[Closed] how abusive can you be to cold callers?

If you get a callback, chances are its a different company selling the same thing, they all buy the same lists.

Nope. I get a double glazing company that tries to call me several times a day at 3 or 4 monthly intervals. At first I tried being polite & explaining I wasn't interested, please take me off your mailing list etc.... abuse is now much more fun.

I also had 'fun' with a company trying to let me know about government grants/energy efficiency 'Don't worry we aren't trying to sell anything'. After a bit I reciognized the number so I answered with:
'Hello, Imnotverygood's loft insulation services'
Pause, a little laugh then. 'What a coincidence'
'Why's that?'
'Well that's what I'm trying to sell'
See if you can guess at which point the abuse began.

The point is. I'm not the sort of bloke who is in the habit of hurling abuse at perfect strangers. However, the cold calling industry is populated by shysters and people who are desperate enough to not give a stuff about me or anyone else they call. They just want to make money out of them by whatever means they can. This is why I feel free to give vent to my feelings. If they don't like it. I'm not asking them to call.

Cant believe the number of boring 'just hang up' replies on here....how do you guys get your giggles?....weirdos.

Another good one is the survey/wildlife/charity people on the street wanting to get you to sign up to some such crap....i smile, let them do their speech, nod appreciatively and when they've finished i say 'sorry, can you go from the top again, i wasnt listening....'

Funnily enough that has resulted in me being on the receiving end of the abuse!....only fair i suppose, if you cant take it and all that.

Ah, such fun to be had just walking down the high street.

My bestmate left uni and couldnt find any work. Nothing.

Rather than claim he did telesales dustbin/refuse collection.

Somepeople will do any job when there isnt shelf stacking available.

Ask any new Grad how much supermarket work there is-its all taken by part timers and college students.

We've all done seriously shitty jobs just to keep money coming in. Some we aint proud of. At Uni I did a stint at autotrader- a bloke shouted down the phone, I quit on the spot.

I had one call while I was on the turbos, I was using the clock on the phone.
I said I was happy to talk and asked if he was happy to talk as I was in the middle of a session, he was.
I kept stopping him when I did a timed section. All he would have heard was puffing whirring and f'ing and blinding.
I acidently cut him off at the end on my training....oh dear.

However, once when I was very polite and explained I had what he was offering...can't recall what! he just called me a m** F**.
So they all get it back now.

aka_Gilo - Member
Cold calling is no honourable way to earn a crust. I've always wondered how desperate you'd have to be to do it as a living. I'd rather stack shelves, pick or process veg, clean toilets. Pretty much anything.
This.

POSTED 6 MINUTES AGO #

So it's dishonourable way of people to earn a living?

Perhaps they couldn't get work stacking shelves and cleaning toilets.

You should all give yourselves a pat on the back for making a job that no one wants to do even more soul destroying, believe me very few do it through choice.

Some of you need to have a hard look at yourselves!

You should all give yourselves a pat on the back for making a job that no one wants to do even more soul destroying, believe me very few do it through choice.

The point is. They shouldn't be doing it at all. If I can discourage them from trying to con people then I am quite happy to do so.

I've worked in a call centre in France and in a cold calling office for a British chain of hotels (though I was doing computer work rather than calling. I would describe the other people working in both as polite, well-spoken, articulate, impervious to ranting and keen to reach their quotas so they could afford a good Saturday night out.

Another thing. The amount of cold calls you get during things like the World Cup.
I do remember someone calling at the door during a big England match!
He asked if I was interested in saving money, I said no not really. That visibly annoyed him.

I would describe the other people working in both as polite, well-spoken, articulate, impervious to ranting and keen to reach their quotas so they could afford a good Saturday night out.

Always remember the morning dj on Triple J phoning a guy up and giving the usual dj patter of why are you up so early this morning . The guy answered ," cos you woke me up you c&nt".

Abuse is uncalled for.

The vast majority of calls I get are dodgy in some way. They're either outright scams (hello sir, I'm calling from Microsoft, your computer told us it has a virus), or are chancing their arm about some fictitious PPI claim, accident, unpaid debt etc.

Either way, they're ignoring my (pointless, toothless) TPS registration, or are calling from overseas deliberately to bypass TPS completely (and avoid paying a reasonable wage).

