by becky soccer mom x1 p.
Member since:
March 24, 2007

how to deal with telemarketers

November 23, 2007 10:58 AM EST
views: 45 | comments: 18
 Answer the phone. As soon as you realize it is a Telemarketer, set the receiver down, shout or scream, "Oh No!!!" and then hang up.

- Tell the Telemarketer you are busy at the moment and ask him/her if he/she will give you his/her HOME phone number so you can call him/her back. When the Telemarketer explains that telemarketers cannot give out their HOME numbers you say "I guess you don't want anyone bothering you at home, right?" The Telemarketer will agree and you say, "Me, either!" Hang up.

- Ask them to repeat everything they say, several times.

- Tell them it is dinner time, BUT ask if they would please hold. Put them on your speaker phone while you continue to eat at your leisure. Smack your food loudly and continue with your dinner conversation.

- Tell the Telemarketer you are on "home incarceration" and ask if they could bring you a pizza.

- Ask them to fax the information to you, and make up a number.

- Insist that the caller is really your buddy Leon, playing a joke. "Come on Leon, cut it out! Seriously, Leon, how's your mom?"

- Tell them you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak up... louder... louder...louder...

- Tell them to talk VERY SLOWLY, because you want to write EVERY WORD down.
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Comments: 18

Michelle K. Nov 23, 2007, 11:18am EST
Very funny. I'm glad I'm not a telemarketer calling your house! lol
R o g e r .. Nov 23, 2007, 11:18am EST
All very good and funny, but here's the one I laughed about.

Ask them in a sexy voice what they're wearing. Tell them how much you like office casual, and how hot you get talking to telemarketers and etc. THEY WON'T CALL BACK.
Jessica I. Nov 23, 2007, 11:19am EST
I love it. My grandma used to keep an air horn next to the phone to handle them. I pity the poor telemarketers who got that in their ear.
Kim M. Nov 23, 2007, 11:34am EST
cute!
Christopher K. Nov 23, 2007, 1:00pm EST
pretty funny,hope you had a great thanksgiving

ty for commenting on my images
Raymond Mardo Nov 23, 2007, 3:39pm EST
I've actually done the following. It works great. I've subsequently thought of hooking up a recording device from my phone to tape phonecalls with telemarketers. I've had some good ones. Here's one you should try:

Act extremely interested in whatever they are selling. Tell the telemarketer that you have an uncle that would love what they are selling. Ask if you can buy more than one.

When they ask for your information, give them everything. When you get to credit card number, give all numbers until you have two left, and then...

HANG UP.

When they call back, you can let the machine pick up or answer the phone with a totally different voice.

Once, I answered back with the same voice and pretended to have a split personality.

Awesome.
becky soccer mom x1 p. Nov 23, 2007, 3:43pm EST
i will have to add your ideas to list
they are great!
Kelly M. Nov 23, 2007, 7:29pm EST
That is too funny! My hubby tells them. "Let me let you talk to the boss of the house." Then hands the phone to the 21 month old!
Peter Bergerson Nov 24, 2007, 3:40am EST
Telemarketers these days tend to use a robotic calling system to dial your number and play their sales pitch. When the machine tells you to press a number, randomly press a bunch of keys and hang up. That will either screw up their machine or tell them you have no intention of doing business with them. Either way, they're more likely to take your number off their list. I did this once recently and since then, the daily robot calls have gone away. Just hanging up or pressing the "remove me from your list" number seems to only move you to their "try again later" list.
Chuck M. Nov 24, 2007, 6:32am EST
I've always liked that second one. They did that in a Seinfeld episode and I've remembered ever since. Funny stuff! I hate telemarketers.
becky soccer mom x1 p. Nov 24, 2007, 9:00pm EST
I remember that episode. My hsb and son love watching all those reruns, too. so i think i was on last week .
Amanda "middle of nowhere" C. Nov 24, 2007, 10:42pm EST
What a good list! I liked the Seinfeld way of handling it, too. My sister has another good way. She says (and she's very sincere), "I'll be glad to listen and consider whatever you're offering, but I would like to first read to you from the Gospel of John."
Cindie B. Nov 25, 2007, 7:29pm EST
I love these ideas! One idea I have used is to hand the phone to one of my kids when they were small. Talk all you want!
Rita j. Nov 25, 2007, 8:39pm EST
LOL LOL
Jaime R. Nov 26, 2007, 5:59pm EST
Too funny!
WS R. Nov 28, 2007, 8:32pm EST
I'm afraid I can be rather rude to the telemarketers, and really, it's not them that call me anymore, it's the non-profit organizations. I had some sort of make a wish (not THE make a wish) thing call three times a day until I finaly answered and told the gal that I couldn't even fulfill my own kids' wishes, let alone anyone elses, and then I hung up. I'm sure i'm off the list now. i know it's their job, but it's still annoying the way they keep calling and calling. grr
Erin P. Dec 2, 2007, 4:52pm EST
Ha ha ha ha ha. I've heard a few of these before. Didn't Andy Rooney do a whole monologue on this once?

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