Cold Calling Scum!

[The_KiD]

I love cold callers !!!

Me and the missus have been having a competition to see how long we can keep them hanging on the phone.

It goes like:

RIng Ring
Us: Hello?
Them: Hi can I speak to miss/mr/mrs <insert random name here>
Us: Yep hang on a minute I'll just get him
Press mute on the phone
put the phone on the side
Now wait and see how long they will hang on for

Record so far 4minutes 37 secs......I have to beat that time now

 

[Bobbler]

Do they make keyboards that big?

Apparently so...

 

[D4VE]

I hate cold callers, should be illegal

 

[Kol]

Errrrrrr, how is this a cold caller? He clearly rang up an asked to speak to a particular person. Granted, the person didn't live there so it may have simply been a matter of him mis dialling. I did that yesterday whilst trying to call my landlord. I certainly wouldn't be happy if someone was like that on the phone when I merely dialled a digit out. Seeing as he had a name and was from ideal homes, someone may have booked an appointment for something relating to their house and required a confirmation call.

I'd hardly call you're response a 'polite way' of saying someone doesn't live there. For all you know, he was just about to apologise but you immediately hung up. The standard way, for me, if someone has dialled the wrong number is usually, 'No, sorry, they don't live here you must have the wrong number.' Which would more than likely have lead to an apology. It's only a few seconds of your life and you could have easily avoided this entire charade.

 

[Jenie]

Something to do if you have a lot of spare time on your hands and have a really annoying phone company cold calling you,

they explain that they can offer you a free mobile with a fantastic contract bla bla bla, so play along with them, when they ask how much you spend a month on calls tell them its about £4000 on personal calls, and so forth, these people are not aloud to hang up on you so wind them up, it happened to me not to long ago, i had some time on my hands and spent 45 minutes talking to a cold calls sales person and asked them many random questions to which they just couldnt reply to, whether this fanstatic phone could teletransport me to another place etc etc, by the end of the call he asked me whether I wanted the phone and I said no, he asked why had I spent so long on the phone to him to which I replied that he was willing to waste my time so why couldnt waste his, he didnt appricate it very much and then I wouldnt hang up, I refused which made him even more angry as he wasnt allowed to hang up on me, in the end his manager came to the phone and told me he was going to terminate my call!!

Made me laugh, strangely enough, Ive never had a phone call from them since!!

Jen x

 

[Visage]

Errrrrrr, how is this a cold caller? He clearly rang up an asked to speak to a particular person. Granted, the person didn't live there so it may have simply been a matter of him mis dialling. I did that yesterday whilst trying to call my landlord. I certainly wouldn't be happy if someone was like that on the phone when I merely dialled a digit out. Seeing as he had a name and was from ideal homes, someone may have booked an appointment for something relating to their house and required a confirmation call.

I'd hardly call you're response a 'polite way' of saying someone doesn't live there. For all you know, he was just about to apologise but you immediately hung up. The standard way, for me, if someone has dialled the wrong number is usually, 'No, sorry, they don't live here you must have the wrong number.' Which would more than likely have lead to an apology. It's only a few seconds of your life and you could have easily avoided this entire charade.

Dont be daft - this is OCUK, where irrational rage and contempt for your fellow man is the ONLY acceptable way of behaving.

Someone has a different opinion than you? Abuse them.
Someone's lifestyle is oh so slightly different? Call them a freak.
Someone has interrupted your day for one nanosecond, interrupting your 36 hour session of WoW? Beat them to death with your keyboard.

Its the OcUK Way.

 

[The_KiD]

Errrrrrr, how is this a cold caller? He clearly rang up an asked to speak to a particular person. Granted, the person didn't live there so it may have simply been a matter of him mis dialling. I did that yesterday whilst trying to call my landlord. I certainly wouldn't be happy if someone was like that on the phone when I merely dialled a digit out. Seeing as he had a name and was from ideal homes, someone may have booked an appointment for something relating to their house and required a confirmation call.

I'd hardly call you're response a 'polite way' of saying someone doesn't live there. For all you know, he was just about to apologise but you immediately hung up. The standard way, for me, if someone has dialled the wrong number is usually, 'No, sorry, they don't live here you must have the wrong number.' Which would more than likely have lead to an apology. It's only a few seconds of your life and you could have easily avoided this entire charade.

