The Best Response to Telemarketers
First, I would like to say that as a whole telemarketers know that America hates them. We hate ourselves, but we need to make money just like anyone else. So for the people who have never had the delight of being a telemarketer here are a few things people may not know.
#1 We HAVE to object to a rejection. We do not find it amusing or fun in any way to irritate people, but we are REQUIRED to object a minimum of 2 times if someone stays on the phone after their rejection. No matter how nice the person may be, we still HAVE to object.
#2 The do not call list does not effect all calls. Charities, surveys, government notice calls are all exempt from this list. It would be great if people knew this, because if someone answers the phone and tells the telemarketer that they are on the do not call list and then hangs up, we can still call back.
#3 Unless the person says specifically, “take me off your list” we will continue to call until they do, no matter how mean the person is, or how many profanities they use.
#4 If the person answering the phone say’s anything like, “I am busy” or “I can’t talk right now” and hangs up, we will keep calling.
#5 If someone tells us that we have the wrong number when we ask for someone, that DOES NOT remove them from the list, we will simply call the number back as a new number without a contact name. This includes people that are deceased.
#6 Myths, a lot of people believe that unlisted numbers do not get called by telemarketers. NOT TRUE, there are plenty of ways to get a number, even if it is unlisted. And being unlisted DOES NOT automatically place you on the national do not call list. To be placed on the do not call list you can go to www.donotcall.gov and register your number. Please note that it may take up to 31 days for your number to be placed on this list.
So, the best advice I can give anyone who receives telemarketing calls, is to politely say “Take me off your list” and then hang up. Do not wait for them to finish their introductory speech, do not stay on the line, just hang up. There is no need to be polite, we are use to abuse. If you ARE interested in the call go ahead and listen, but if you are going to say no, say no and then hang up if you wish to receive future calls from the organization, if you do not, say “take me off your list,” and then hang up. You do not need a response, be assured all telemarketing organizations are aware of the do not call list policies, if you say “take me off your list” the telemarketer will add you to the list, even if you do not wait for a response, or if you said it while they were talking. Do not be afraid of being rude, this makes our job easier. We HATE objecting to people when they say no, and then having to listen to people asking if we heard them the first time or if we understand the meaning of the word no. We are not stupid, we are simply doing what are boss say’s to do in order to get our paycheck.
