So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

[1mach1]

When I am working on a door, mostly at a large office building, and some well put together businessman walks by (and always thought the door I am working on, even when there are 4 other door available), and he asks, "Working on the door?".
Ugh. Really?

 

[Zombie_61]

...Just today I got a call (from a political campaign; imagine that). The caller asked, after my "hello," "is this Anthony?"...

In the mid-80s I worked for a Goodyear tire retailer and repair shop. At the time they had five locations, all named "Daniels Tire Service". You'll notice "Daniels" has no apostrophe, and that's because "Daniels" was the last name of the two brothers who started the business--Doug and Barry Daniels. Every once in a while we'd get a call from a salesman who was trying to be clever by asking, "May I speak to Daniel please?" The company-approved response was to simply hang up on them; twice if they had the nerve to call back.

...My habit on calling people who, for whatever reason, aren't likely to recognize my voice, is to identify myself and state my reason for calling. I'm taking up a person's time and attention, and it's only reasonable that I let them know who I am and why I'm calling before asking anything more of them.

I do that as well. Apart from it being common courtesy, it tends to decrease the amount of time it will take to complete the call. I hate phones.

When I am working on a door, mostly at a large office building, and some well put together businessman walks by (and always thought the door I am working on, even when there are 4 other door available), and he asks, "Working on the door?".
Ugh. Really?

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^
In my perfect world no one would make a phone call without first having a clear idea of why he is calling and having given at least a little thought to how he might succinctly state it.

 

[tonyb]

I enjoy a good conversation face-to-face, online or over the telephone. But I know that people answering phones at businesses generally have that task among others, and their employers aren't inclined to put on additional personnel just to watch them stand around doing nothing productive. So the person on the phone would rather I get to the point so that he or she can tend to another call or another task.

And besides, I appreciate a worker who knows the job and goes about it efficiently, whatever that job may be. I don't want to be the one to interfere with that.

 

[Stearmen]

Set me back $9.60. Had about 20 kids.They all left with handfuls.

Five bags over $30.00, and I gave away almost all of it. Add to that, I shut down before 8:00 PM when the teens started to show up.

 

[Stearmen]

^^^^^
In my perfect world no one would make a phone call without first having a clear idea of why he is calling and having given at least a little thought to how he might succinctly state it.

I remember one time, a bunch of us pilots were sitting around, when one speculated on what word the air traffic controllers heard most? Roger of course, then other technical jargon. Then it hit me, when you are really busy in the cockpit, doing way to much and key the mike to talk and all that comes out is, AAAAA.......... Every one agreed, since we were all guilty of that!

 

[Hercule]

We used to get marketing calls asking for my wife by her maiden name, and quite often the caller would butcher her name. Well this would happen enough (not so much any more) such that I came to enjoy quite calmly telling the caller to try again. It's a German name and not at all difficult to pronounce if you have an IQ greater than a house plant. But I kid you not, I got a call asking for "Mrs. Clambake". I hung up on that one.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I feel bad for telemarketers. It's a rotten, joyless, desperate job where the workers are treated worse than serfs, and they're just trying to scratch out a living like anyone else. So I'm not sarcastic to them -- I just say "Sorry, not interested" and hang up. I save my viciousness and sarcasm for people who deserve it, like political-party callers.

 

[Fading Fast]

I feel bad for telemarketers. It's a rotten, joyless, desperate job where the workers are treated worse than serfs, and they're just trying to scratch out a living like anyone else. So I'm not sarcastic to them -- I just say "Sorry, not interested" and hang up. I save my viciousness and sarcasm for people who deserve it, like political-party callers.

Having done a version of telemarketing (worked for the telephone company in the '80s doing calls to gather data on people's service), I can say it is not a fun job and I quit very shortly after I started as I felt it was wrong to disturb people at home - I wen't home from that job feeling horrible every day.

If the do-not-call lists really worked (they have made things better, but they are far from perfect), then at least the moral issue of telemarketing would be improved - the people you are calling could have chosen to opt out from you calling them.

Are you even vicious to the communist and socialist political party callers?

 

[ChiTownScion]

We used to get marketing calls asking for my wife by her maiden name, and quite often the caller would butcher her name. Well this would happen enough (not so much any more) such that I came to enjoy quite calmly telling the caller to try again. It's a German name and not at all difficult to pronounce if you have an IQ greater than a house plant. But I kid you not, I got a call asking for "Mrs. Clambake". I hung up on that one.

I really pulled a nasty on one who tried to reach my wife.

"Is Mrs. ______ in?"
"No, she is not."
"Is there a better time to reach her?"
"Try this evening. At a séance. She died three weeks ago."

Dead silence, and an awkward apology. My wife said that was mean: go figure.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've never gotten a call from any far-left party, or any far-right party either, for whatever that's worth. Only ones I ever hear from are Frick and Frack.

I've been on the DNC list ever since it was created, but that doesn't seem to stop the calls. I think it's all a scam to get a list of valid phone numbers. My number's unlisted, so they've got to be getting it from somewhere.

