it has become less and fun to play with these people.

But one of my favorite things to do, just when the caller takes his/her first breath after speaking, is using the two-syllable 'Peter Lorre' laugh, as best exemplified in select Bugs Bunny cartoons. That usually stops them dead in their tracks (because it's so creepy), and they hang up after the second one, almost every time. And then I have a good chuckle.

2jakes · Apr 28, 2015

Actually it's not the telemarketers per se to blame if you
share your number by filling out forms to contests, warranty registrations, online services,
credit bureaus, retail stores . Calling 800,888 & 900, your number is captured by a system
called ANI, "automatic number identification". ANI automatically identifies & stores your number
& matches it with other online digital markers associated with you.
DNC is not foolproof & it takes time for it to function, but if you still do the above...well...good luck

Zombie_61 · Apr 28, 2015

Fading Fast said:
Didn't the government (after much pressure from its constituents) create a do-not-call number that you can call and, once you do, it is illegal for telemarketers to call you at the number(s) you register? My girlfriend did that for our phones and I received one or two calls a year now. It's made the problem all but disappear...

We've received more random calls from telemarketers and the like after we submitted our home number for the do-not-call list than we ever got before. I think the only thing it really did was provide these companies a list of valid/verified numbers to call. lol

Correct Telephone Habits

HoosierDaddy

fashion frank

One Too Many

plain old dave

A-List Customer

2jakes

I'll Lock Up

Stray Cat

My Mail is Forwarded Here

2jakes

I'll Lock Up

Stray Cat

My Mail is Forwarded Here

2jakes

I'll Lock Up

up196

A-List Customer

Stray Cat

My Mail is Forwarded Here

Thunderhead19

New in Town

2jakes

I'll Lock Up

Stanley Doble

Call Me a Cab

Zombie_61

Fading Fast

LizzieMaine

Fading Fast

scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up

2jakes

I'll Lock Up

Zombie_61

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