Some days I get several calls at any and all times, they're a bloody nuisance. And these are people who are systematically preying on the weak, the vulnerable, the old and the stupid.

Just doing a job? I can't respond to that without invoking Godwin's law. Abuse? Screw 'em. I'd have them rounded up and drowned if I could, amoral scumbags.

I use a different approach. I record all of my phone calls, go through too the people and ask them to confirm the company and tell them I've recorded the call and that they're being illegal by re-calling me after I requested they remove my number from the records. IIRC they aren't allowed to call you back for 10 years cold calling if you ask them too remove your number. You can sue them.

Con? Take abuse on the phone or sit on the dole longterm

Every been on the dole? The only work offered/advertised tends to be Abitoir, meat packing or telesales.

The seasonal workers pick up the former.

unfortunately my dad was very abusive to cold callers.
one evening i answered the door and it was someone selling upvc windows who i used to go to school with,hadn't seen him for ages so we were arranging to go out for a pint.
my dad comes to the door ''get the f!"£$ off my property before i set the dog onto you and he'll rip your f!"£$%^ face off'' (we had a springer spaniel)

we didn't go for that pint

At Uni I did a stint at autotrader- a bloke shouted down the phone, I quit on the spot.

bless. you poor dear. 🙂

Incidentally, I have a theory about where they're all coming from.

Try filling out and faxing back [url= http://statics.192.com/rel-3.42/downloads/C01.pdf ]this .pdf form[/url], see if your calls reduce at all.

Unbelievable some of the responses here. Most people in UK callcentres are 17-24 year olds in their first job, just trying to earn a living. It's a tough 'hire and fire' environment, hit target this shift, work (and accordingly earn/eat) tomorrow. Miss and get sacked.

How brave of you to abuse young workers from the safety of your warm, IT wage funded home.......

I spent six months working for a well known double glazing firm whilst setting up my ill-fated cycle courier business. Had all of the above responses, including explosive rage, death threats, whistles and sirens.

It was a shite job - a means to an end, paid very, very well for three hours work a day but I told no-one what I did with my time in the evenings - too shameful. The final straw for me was getting an old lady on the line who tremulously informed me that her husband had just died and that she couldn't talk to me. The room manager heard this on the speaker and was enraged that I'd apologised and terminated the call: "You stupid cxxxx, that old bat would have been fxxxxxg loaded if her old man's just fxxxxxg died".

Never went back. Annoying cold callers get told to get a job with some dignity - I've earned the right to say that...

imnotverygood - Member
You should all give yourselves a pat on the back for making a job that no one wants to do even more soul destroying, believe me very few do it through choice.
The point is. They shouldn't be doing it at all. If I can discourage them from trying to con people then I am quite happy to do so.

POSTED 1 MINUTE AGO # REPORT-POST

So you'd prefer them to be claiming benefits instead?

Most people who do it have no choice, they should be applauded not driven out of their jobs!

by not taking a polite no for an answer.

At Uni I did a stint at autotrader- a bloke shouted down the phone, I quit on the spot.

they aren't allowed to call you back for 10 years cold calling if you ask them too remove your number.

With reputable companies, I always ask them to remove me from their lists and add them to any 'do not call' lists they may maintain.

The problem though is that you're assuming these arseholes are operating within the law. Good luck suing some bloke in the Indian subcontinent who's told you his name is Derek and works for some mumbled company that you didn't quite catch the name of.

Don't know whether I'm lucky but I don't get that many spam calls. Had a couple of PPI things recently, but I'm happy to supply a "no ta" within the 5 seconds it's take me to work out it's spam.

If your time's valuable, hang up immediately.

If your time's not valuable, have a laugh with them if that's what floats your boat.

Don't get cross at people for continuing a conversation you can end immediately by hanging up.

There's a script/crib sheet with options to follow a bit like a family tree, Imnotverygood. Though the call centre owner was happy for us to ad-lib as long as we remained helpful and polite.

Hora whilst i may do telesales to keep the wolves from the door i would expect to get some abuse as many folk [ high 90% I assume] find it annoying. There are lots of jobs I can think of where it annoys folk when you do your job - repo, copper whatever- and you just deal with it.