Because it is.

As per my post above, what used to happen was
Them: "hi can I speak to miss <random name>"
Us: "Sorry you must have wrong number they dont live here"
Them: "ok sorry to bother you, but while your on the phone can I ask some really stupid questions and tell you about this stupid offer we have?"
Us: "no thanks, not interested"
Them: "But you dont understand this offer is soooo Uber leet that only a nub would miss out"
Us: "listen **** tard, do I call you up and try and sell you IT equipment while your having your tea? no I dont, so please do me a favour, pull your bottom lip over your head and swallow!"

They are cold calls, just cos they make out that they have the wrong number doesnt mean they are not.

 

[Kol]

Because it is.

As per my post above, what used to happen was
Them: "hi can I speak to miss <random name>"
Us: "Sorry you must have wrong number they dont live here"
Them: "ok sorry to bother you, but while your on the phone can I ask some really stupid questions and tell you about this stupid offer we have?"
Us: "no thanks, not interested"
Them: "But you dont understand this offer is soooo Uber leet that only a nub would miss out"
Us: "listen **** tard, do I call you up and try and sell you IT equipment while your having your tea? no I dont, so please do me a favour, pull your bottom lip over your head and swallow!"

They are cold calls, just cos they make out that they have the wrong number doesnt mean they are not.

That is what happened to you, not what happened to the OP. The caller intially asked for the person, Alu_ATC asked who it was, so the guy said it's ideal homes and is he speaking to XXX. You were just unlucky, but I've had it once or twice where they have called in the situation identical to Alu_ATC and when told they don't live here, have apologised and not called back.

 

[The_KiD]

True enough I suppose.

 

[Alu_ATC]

Errrrrrr, how is this a cold caller? He clearly rang up an asked to speak to a particular person. Granted, the person didn't live there so it may have simply been a matter of him mis dialling. I did that yesterday whilst trying to call my landlord. I certainly wouldn't be happy if someone was like that on the phone when I merely dialled a digit out. Seeing as he had a name and was from ideal homes, someone may have booked an appointment for something relating to their house and required a confirmation call.

I'd hardly call you're response a 'polite way' of saying someone doesn't live there. For all you know, he was just about to apologise but you immediately hung up. The standard way, for me, if someone has dialled the wrong number is usually, 'No, sorry, they don't live here you must have the wrong number.' Which would more than likely have lead to an apology. It's only a few seconds of your life and you could have easily avoided this entire charade.

Time to clear a few things up then.

The person they were requesting for is the maiden name of another person who used to live here. We always know it's a cold caller if they request that name, hence me saying they do not live here. She really should take her name out of the phone book. So, yes, it was a cold caller, not a wrong number. I have no problem with honest mistakes.

Dont be daft - this is OCUK, where irrational rage and contempt for your fellow man is the ONLY acceptable way of behaving.

Someone has a different opinion than you? Abuse them.
Someone's lifestyle is oh so slightly different? Call them a freak.
Someone has interrupted your day for one nanosecond, interrupting your 36 hour session of WoW? Beat them to death with your keyboard.

Its the OcUK Way.

Great to use this thread as a launch pad to moan about OcUK eh? You know you don't have to post here, right? I don't play WoW, infact, don't play PC games at all, but you just assume I guess. He was a cold caller. I didn't say sorry to him for calling this number on a list this company bought our number from - and I should be made to feel bad? Right.

That is what happened to you, not what happened to the OP. The caller intially asked for the person, Alu_ATC asked who it was, so the guy said it's ideal homes and is he speaking to XXX. You were just unlucky, but I've had it once or twice where they have called in the situation identical to Alu_ATC and when told they don't live here, have apologised and not called back.

Not the case, they didn't care who they were speaking to, and as I have explained above, it was a cold caller. But I guess, as I hung up to quickly to know whether or not he was about to apologise for cold calling, I should recieve verbal abuse and threats down the phone?

I have to say, im baffled by some of the responces in this thread.

 

[Exentia]

Just do what i do.

Once you have established its a cold caller, just say "excuse me do you know who you talking to?" in a very im an important person kind way, 95% of the time they will respind "no?" then say "well **** off then!" hang up job done!

