Wednesday 17 October 2012

Ring, Ring.... #dontcallme

trimphone


Cold callers. Just typing those two words annoys me. I know that some lovely people (probably) work in sales, but they're not the ones that call me!

Now the annoyance starts before I even answer the phone, when Elizabeth was a baby and I spent a lot of time at home during the day I would get up to eight unsolicited sales calls a day! Eight! And always at the most inconvenient of times, just as she had latched on or dropped off to sleep... I'd try to ignore it but that's pretty impossible when I had a 3 year old screaming... 'mummy, phone ringing!!!'

So most of the time I would answer, and most of the time it would disturb my settled baby and she would start crying, but did that put them off? No! They would continue with their spiel despite me not being able to hear them over the wails of my overtired daughter disturbed from her nap. By the time I had politely declined their offer of a consolidation loan / double glazing / solar panels / switching my utilities ( or 'accidently' dropped the phone) I had a wide awake girl and would have to spend the next half an hour settling her down again.

It got to the point where I would unplug the phone or turn the ringer off and tell friends and family and people I did want to speak to to call on my mobile.

And then what happened? They started calling on my mobile too! And these all seemed to be for the same thing, claiming back PPI. Now IF I was entitled to claim anything back I would find a template letter online and claim it back from the bank directly, not allow an unsolicited caller to take a huge chunk of whatever I would get! As it is I've have never had PPI because I have never had a loan or credit card balances. I always try to live within my means. However I try telling that to a cold caller and they will not accept it, I have been called a liar and worse when I have admitted the only debt I have is my student loan, this by someone doing their job! If I spoke to anyone in my workplace like like that i'd have my P45 in seconds!

It's just so hard to get them off the phone, I've claimed my boobs were leaking, talked about the smell of my daughters nappy and more but they just won't hang up!!

But I have a secret weapon.... my 5 year old son!

When I now get a caller who won't take a polite no for an answer, I simply pass the phone to him...


After a few minutes of, 'Did you know castles are tall and made of stone and have moats, and drawbridges, and arrowslits and kings and queens and princesses and knights and jesters and  mummies and daddies all live in them...' or 'did you know my best friend Joe and I played in the construction area today and built cars, and houses and planes and robots and trucks and a bridge and planes and robots and trucks, then we knocked it all down...' they always seem to have hung up! Genius!

Do you get annoyed by cold callers too? How do you deal with them?



I was asked to share my experience of cold callers by bounty and as a thank you I was kindly sent a lovely Trimphone.

9 comments:

  1. Even though we are registered with TPS, many companies think they can bypass them.
    I was called a couple of months ago for a survey and she said more than once that it was not a sales call and my number will not be passed on without me saying yes to certain questions... I ALWAYS say NO..
    Within hours of the call I had several calls.
    This is what I do now:
    Keep a spreadsheet - time/date/company/name/number.
    When they call - ask for company name and if no number shown on phone display I ask for their number.
    Tell them I'm with TPS and they are breaking the law calling me without permission.
    Remove my number - if you call me again it will be an official complaint to TPS.
    TPS must love me as I do that about once a week!

    The ones I hate the most are the ones from India. YOu can't report them and can't understand them. I just put the phone down.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I google their phone number, find a contact email address for the company and email them telling them to STOP CALLING I contacted 5 companies in one day last week and they seem to have calmed down! I also switch my phone off then just check voicemails at the end of the day, not that we should have to do this grrrr I feel your annoyance!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I to have suffered for nearly a year with this one both home and mobile, the last few months have receive almost no calls!! how?? .... tell them:

    "I think you have the wrong number as i am a private renter and i am bankrupt"!! (it doesn't have to be true!)

    If you say it fast in one sentence it covers all avenues and they put the phone down without another word! its great!

    I have been doing this now for a couple of months and we originally had about 10 + to my mobile and 5+ to the home phone per day!! in the last fortnight i have had one ... needless to say they were only on the phone seconds before they hung up on me!! ....trust me its the way forward :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. We're a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your website offered us with valuable information to work on. You have done a formidable job and our entire community will be thankful to you.
    My website - free teen porno pictures

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fabulous, what a website it is! This blog provides valuable data to us, keep it up.
    My web-site ; live web cam websites

    ReplyDelete
  6. It's remarkable to visit this site and reading the views of all colleagues concerning this article, while I am also zealous of getting knowledge.
    Check out my web blog :: www.partygalleries.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello to every single one, it's actually a nice for me to visit this site, it contains valuable Information.
    Feel free to surf my site ; Orlando contractors

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm amazed, I have to admit. Rarely do I encounter a blog that's both educative
    and engaging, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head.
    The problem is something too few people are speaking
    intelligently about. I'm very happy I came across this during my hunt for something concerning this.

    Take a look at my page - Arabic Books

    ReplyDelete
  9. Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your web site and in accession capital to assert
    that I get actually enjoyed account your blog posts.
    Anny way I'll be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access consistently fast.


    Visit my page :: whisperingnurtu67.pen.io

    ReplyDelete

I love to read your comments, thank you for sharing your thoughts.