Personally i just hang up or say not interested and hang up

imnotverygood - Member
At Uni I did a stint at autotrader- a bloke shouted down the phone, I quit on the spot.

I'm glad you mentioned that hora, because that is exactly the effect I want my abuse to have. Now that I know it can achieve something I'll keep it up.
POSTED 6 SECONDS AGO # REPORT-POST

You must be so proud!

Cold calling is no honourable way to earn a crust. I've always wondered how desperate you'd have to be to do it as a living. I'd rather stack shelves, pick or process veg, clean toilets. Pretty much anything.

It might not be "honourable", but sometimes there's little else available. I've done it, and it's a really, really shite job. Which is why I politely say something along the lines of "Not interested thanks, bye" and put the phone down. I'm not going to waste either their time or mine, and I'm certainly not going to get abusive with them.

Another good one is the survey/wildlife/charity people on the street wanting to get you to sign up to some such crap....i smile, let them do their speech, nod appreciatively and when they've finished i say 'sorry, can you go from the top again, i wasnt listening....'

I was approached by one of these a few weeks ago. She was about 20 year old and started going on about charity work in other countries.

She was quite cute, and gathered I wasnt listening so asked " what do you like to do ? " to which I replied " sleep with girls like you " at which she called me a t****r and stormed off.

Most people in UK callcentres are 17-24 year olds in their first job, just trying to earn a living.

Most calls - I'd hazard in fact, all calls - that I get are not from UK call centres.

I think perhaps the "abuse" / "just doing their job" sides of the fence people are sitting on here are actually referring to two different things.

Notwithstanding my previous post, I now work from home most days and am plagued by these calls. My name, address and phone number are all over the interwebs (necessary evil) and this ensures a steady stream of bellends all selling pretty much the same things.

As has been mentioned, it's those that start off on false pretences (big fat lie) that annoy the most.

I look at it this way.
Nearly every single one of these calls is a con. Either they are actually fraudulent (your computer has a virus) or they are trying to sell me something I do not want or need. I'm never going to buy anything ever from a cold caller because the products they are trying to sell are inevitably going to be poor value in some way or another: That is why they are being sold in this way. The people who end up buying this stuff are the mugs who are being taken for a ride. As much as I might have sympathy with people struggling to get a job I don't think that ripping off the gullible is the way to build a career. Sorry, but if you are callous enough to take advantage of your fellow citizens in this way I just think you are low life. No matter how much you need the cash.

Do you know you effectively abused me by calling me an arsehole?

I made a generalisation about how certain people conduct themselves and how that makes them appear.

You decided you matched criteria.

That's not my fault.

Junkyard Coppers, repo's have a certain weight/shoe on the other foot.

Telesales are told to call call call call call all for minimum wage and ashitty bonus.

A simple 'no thank you' and hang up immediately should suffice. Minimum fuss.

Shopwork is also poorly paid but at least its not that crushing!

Plus Indian call centre staff- educated people working to literally survive.

simmy, imagine you're chatting someone up.

You're chancing it, trying to be charming. They're not interested. Does that give them a right to be a bellend at you??

You're chancing it, trying to be charming. They're not interested. Does that give them a right to call you a ****?

Plus Indian call centre staff- educated people working to literally survive.

Ah, that makes it ok to commit credit card fraud, then.

Plus Indian call centre staff- educated people working to literally survive.

I made a generalisation

No you didn't

[b]Anyone[/b] who abuses people cold calling is a complete arsehole in my opinion.

You didn't like what you read and responded with abuse and now you are attempting to justify this. I do not think for one second that I matched your criteria.

Hence your pent up aggression I guess.......

I did call centre work to pay my way through uni, and afterwards to supplement my grad wages.

My right hand man did similar.

I'm now studying for an MBA funded by my employer and head up a multimillion pound team. "Not a good way to build a career" - how wrong you are. I learnt lots in those years.

Keep in mind many call centre workers are grads topping up salaries. They're also human beings deserving of being treated as such.

I don't know about you, Mogrim, but we had some on-screen evaluation boxes to tick after each call. Without wishing to encourage the abusers people want to end up in the "no-hoper" category rather than "call back" or "pass to sales team for possible appointment". If you can find some amusing way of ending up as a no hoper, have fun.

