Marketing phone calls? How do you tell them to shut up?

Question

When people call you to try to sell you something or advertise, whats the most proper way of telling them that you're not interested.

Do you just say "I'm not interested" right at the beginning of conversation? Do you hear them out and then tell them you don't need whatever they're selling, etc. Whats the most polite way?

Answer 1

Be polite but firm....

"I'm not interested. Please put my name and number on your NO CALL list." Then hang up even if they start to say something. Putting your number on the national registry is a good idea, as others have suggested, but YOU must tell those who call YOU that you want them to put you on THEIR no-call list.

If you are receiving calls from the same marketer over and over again, there is a way to defend yourself against these annoying ones. Get a notebook, or a pad of paper, and when they call ask, "What is your name and your company's name?" Then jot down the information, along with the date and time of the call. Then tell them, "I have logged your call. If you or your company calls me again, I will contact the authorities." And THEN hang up.

Answer 2

I laugh at the "tell them you aren't interested" people...

They won't listen to you or they will talk over you when you say that. Or they'll say "it will be just a minute" when actually its more like five at the least.

I once answered a telemarketing call for a mortgage lender. Now I did not own a home nor intended to at the time (I was too young). I was trying to tell her I do not own a home but she talked over me. SO, I let her ramble on for about five minutes at the least. When she finally shut her trap, I said "I guess one would have to actually OWN a home in order to take this offer right?" she got real quiet "next time someone you call starts talking, you should shut up and listen, because you just wasted your time talking to someone who does not own a home and is not looking for a home" *click*

Just hang up. Put your number on the do not call list, that will weed out most of the telemarketers.

Answer 3

If you don't plan on buying whatever it is they're selling and you let them know right away, it's not rude: you're saving them time so they can get to the next potential sale that much faster.

If you want to _really_ piss them off, keep them on the phone for a long, long time, pretend you're really interested, ask them a million detailed questions, THEN tell them you're not interested. Not the nicest thing to do to the poor schmuck at the other end who probably hates his job anyway. But it's an option, eh?

Answer 4

I usually set the telephone down and let them ramble on and on it's costing them money each minute they are on the phone..

When the telephone beeps indicating the caller has hung uo I hang uo the phone.. Placing the phone on top of the tv or other sound making device makes the call last longer as they can hear someone talking....

If the call is from a computer I click on my fax machine and let the comp talk to the fax for a while..

Answer 5

There's no need to say something rude, it's just their job. Honestly, the most polite thing to do is to cut them off as soon as possible rather than letting them finish their whole spiel for someone who they haven't got a prayer of getting to buy something. Just say, thank you for calling but I'm not interested and hang up before they have time to try and keep you on the phone (again, part of their job.) Don't worry about the perceived rudeness of hanging up-- it will be much politer than a) letting them ramble on to you rather than moving on b) being unnecessarily rude (like many other people they will talk to that day.)

Answer 6

Tell them you are not interested say thank you and hang up and then register with do no call registry. After you are on this it takes about 31 days before these calls stop. I think politics and nonprofits are exempt, but they don't call that often anyway.

Answer 7

I am very polite person but I feel no need to be polite to anyone who thinks it's ok to invade my home invironment and activities and then try to coerce me into buying. So these are the thing I say to them, feel free to use them......

Excuse me what is your full name and home phone number. Since you know mine it seems only fair I should have yours. What time do you eat dinner and what time do you go to bed. I'd like to call you then just to drive you nuts. Now what was that number?

You need a better job. This one is racking up some very bad karma for you.

Your unwelcome, unsolicited call just woke up my terminally ill husband.

Answer 8

I always say that I do not have time to discuss the subject right now, but if they put it in writeing, I will consider it!
If its someone who wants 30sec of my time to explain something, I give them the 30sec' and then I say,"Im sorry your time is up, I have to go" If they persist I ask them if they would mind giving me their mobile number and I will call them back during their tea break.!They get the message. I never just hang up on them.

Answer 9

Tell them No Thank You and hang up. Put your name & number on the No Call List in order to avoid telemarkerers calls.

Answer 10

I always thought a polite but firm "no thank you, " at the beginning of the call would work. My brother-in-law asks them what color their underwear is, which usually gets them to hang up first.