Sunday
Feb052006
What to do with telemarketers
Sunday, February 5, 2006 at 10:49PM From copperbottom: what to do with telemarketers:
I've printed the counterscript (PDF) and it waits by my phone.The Direct Marketing sector regards the telephone as one of its most successful tools. Consumers experience telemarketing from a completely different point of view: more than 92% perceive commercial telephone calls as a violation of privacy.Telemarketers make use of a telescript - a guideline for a telephone conversation. This script creates an imbalance in the conversation between the marketer and the consumer. It is this imbalance, most of all, that makes telemarketing successful. The EGBG Counterscript attempts to redress that balance.
Reader Comments (8)
Hi Darryl & Charlene - You may already know about this website, but it's worth sending in case you don't. It worked wonders for us. http://www.the-cma.org/consumer/donotcontact.cfm" rel="nofollow">http://www.the-cma.org/consumer/donotcontact.cfm" rel="nofollow">http://www.the-cma.org/consumer/donotcontact.cfm Sam and Lynne
Easier just to say, "Oh, excuse me for a second, please." and put the phone down. Go about your business for a few minutes and then return. They will have tried to hang up, but until you hang up your handset, they cannot make any further calls. Which costs them money. Believe me, that particular company won't call back any time soon. And word gets around..... This little tip came from a Bell rep. Hmmm, I was wondering why we don't get as many calls from telemarketers anymore....
DANG! Happened again... as soon as I had hit "post" I thought of something else: Do you get any of those silent calls around dinner time? The one's where nothing seems to be happening, not even the heavy breathing? Same Bell rep. told me that often these are due to an automated machine that calls numbers at random to see what time it is best for telemarketers to call your number. When this happens, press the star button rapidly and repeatedly for a minute. Apparently the tone screws up the machine, and it hiccups enough to delete your number.
Heavy breathing? Yes, but I always thought that was you, Arthur. Thanks, Lynne. Just signed up.
Thought it was too funny. Thanks for sharing it.
It WAS I, Darryl, it was I. You have that effect on me....
I've had the heavy breather before too. Didn't realize it was Arthur wearing his kilt.
Good one, Trish, good one. But then, YOU have that effect on me as well. ;)