how abusive can you be to cold callers?

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.

Agreed but if i was a traffic warden I would expect some abuse whether it is right or wrong taking the job I would know what would happen.

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.

But presumuably what you are doing is not ‘cold calling’ in the sense that you randomly picked on numbers to call. I take it there was a reason why you targeted these particular individuals?

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.)

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

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

As I’ve said. For the calls I get it doesn’t work. Hence I feel free to say what I like.

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.

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 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.

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.
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.

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 **** 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.

Screwed up Inconvenienced anyone’s holidays recently in pursuit of an even higher salary?

I just think you are low life

An air traffic controller calls me low life for being a telesales bod/running a company reliant on telesales for profits, and I’m also an

arsehole

because I wind sellers up enough to get a “no hoper” box ticked. Funny world STW.

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”