Over the last couple of days, I have been interrupted by “cold” sales calls on my telephone.
I object to having to receive them, especially in the evening when I just want to relax. As someone said to me, if they wanted a new mobile phone, a loan, replacement window, they would go out and buy them.
I have now have my answering machine switched off, as I could be away from home giving training for many days at a time, only to return with my answer machine full of sales calls or “silent” calls.
I have also stopped diverting calls to my mobile phone, why should I pay for unwanted calls? Why should I pay for calls to be diverted overseas when I am abroad with my mobile phone? Why should I be woken-up in the early hours with a diverted “cold” sales call I do not want when I am in a country 8 hours in front or behind UK time?
It is midday, and the telephone rings, and I look at the number received, “000000”, meaning it is a withheld caller or overseas caller number.
I am ready.
“Can I help you?“, I answer the phone.
“Can I speak to Mr Phillip?“, in a lovely young female Indian accent.
My state changes straight away, but I control myself, and why don’t the management of these Indian call centers teach their operators, that in the UK we do not use “Mr” in front of our given or Christian name, we only use “Mr” (or Mrs) in front of our family or surname.
Time for games for Phillip.
“Yes“.
“This is ——– company based in London. Do you get unwanted telephone calls?”
I will not give the company the satisfaction of giving their name, but obviously the Indian accent, the conversational delay and the clicking on the line means the call does not originate in the UK.
“Yes“.
“When do you get these calls?“, she thinks she has a potential foolish customer ready to sell too.
“Oh, I usually get them at about midday.” I gladly offer a reply.
“Does your services provider not stop them for you?“
“Obviously not.“
“Well our company can work on your behalf and stop all unwanted calls……..“, she replies, as I sense she feels she has a potential sale on her hands.
“How much does this service cost and how long do I have to sign a contract for?“.
“Only £1 a month and for a long 5 years.“.
A “long five years”, surely she needs to think about what she is saying.
I fire back, “So I pay you a large sum of money, so that you just go on the web site of the Telephone Preference Service, which is a FREE service, and you take two seconds to enter my telephone number in the little box, to stop calls like you are making now. Is that correct? Oh, what is the weather like in India today?“.
Silence.
I apologise to her, for tricking her into thinking I was a dumb potential customer, because the above is an abbreviated version of the conversation, and after all, it was not a waste of my time, I had had a conversation with someone, and I had fun, leading her down a road, carefully listening to the well rehearsed sales patter.
Oh no, another unwanted call, this time from EON, an electricity supplier, again the caller with an Indian accent, promising to cut my household electricity bill.
More fun for me to have.
I love my job.
see Did I upset you? Unwanted telephone calls.
Weatherseal Windows, do you think I am stupid?
Timeshare Advisory Service a Scam ,
I don’t believe it,
Is it a coincidence that I get more telephone calls.