Funny thing about that "do not call" list. The minute I put my name and number on that list, I got more telemarketing calls than I had ever had before. To make matters worse, the calls are automated and give you a recorded message so they don't even give you a chance to speak to a live person so that you can opt out (again) of their call list. So in my opinion, the "do not call" list is a waste and not effective at all--in fact quite the contrary.
Exactly. While it was a hilarious addition to ytmnd, telemarketers are usually just youngsters trying to make a living in a crappy work environment which they hate. I have worked in a few calls centers and it's not by any means an enjoyable job. It's funny because a friend of mine did the opposite as a telemarketer. After the QA team would leave, he'd just prank call and mess with the people who messed with him earlier. I have one of his tapes and it's quite hilarious. You can guarantee this: Telemarketers hate you just as much you hate them. Oh yes, a very simple and civil way to dodge telemarketers if you have caller ID and know it's one of them: Just learn to answer in a foreign language, such as Japanese. They will code you as a "language barrier" and won't call back. This doesn't always work if you answer in Spanish, because most call centers have a Spanish speaking desk that will call you back!
I used to do telemarketing for an insulation company. I worked there one day only after finding out how they were forcing me to tell complete lies to customers. I was totally disgusted!! Co)
Now that doesn't make me feel any better knowing that the very people who are calling me to sell me something are not only bothering the peace and tranquility of my home, but they also hate me? May they all burn in hell and may the fleas of a thousand camels invade their armpits. May a herpes sore appear on their lip the very day they are preparing to go with the hottest guy/girl they have ever gone out with. And may they flatulate in a crowded elevator at the beginning of a ride up to the 75th floor and may everyone in the elevator know who it was that farted.
Choosing an occupation that doesn't suck is a life lesson that we all have to learn. If they're young, they can perhaps be forgiven for not choosing to do something that actually improves the lives of the people they deal with. But if we don't express our disgust at their intrusion into our lives, these people will never learn.
In the UK we have the Telephone preference service which I guess is the same as your "do not call" list. Takes a few weeks to come into effect, but it does work. And companies who disregard it get a £5000 fine I think. Andy
They hate the people who are nasty to them. It goes both ways and makes for a very negative work experience. Yes Obelia, many people do get sick of it and decide not to compromise themselves anymore, for the very reason described in my last two sentences. Not to mention job security being threatened all the time. That's why I don't plan on stepping into another call center again.
I've worked as a telemarketer on off for about 4 years. If you can't handle the pressure/people taking the piss on the phone/targets etc you should get another job. The benefits of telemarketing are clear - if you are good at it (and i was!) you can earn vast amounts of cash (for age exp etc), some weeks i was on almost £10 an hour. After doing the job for so long, I knew exactly when people were about to start "playing" and was ready to play along/make them laugh --- and then sell them windows! The best line anyone ever had for me was: (when asked if his windows were in PVC) "i've got everything in PVC!! The only thing I can't get in PVC is the Mrs!!" Absolutely brilliant (he sounded about 80!!) Cheers Notting Edit: Just to make it completely clear - I loved working in a call center (albeit it was a small one with only a few people working there, so maybe it was just a diff atmosphere)
AnaB, we have the same problem. The times they do hold on the line it is always call center people from India though and they are abrupt and ignorant most of the time and just hang up on you. I believe in the UK where I am, there is a number you can tap into your phone to block 0845 numbers and such, which are always the numbers Telemarketers use, so I'm going to find it out and do it.
Yeah, it's probably the case that you were in a different atmosphere. I have heard of some decent call centers out there, but usually few and far between. The last one I worked at wasn't outbound calling, but inbound customer service. So the plus side to that was that I didn't have bother people at home (people like avi8r ). Our place had a couple thousand employees. People constantly starting shifts, ending shifts, or getting fired. The turnover rate was so high that they probably spent more money on training new employees than the the regulars. Sometimes I found my ways to have fun. For example I was helping an old computer illiterate granny activate and program her new cell phone. I remedied the frustration. I after walking her through programming her phone (after several failed attempts), I told her "Now hold the phone in the palm of your hand and say 'ACTIVATE!'". So she did it, yelled "ACTIVATE"! I laughed and so did she, because she thought technology really did call for that kind of nonsense.
Yea i agree.This is how most telemarketing companies work. I used to work in a company with a telemarketing department. And i often hear them telling lies. For example 1% interest rate, but actually it's not. Lolz. But these company owners do make money
In the UK you can go on the telephone preference list and telemarketers are not supposed to call you. I very rarely get annoying sales calls since I added my name to the list. With regard to just saying you aren't interested and hanging up it isn't always as easy as that. If you're cold calling you have no idea who will answer the phone. It could be someone who finds it easy to just lift the receiver and say hello, or it could be an elderly person who struggles to get out of the chair and struggles to hear what you're saying. My mother had to ask every caller if they would mind waiting while she set up her special hearing equipment to take a call. It wasn't funny if she found they were trying to sell her double glazing when she had gone to considerable trouble to make sure she could speak to them.