 

[Freefaller]

I just hang up. Sorry to any of you who work in sales cold calling but you're a pain in the backside and I like my peace and privacy. I didn't ask you to ring and I don't want you to call me.

Ditto. If I want anything I'll ring/find/research it as and when. Fortunately I seldom get those sort of calls - I tend to reply and wait for them to speak first - if it's what I think it is I go through a "tunnel" (if I'm on my mobile ).

I sometimes listen to them and when I do I'm not rude to them - I just say sorry I'm not interested. If they carry on and are insistent I just hang up.

 

[Kol]

But I guess, as I hung up to quickly to know whether or not he was about to apologise for cold calling, I should recieve verbal abuse and threats down the phone?

I have to say, im baffled by some of the responces in this thread.

At no point did I suggest that. If this is a regular occurrence, I didn't realise that and was merely going by the information I had read

 

[zetec452]

:/

They probably sell your number lol.

You'd be suprised. I had a telephone number last year in sheffield. Two people had the number, my parents and telewest. I received all kinds of calls, in the end I just unplugged it as I never used it.

If I am cold called or someone is trying to sell something I'll just say "no thanks" and hang up. Never had anyone call back and abuse me though.... yet

 

[Alu_ATC]

At no point did I suggest that. If this is a regular occurrence, I didn't realise that and was merely going by the information I had read

No worries. I probably should have explained about how I knew it was a cold caller and not a wrong number to clarify what happened, although - few people who make just an honest mistake would withhold their number. He was calling from a call center and in post 38, I said I get them all the time.

Ditto. If I want anything I'll ring/find/research it as and when. Fortunately I seldom get those sort of calls - I tend to reply and wait for them to speak first - if it's what I think it is I go through a "tunnel" (if I'm on my mobile ).

I sometimes listen to them and when I do I'm not rude to them - I just say sorry I'm not interested. If they carry on and are insistent I just hang up.

Thats what I did, tell them 'no, they don't live here', and I hung up - knowing that they were a cold caller. Ok, so it wasn't the most curteous responce, it was direct and pretty blunt, but I wouldn't say it was rude. Certainly nothing justified the 5 second later call back. Got a call from BT 'Security' this morning and they have already said they have been in contact with the police.

Live and learn I guess. Next time, I think I will either leave it off the hook or hang up immediatly. I think this whole situation could have been avoided if I did not speak at all.

You'd be suprised. I had a telephone number last year in sheffield. Two people had the number, my parents and telewest. I received all kinds of calls, in the end I just unplugged it as I never used it.

If I am cold called or someone is trying to sell something I'll just say "no thanks" and hang up. Never had anyone call back and abuse me though.... yet

Nor had I till yesterday, shakes your confidence in the good of people sometimes I guess. Still, they are cold callers...

 

[Freefaller]

What you did was fine, a bit blunt maybe but certainly did not deserve the call back you got.

 

[checjb]

I happened upon the best way ever to get rid of cold callers who ring about, well, pretty much anything. I simply tell them that I rent the house (although I actually own it, but they don't need to know that) and that I have no say in kitchens, garage doors, electric supplier, phone supplier etc. It really is amaszing how quickly they hang up. And all without offending anyone. Brilliant!

C.

 

[Shocky-FM]

I just hang up on them as there doing there introduction, sometimes I'll say no thanks first but I usually I don't and I don't consider it rude to do so either. They usually don't even have the decency to ask if your busy or not which is pretty rude to expect you to drop what your doing to put up with some slimy sales rep for 5-10 minutes.

But if one called me back with abuse I would firstly contact there company and complain and then call the police.

 

[Fishman]

I hate cold callers as much as the next guy but more to the point, there must be a lot of stupid people out there that they can extract money from otherwise they wouldnt do it I guess.

Just be glad your not one of them .......... and then hang up

 

[Vixen]

I had a marketing call yesterday from some indian guy, I think he was trying to sell phones. I told him I did not wish to speak to him and never to call me again then hung up. Thirty seconds later the phone rang again and it was the same guy, who started shouting at me saying I'd told him to call back. I don't know where they get my number from since I'm ex-directory, registered with tps and I always say no to passing on my details for marketing .