I used to listen in on one girl calling for the hotel chain thinking: "the fool thinks the hottie (she was hot) he's got on the phone is going to be the one who drops in if he makes an appointment but in fact it's going to be the dumpy guy from the sales office". The telesales team was 100% female.

Edukator - no doubt you've heard "fit on the phone, add 10 stone"......... 😉

I doubt she weighed 10 stone.

Is this the point I admit that when I ran my own business we spent hours cold calling (not entirely cold, we sent a mailing first and started the conversation by asking if they'd had time to read the mailing). My experience with the hotel chain was invaluable. I can entirely attribute not needing to work from the age of 42 to the effectiveness of telesales.

I don't think that ripping off the gullible is the way to build a career

"Not a good way to build a career" - how wrong you are. I learnt lots in those years.

Just remind me how the present financial crisis developed 😀

A simple 'no thank you' and hang up immediately should suffice. Minimum fuss.

Telesales is the same surely. I am not saying it is right or fair but i would not expect to make cold calls all day without abuse any more thna I would expect t if I approached folk in the street to try and sell them something.

I don't know about you, Mogrim, but we had some on-screen evaluation boxes to tick after each call. Without wishing to encourage the abusers people want to end up in the "no-hoper" category rather than "call back" or "pass to sales team for possible appointment". If you can find some amusing way of ending up as a no hoper, have fun.

On-screen? Ha. This was back in 1990 or so, pre TPS - we were given a ripped out section of the white pages, and told to get calling. I can still remember what we had to say: "Good evening Mr. Carter [and it was always Mr. Carter, there are an awful lot of them in the Southamton area it appears], this is mogrim from the Bauformat Kitchen Design Centre... we're offering..." etc. etc.

simmy, imagine you're chatting someone up.

You're chancing it, trying to be charming. They're not interested. Does that give them a right to be a bellend at you??

No, but thats the normal reaction I get anyway, even when Im serious 😆

Oh well, its her loss anyway 8)

Is this the point I admit that when I ran my own business we spent hours cold calling (not entirely cold, we sent a mailing first and started the conversation by asking if they'd had time to read the mailing). My experience with the hotel chain was invaluable. I can entirely attribute not needing to work from the age of 42 to the effectiveness of telesales.

You didn't like what you read and responded with abuse and now you are attempting to justify this. I do not think for one second that I matched your criteria.

The main difference is, some people choosing to abuse people for no other reason than that they are doing their job.

They are doing it because it makes them feel better ? Maybe because they think it's funny ? Maybe because they think they are "better" than a call centre worker so it doesn't matter if they abuse them.

Who knows why, but the fact is, they can just say "not interested" and hang up.

But they choose not to. And in my opinion, they are behaving like arseholes.

(I am not talking about Scams like credit card fraud or the Microsoft scam. I'm talking about Sales calls etc. mobile networks, UPVC windows, insulation etc.)

Double post

Keep in mind many call centre workers are grads topping up salaries. They're also human beings deserving of being treated as such.

That said anyone taking on that job should surely know how bad the reputation of cold callers is, especially a grad. You are by doing this job putting yourself in the same boat as out and out con men (microsoft scam etc) in fact in some cases criminals.
Also the call pattern. Just as you get in from work! sitting down with the family for your evening meal! Sunday lunch time!
The reputation and the timing is just asking to get bawled at.

I'm talking about Sales calls etc. mobile networks, UPVC windows, insulation etc.)

Who knows why, but the fact is, they can just say "not interested" and hang up.

imnotverygood - nope, I don't work in finance.

I learnt lots about focus, putting in 100% effort, watching and learning from people better than me at what I do, dealing with bosses, office politics, and a bunch more.

I genuinely view it as a formative period while I was young.

I also view similar experience on a CV as a badge of honour - if someone can survive that environment, they have real strength of character. You can train skill and knowledge.

[quote=oldgit ]
Also the call pattern. Just as you get in from work! sitting down with the family for your evening meal! Sunday lunch time!
It's almost like they know when you are most likely to be at home eh?

oldgit - that's when people are in. Hence the reason call centres hit you........

imnotverygood - tps is outdated, not integrated into dialler systems and as such, redundant.

TPS? They shouldn't be calling in thwe first place.

