Telemarketers - Recorded Calls

[Inoculator9]

Just got a call from the State Troopers, asking for a donation for their missing persons fund/project/etc... or something to that affect. Admirable enough cause, but when someone tells you that you're being recorded during what amounts to a sales pitch, it's a big turn off no matter what the cause.

[ordos45]

Yeah I always turn them down...well usually they want me to buy tickets to their Annual Ball.

[Inoculator9]

Yeah, lol. It's really the recording that puts me off... I mean... why should they have any reason to do that?

[ordos45]

Dunno.  Standard procedure possibly?

[Inoculator9]

Yeah, but who warns you? I've never been warned before, which strikes me as illegal, so it probably isn't standard.

[ordos45]

Good point.  Not a clue then.

[Inoculator9]

I hate getting these calls from relatively good organizations that are so infuriating... the national right to life foundation calls and I'm giving him what should be the obvious polite blow off, but he keeps coming... when would be a better time to call? So I say whenever you feel like it, opposed to saying whenever I win the lottery which would have been more amusing. But god I feel awful, even if he was telemarketer :P I just wish they weren't so rude.

[ordos45]

I'm on the Do Not Call List...not that it stops many of them.  Personally, I have no problem being rude, all I do is "Well that certainly is a worthy cause.  However, I do not wish to contribute, please take me off your list" and then hang up.

[Inoculator9]

You cold heartless, Southern West Virginians ;D

I'll get the balls to say it someday ;)

[ordos45]

Southern?  Try the northern half of the state, I can't understand the Southern unless we're speaking Spanish.  ;)

Though technically everything from Maryland down is "The South".  I've never really understood some counties' obsession with "Rebels" or "Robert E. Lee".

[sneezer3]

Just never answer in the "Yes" they can edit the recordings easy enough you know. >:(

[Timenn]

My phone-number isn't in any phone-number book. You can request that here in NL. I only have been called twice in my life by telemarketeers, and they had computer-generated numbers.

Isn't there such an option in the US?

[Dude_Doc]

Well, well, isn't this ironic? The fact is, I work as a telemarketeer. I work for the organization "Riksf

[alchemi2]

In UK the reason for recording is twofold. one training purposes and two trading standards, so they can ensure that they are opperating in compliance with the legal guidelines.

A yes answer on the phone is not legally binding unless you then give all your other personal details.

These calls are generally a pain >:(

[Mahdi]

I worked Telemarketing for a little while (I was really, really, REALLY desperate for money and hated it with a passion).

Our calls were randomly monitored or recorded to make sure we didn't say anything wrong.  On person was fired during my time there for being caught telling someone off, which is extremely hard not to do.  They also do it to make sure that nobody is asking for illegal information, giving out false information, telling too much accurate information, or using the phones for personal calls or illegal purposes (ie. getting peoples credit card or SIN numbers).

[SurlyPIG]

I love telemarketers.  They used to annoy me but it's just so much fun messing with them.  I am by no means a guy who pulls pranks or degrades people, but when you call me, you're in my house, and I show no mercy.  I usually respond to their pitch with something like:

"Sure, that sounds nice, but enough about that.  What are you wearing?"

"But I thought I was selling you tupperware!"

"If you talk but I don't listen, do you think it makes a sound?"

"That's all well and good, but first, I must ask you something.  Do you have a relationship with God?"

One time I even got a guy from some long distance company to sing.  My reasoning was that I was a music teacher, and that it was my passion to spread the joy of song through the world just as it was his job to give people deals on long distance.  I got him to sing a whole verse of "Anything you can do I can do better" before I burst out laughing and hung up.  He was totally tonedeaf and I could hear a roomful of people laughing in the background.  Bet it sure pissed him off.

[Mahdi]

Doubt if angered him too much.  Odds are he knew you weren't serious and was just playing along.  It's a break from the boring monotomy of the job.

[ordos45]

"Sure, that sounds nice, but enough about that.

[SurlyPIG]

Well if it brightened his day a bit, all the more reason to try it again.

[Dude_Doc]

Well, I don't have that kind of survelliance on my job. Well, actually, the only survelliance is a machine, checking every 10 seconds if you're calling, or if you don't do anything.

Then, of course, we have my boss, the almighty Mr. Smith from the Matrix (I SWEAR to you: he _IS_ Hugo Weaving, or at least his BROTHER - it's a deadringer!!!), and just like the movie he is pissed of everytime he sees me (for some unclear reason).