In my house we like to wind up telesales callers?

Question

One of my sons usually answers the phone and puts on a foreign accent and pretends he does not understand what the caller is saying. What do you do to wind up these callers?

Answer 1

They always ask, "how are you today".

Well we tell them a long sad story that just goes on and on. My wife had a woman crying and apologizing for calling.

Answer 2

Thankfully I don't get telesales callers now that I've moved, but when I was in a particularly naughty mood, I'd let the window-companies rattle on with their fantastic offers and be really delighted with all that they said. When they'd made an appointment time to come round and chatter on some more, I'd politely ask whether being a council tenant mattered ... ohhhhhh, such joy to hear the phone slammed down! (however, if the telesales staff sounded human, I would just tell them upfront that I wasn't interested ... after all, I'd done a stint in telesales (medical) too!).

Answer 3

When people call my mobile to ask me whether I want to upgrade (or whatever), I pretend I don't have a mobile.

Then I say I don't even have a land line and they're talking to me via my radio or computer or something.

They get very confused, which makes me laugh.

I wonder what they write down as a result for the call - "Woman was a complete nutter" probably!

EDIT: I also totally agree with other responders about the crappiness of the job. However, I hate getting sales calls and I have signed up to the Telephone Preference Service. This means that I should not be getting ANY sales calls, so any I do get are from disreputable companies which I reason are fair game. I'm never rude and I don't shout. After all, it's not their fault that they work for a horrible company. I don't mind wasting their time though - it's the company's money I'm spending.

Answer 4

I understand that the calls are irritating. However, if you have caller ID, why do you answer the phone?
I have a part-time job in a call center, but I don't sell anything. Mutual funds hire my company to call their shareholders for their proxy votes. We have no control over the calls,as they're done by an automatic dialer. I've had people chewing food as they talk to me, even though I've offered to arrange a call back at a more convenient time. I've had people blast me because they're on the Do Not Call List (it doesn't apply to us), and I've even had people scream at me because I've called too late (sometimes 7:30 or 8 PM). I try to be as polite as possible, even when I get jerks like some of the ones who've supplied answers to this question. Unless you've done the job, keep your stupid suggestions to yourselves.

Answer 5

Sorry, but I think it's really mean to wind them up. Like someone upthread said, at least they're working not on the dole! They're doing a poorly paid job, probably in poor conditions, with really tough targets to meet.

All you have to do is politely say "Not interested thanks" and hang up.

If you don't like getting these calls, make sure you're registered with the Telephone Preference Service

Answer 6

Aren't they the most irritating people on earth? My response depends on how I feel when they phone. I have been plagued for about six weeks by daily phone calls from an overseas investment company wishing to send me their newsletter. I have tried being nice and nasty, but nothing works, so I've decided to accept the offer of newsletters from now on and, when I have a stack of them, I'll send them back marked 'return to sender.'

A friend of mine had a double glazing salesman who would not take no for an answer. He insisted that she'd be better off with a conservatory. In the end she made an appointment in the hope that he would finally stop pestering her when he saw that she lived on the third floor of the block.

Answer 7

If i know that the call is from a tellemarketer i pick up the phone and place it in front of my speaker then play some pleasant music or some bob marley or somthing and let them listen to that. it doesn't wind them up but at least i don't have to listen to them and they get to hear some nice music!

Answer 8

I get them going so they are so excited they are actually going to get a sale then tell them to "hang on a sec while I go get my credit card" put the phone down and don't get back to it for a while. I've actually still had a guy on there about some cruise deal for 45 minutes because it was a computer generated call and it couldn't disconnect with me until I hung up the phone. Really killed his call times for that day!!! HaHaHa!!!

Answer 9

This is a good un...

"Sorry, I'm too busy to discuss this right now but I am interested, tell you what, give your home number and I'll give you a ring back later."

But I'm usually in too much of a bad mood to use it, I usually demand to know where they got my number from, then I demand they take my number off the list, my son once witnessed me screaming "are you f-ing stupid" at them, he won't ever forget it lol I don't usually swear around him, but they wound me up sooo much = )

Answer 10

A crap job it might be and maybe one call from someone is forgiveable, but I don't see anything wrong with winding these people up when they persist in calling night after night. We have one company who persist in calling despite us asking them not to, so they deserve everything they get.

Answer 11

I love to tell them that I am too busy but would love to talk more when I have some time. I then request their home phone number and at what time they have dinner so I can call them and continue our conversation on their private time.
Needles to say I have never gotten a number yet.