Next to political phone calls, I also hate and despise those giant postcard things that make up about half the content of my mailbox at the moment, the big glossy ones the size of a magazine with some pol's greasy smiling face plastered on one side, and a grim, scary picture of that pol's opponent on the other. The stock they're printed on is too stiff and slick to make good toilet paper.

 

[Fading Fast]

The DNC list definitely made a difference for us. I was very skeptical (you might have noticed a bit of that in me over the years), but the telemarketing, etc. calls definitely dropped off after we signed up. We also re-upped recently (more political BS as the need to re-up was a sop to TMs) and it helped as they had been increasing, but even with that drop off, it hasn't fallen as far down as it had been.

Said another way, while better than before the DNC list, there has been an increase recently. In the subset of TM type calls, the automated call is the one I hate the second most as it ups the obnoxious factor of "not only am I disturbing you, but until I'm sure I have you, I'm not going to invest in having an actual person get on the line" - beyond obnoxious.

But the one I hate the most is the "disguised" TM call where someone calls and acts like they know you, are returning your call, you asked them to call, etc. I've gotten a few of these recently where I had to interrupt the caller several times until they would acknowledge that this was in fact a "cold" call.

I can say with pride (okay, at least not embarrassment) that the telemarketing I did for AT&T was upfront in that I introduced myself, who I was calling for (AT&T) and why all at the start of the call.

 

[GHT]

I've been on the DNC list ever since it was created, but that doesn't seem to stop the calls. I think it's all a scam to get a list of valid phone numbers. My number's unlisted, so they've got to be getting it from somewhere.

It may work differently in The States, but I doubt it. An unlisted number in the UK is known as: Ex-Directory. The number won't show up on the screen of any phone you call, land-line or cell phone. Instead it will say: Number withheld. Marketing companies use number withheld ploy too, that way they hope that you answer your phone.
They get your number in many and varied ways. If you use a credit or debit card, and there's a compulsory field for your various phone numbers, on the application form, you can be sure that your information has been sold on. This is then compounded if you have purchased off the internet, that compulsory field again. Then you have store loyalty cards. Loyalty, that's a laugh, they are no more than a fishing net with which to trawl for your personal details, that can then be collated into a profile and sold on, again and again.
Time was, you saw something you liked, paid your cash, took your purchase, deal done. Now you have to give them your details, because, you know, in case there's a warranty claim or some other B/S excuse. It's this harvesting of information and selling it on that's the bane of our lives, and the source of what cold canvassers need.
All junk mail to my house gets an immediate, return to sender and mailed back, let them pick up the postage cost. And for years, on those compulsory fields, I've not given anything but the essential.

 

[tonyb]

I also hope to avoid making the telemarketer's day any more miserable than it already is.

However, I can be a real pain to customer service types who say they "can't" accommodate my request when in actuality they can but are choosing not to. I've spent more time on the phone than I care to recall getting companies to stand behind their product or service.

The worst? Apple, in my experience. I've gotten them to do the right thing on a few occasions, but it took hours of arm wrestling, time I would have much rather spent on the rack, say, or listening to Lawrence Welk.

 

[vitanola]

Well, if you'd rather have some Welk, here we go!

 

[2jakes]

^^^^^


How about Guy Lombardo & his Royal Canadians?
A nice change of pace after all that ruckus from the ‘windy city”
last night.

 

[Zombie_61]

...I've been on the DNC list ever since it was created, but that doesn't seem to stop the calls. I think it's all a scam to get a list of valid phone numbers. My number's unlisted, so they've got to be getting it from somewhere...

I believe this 100%. Our home phone number has been unlisted almost from the day we were married, and over the years received "unknown" calls infrequently. But the moment we submitted our number for the Do Not Call list those calls increased by at least 500%. It makes me wonder which word they were having difficulty understanding, "Do", "Not", or "Call".

 

[Stearmen]

I've never gotten a call from any far-left party, or any far-right party either, for whatever that's worth. Only ones I ever hear from are Frick and Frack.

I've been on the DNC list ever since it was created, but that doesn't seem to stop the calls. I think it's all a scam to get a list of valid phone numbers. My number's unlisted, so they've got to be getting it from somewhere.

Next to political phone calls, I also hate and despise those giant postcard things that make up about half the content of my mailbox at the moment, the big glossy ones the size of a magazine with some pol's greasy smiling face plastered on one side, and a grim, scary picture of that pol's opponent on the other. The stock they're printed on is too stiff and slick to make good toilet paper.

There is a very lucrative business in selling our information! I like company's, that do not sell any of the information they have gathered on you. Of course, if they go belly up, some one will get their files.

 

[Bushman]

I enjoy any telemarketing call that gives me another person on the line. I have fun. Crack a beer, sit down, and just have fun.

 

[Stearmen]

calling them.

Are you even vicious to the communist and socialist political party callers?

Da comrade! Personally, I don't answer my land line during political season unless I know the caller, I had them disconnect my answering service, so no pesky messages! Yesterday, got almost two dozen calls, mostly from the same two numbers. Today, only five, and none after about 2:00 PM. For all of you who complain, "no one has ever polled me," thank your lucky stars!