How do you "handle" telephone solicitors?

Question

Are you rude or nice?

Answer 1

I say, "This is Sargent xxxx from the xxxx Police Department and that we have a crime scene here at this residence."

I tell them to "hang on" as they may be needed for further questioning, etc.
They immediately hang up.....

Answer 2

Depends on the soliciter.
I've donated to police and fire department fundraisers before and sometimes still do. If I'm strapped or feel I've been hit up enough I will politely say not today and those guys always take no for an answer.
If it's another type of solicitor and they have a nice voice and are respectful, I politely and firmly tell them no and ask to be removed from their list. Any argument or attempt to continue the conversation I just hang up.
If it's the kind of soliciter where you can hear a hundred other soliciitors in the background, I just say "take me off the list" right over whatever their shpeil is and hang up.

I had a friend once who had been a telemarketer. She said she had been trained that if the person stayed on the phone with you, you just keep trying to sell them, so all being polite gets you is a waste of time.

Answer 3

I try to be nice. I either tell them I'm a babysitter and that the homeowners will not be home for a few days or a minor and my parents are both asleep. Then I hang up, but in the nicest way possible.

Answer 4

As annoying as this subject is, I just can't bring myself to be ugly, so I just politely interrupt and inform them that I realize it's their job but they're wasting time calling here and to please remove our number from the list.
Otherwise, a different person will call tomorrow.
However, the temptation to be rude is always with me because of the annoyance and I have all my numbers on the Country Wide Do Not Call List, but, they have figured out a way around that.

Answer 5

I just tell them I am not interested and to take my number off all their lists or I will contact the government and police and charge them with invasion of privacy and harrassment. That usually sets them off but it is then that I say, this call is being recorded. They then hang up and I never hear from them again. LOL works every time

Answer 6

I'm nice. I tell them to please wait a minute and put down the phone.
Eventually when I hear a rapid busy signal I know they've hung up so I go over to the phone and hang up. The record was 20 minutes.
That way it costs them money and they don't tend to call back.

Answer 7

I'm nice at first, but if they persist, I just hang up. I'm registered on the National Do Not Call list for several years now, so I don't get telemarketing calls anymore. :)

Answer 8

I have a tape recording of a fax machine signal that I play at full volume into the receiver.

They never call back.

:)

Answer 9

I try to be nice, they're just doing their job. I politely interrupt them and tell them i'm not interested and if they just keep on i continue to tell them 2 more times that i'm not interested and if they're still trying to shove their product/service down my throught then they get the dial tone.

Answer 10

OMG it never fails, I try to hand the phone to my bro and were like, fighting cause no one wants the phone til finally I'm cracking up and then just say NO and hang up.