I apologise for returning to an old subject.....cold calling...or worse, unwanted calls in times of stress!
There should be a notice in every calling centre. "Old people have a rest after lunch. You'll get no where if you wake them up! "
During the last few weeks in a period of anxiety, the calls just kept coming....often I don't pick up the phone if it says, "international" on the display. This week because we had cancelled our holiday in Madeira I had to pick up the phone.....just in case ...
The people who have been the most intrusive though were our home grown variety.
Between us David and I part with quite a lot of money on direct debit every month. We chose our causes with care and regard it as money well spent. Twice in the last month I have listened to long pitches from charities I already support. At the end I asked, "So how much more are you asking me for?"
Shocked silence followed by..."You already subscribe? " Well yes." They were trying to find new people, but surely somewhere on their books must be my name as one already persuaded .
The people who have caused the most offence are the ones who sell goods made in their own work shops. David always buys things from them. He is a soft touch in this hard bitten world.
I finally asked the lady who rang three times in the week he was really poorly to stop please for the time being, till he got better.
Two days later a very officious voice came on the phone demanding to speak to him....it was urgent she said.
She retreated in haste when I told her that he was in hospital. "Please don't keep ringing" I said .
So far so good with that one, but would the young man from the Philipines called Michael who last night rang at nine pm , only to take up a few minutes of my time on a market survey, go shove his head in the first available bucket!
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5 comments:
Oh how very restrained your language is Jean.
One of my favourite hobby-horses (as you will have noticed) and still they don't get the message.
Is it because we are too polite?
Should we change our tactics and snarl the first retort which comes to mind?
On your point about the lack of coordination in charity campaigns, I have had someone on my doorstep, clip-board in hand ready to recruit me, who when told, I give by direct debit and am a life member of your organisation, said, "sorry we don't seem to have any record".
Phone calls seem to come at the worst possible times, day or night.
It is of course possible to be really rude but I doubt it would make any lasting difference, and in any case, the call has already invaded your peace.
Make that a bucket of hot tar!
Oh Ray I am veering between being shocked and roaring with laughter. Why didn't I think of that!
I'm sure you would have in time.
There is nothing worse than the pushy cold caller either on the phone or at the front door. I'm afraid that I'm a bit abrupt with them and just say no thanks firmly and start to shut the door or put down the phone. Most will get the message. Some don't though.
I've experienced people at the door in particular who give you a quick flash of some form of ID (which isn't quick enough to verify anything) and assume that is their passport into your life and time. Instead of saying OK, or thanks you anyway and moving on, they continue their spiel as if they are deaf. As the door shuts they realise that they're onto a looser and can become abusive or even aggressive. There is one remedy for them, a threat to call the police normally moves them on.
The other type harassment is the person with the clip board or even a stand in our local shopping mall, selling or marketing anything from loans, mobile phones, changing energy suppliers or the one yesterday, No Win-No Fee, Accident assistance. They tend to stand in your path, blocking your way and when you say NO Thanks, say, but "you've not even listened to what I've got to say", aggrieved and upset that someone could possibly not want to listen to their particular sales pitch.
I'm unsure why councils allow these people to market their stuff in public areas. People normally go shopping for specific reasons and the last thing they need is to be targeted with those sorts of tactics. Complaints are normally treated with disdain.
Perhaps I'm just getting to be a grumpy old man in my dotage :(.
Erm. I couldn't possibly comment!
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