Some companies don't stick to the rules.

Feel free to abuse the lowest staff at the company for it.

I'm sure it was their idea and they forced the Company owners to do it 🙄

We started with chamber of commerce listings then made up our own on various criteria. If you get calls for double glazing the you live in an area in which the housing stock needs upgrading, if it's verandas then you're in a more prosperous part of town. Most things need targeting but kitchens or mobile networks can pick up business anywhere.

I'm sure it was their idea and they forced the Company owners to do it

But they [i]choose[/i] to work for them. If they work in a disreputable business why should I give them any respect at all. They are displaying none at all for me.

But they choose to work for them. If they work in a disreputable business why should I give them any respect at all. They are displaying none at all for me.

How would they know.

They just get calls put through by an autodialler.

But for some reason you seem determined to throw abuse at the wrong people and pretend its ok. And I doubt you will allow that to change. Maybe it makes you feel more important ? Who knows.

So you carry on. I can see I'm wasting my breath.

A simple not interested thanks from me, don't have the time to sit there and play games

How would they know.

They just get calls put through by an autodialler.

don't have the time to sit there and play games

Your posting history says you do. 😉

If I'm busy they get no thanks or no he's dead then I hang up. If I'm not busy then they get their time wasted. The last call I received regarding a virus on my windows pc ended half an hour later with me being called a mother****er who should stick his computer up his wife's arse. I'm never abusive but not bothered if they are.

If that makes me an arsehole then I'm an arsehole who doesn't care.

Every half an hour wasted with you is half an hour they're not ruining someone's life.

That's exactly the way I see it Cougar. If cold calling wasn't worth doing they wouldn't do it. I try to make it less worthwhile when I can.

" But they choose to work for them. If they
work in a disreputable business why
should I give them any respect at all."

Did you honestly just say that?

Take it you have always lived in the bosom of parental support and never had to just make ends meet?

Just as big lads go into manual labour to pay bills, so too do articulate kids, until something better comes along.

So they won't wonder why it is so many of the people they call say 'why are you calling me when I'm registered with the TPS?' Must come as a great shock to them and they worry about it all evening. ...They know what they are doing & they don't care.

As I said, you seem determined to pretend its ok.

You carry on.

imnotverygood - can you share your occupation and employer? I'd like to moralise on it........

Air Traffic Controller.

feel free

So you are (I hope) well educated and rational of thought? Calm in challenging situations outside your comfort zone? Capable of remaining calm, clear headed and objective? Rational thinker and able to see beyond the immediately obvious?

Your posts in this thread indicate otherwise...........

getting personal. i'm out

Maybe it makes you feel more important ? Who knows.

No not at all, but anyone that calls me at home is a total and utter **** in my opinion. That's my opinion and I'm entitled to it.
I'm not like that at all with anyone else doing their job, even if they screw up...s**t happens.
But my very little time at home is precious and cold callers send me balistic.
They shouldn't have my number, they should'nt call me, but they do

Air Traffic Controller.

I just think you are low life

arsehole

But my very little time at home is precious and cold callers send me balistic.

At the wrong person.

At the wrong person.

"Can I speak to your manager?"

"No, they're not available."

i'm out

Keep it that way.

I'll come back on that one Edukator. I'm not calling anyone here names. I am pointing out that there are lots of people who call me on the phone who do not follow the rules. They are scamming. If you are one of those then you are a scammer. If not, then the epithets do not apply to you.

This thread is fun, if I have time I'll keep them on the phone as long as poss, if I don't I'll ask if they can think of a way we can end the call amicably, if they waffle on then I put the phone down, if they call back I'll ask again if there is a amicable way to end the conversation, & repeat.

But the most fun I have is people who try & cold call investment & wealth opportunities, how stupid are those people! Conversation normally goes along the lines of "so your saying that I invest X then you can give me a return of Y, but your working for minimum wage, I dont understand"

imnotverygood - a scam is when someone cons you illegally. A cold call is not a scam. Equally a cold caller is not a scammer. It's likely a graduate paying off their uni debt.

As per an earlier post, my right hand man, like me did telesales to fund uni. He's the most talented and naturally gifted data analyst I have ever met. capable of interpreting data into stuff managers and clients can understand.

But as you would brand him "lowlife"