onlymythoughts.com

I read this list of funny things to say to telemarketers that was posted on Digg.com . It really made me laugh. I am always getting calls from telemarketers trying to get the few bucks that I have. I probably wouldn’t mind them so much if I could just say, “No thanks,” and that would be the end of it. But that’s just not the case. First of all, you can’t get a word in. They start reading their script and are virtually unstoppable. Then if you just burst in with your “I’m not interested,” they always have a comeback. They just keep going, going, going. Does that remind you of a familiar pink bunny?

Anyway, here is the link to go read the list of funny things to say to telemarketers: http://the-smsjokes.blogspot.com/2008/05/10-ways-to-stop-all-those-irritating.html . My favorite is #8, where you tell them all your problems. That might save me some money on therapy.

Reading the funny things to say to telemarketers really did make me laugh, but I don’t know that I would do any of these. I mean these annoying people are really just average joes trying to make a buck. Some of them can hardly even read the script they have been given. And they do take a lot of abuse. I read online where one woman had someone blow a horn through the phone that really hurt her ear. It can be a really difficult job.

I know that from my own experience. When I was much younger, I worked for one week for a photography studio. I was selling photo packages over the phone. That job was painful. Some of the pros in the room could talk up a storm with anyone. They sold package after package. I don’t even know if I sold a single package. I think I did. It’s been a long time. Fortunately, no one did any mean pranks on me. A few hung up on me. But it is the constant rejection and the pressure to make a quota that creates one major nightmare of a job.  At the end of the week, that company and I were eager to part ways.

So don’t declare war on the telemarketers. You can always go to https://www.donotcall.gov to be placed on the National Do Not Call Registry. Telemarketing companies will then have 31 days to take your name off their call lists. (This does not include political or charitable telemarketers. There may be others that are exempt, also.) If the telemarketers continue to call pass the 31 days without your permission or a previously established working relationship, you can ask them to put you on their do not call list and to send you a copy of their Do Not Call policy. If they continue to call you or do not send you the information, you can sue them in small claims court. One man has done this several times. You can read about it at http://killthecalls.com/ .

So if you cannot deal with continued telemarketer calls, take one of the above two actions. Please don’t blow a horn into the phone. I added myself to the Do Not Call list tonight. For the ones that will not stop (the exempt ones), I choose to deal with my irritation by having a good laugh over these funny things to say to telemarketers.