Cube mk2 and WIR

[Guest]

We registered with the TPS a few months back (thanks to the lovely people here who pointed me in the right direction), and we have pretty much rid our lives of annoying calls, apart from 2 very persistant companies. One is an Indian call centre for a company called Financial Advicers Direct, who call 3-4 times a week - the operators cannot deviate from their script, and they just don't give up - they called on Friday evening, and chookiehubbie hung up on them, 20 seconds later - they called back - I told them we weren't interested, and hung up - another 20 seconds later THEY CALLED BACK AGAIN. Told them to eff off or I'd blow a whistle down the phone at them, and they finally got the hint - dinner was ruined, and we were both fuming.

 

Then today, some woman from a company called Ideal Home (not the magazine, I asked) called - I politely told her i wasn't interested, pointed out that they had phoned last week, and that I had told them the same then, and asked for a contact number and address for her office, which she refused to give me, then went mental when I told her she was getting reported to the TPS. You know what she said? That the TPS had provided her company with my phone number. she then proceeded to give me a mouthful of abuse, so SHE got the whistle down the phone.

 

Now I realise that working in a call centre is just the pits, chookiehubbie used to do it, and he used to come home utterly dejected with life, and he wasn't cold calling people, but if someone is polite, and explains why they want information from you, then surely you either just think 'Oh-oh, best just hang up on her, and get onto the next cold call', or you give out the information required. You don't become abusive, and make ridiculous claims and the TPS..

 

I'm abslutely FUMING now.

[Cinnamon]

Goodness - I am gobsmacked that this woman acted in this way!

That is just terrible - especially as she said TPS had given them the number.

 

Have you called up TPS & told them?

I bet they will know of the company & will probably take things further.......

 

I know that since we registered,we now only get calls from companies I know (& my bank,alternatly asking why we are overdrawn & offering us a credit card )

 

It sounds to me like you have been very patient - much more so that I would probably be

[Paola]

I cannot believe how that woman behaved either

 

Thankfully it is only one company that calls occasionally and when I say that I do not want to be in the magazine, they put the phone down on me

[Jools]

I used to be involved in telesales and customer service, so I know that the majority of call centre staff are great and quite literally just doing their job, but there are rogues too and it sounds like you have found one.

 

Hubby gets harrassed on his mobile by a company purporting to be raising funds for charities, but it's all a scam. They have been investigated by the DTI and closed down once, but they're back again. He knows instantly when they call because it always starts with "Hello Bruce mate, howya doing?" and then they go on to talk about "raising money for the kiddies". They are so persistant so hubby (being hubby) tells them to go away (not swearing!) and stop calling him. I've lost count of the times they've called back effing and blinding to tell him they know where he lives etc etc.

 

Just how do these people sleep at night?

[Paola]

I used to be involved in telesales and customer service, so I know that the majority of call centre staff are great and quite literally just doing their job, but there are rogues too and it sounds like you have found one.

 

Hubby gets harrassed on his mobile by a company purporting to be raising funds for charities, but it's all a scam. They have been investigated by the DTI and closed down once, but they're back again. He knows instantly when they call because it always starts with "Hello Bruce mate, howya doing?" and then they go on to talk about "raising money for the kiddies". They are so persistant so hubby (being hubby) tells them to go away (not swearing!) and stop calling him. I've lost count of the times they've called back effing and blinding to tell him they know where he lives etc etc.

 

Just how do these people sleep at night?

 

That is shocking

 

Everytime I see your avatar it really makes me smile

[AnnieP]

Rant away dear! What a nerve! The line about the TPS GIVING them your number is priceless..... perhaps they think that the database of banned numbers they receive monthly from the TPS is actually "phone them now" numbers.

 

Chookie... Next time just leave your phone off the hook and let them rant away with their sales picth for 10 or so minutes....

 

I usually play them along and ask really naieve questions to try and get all the info I can re: name, business address, have they got a website etc, because as soon as you mention TPS they don't tell you anything, get shirty and hang up.

 

We hardly ever get them now, so it does work for 99% of companies.

[Egluntyne]

Apparently if there is a couple of seconds silence when you pick up the phone it means it might be coming from a call centre in Mumbai.

 

To annoy them and cost them money just place the receiver beside the phone and go an do something for a few minutes. They will leave you alone after a couple of doses of this treatment.

[Jools]

Everytime I see your avatar it really makes me smile

 

It's just one frame from a brilliant e-mail a friend sent me. I don't know how to add the whole thing to the forum but if anyone wants to pm me their e-mail address, I'll gladly share it. It made me smile for hours when I first received it

[Snowy]

To annoy them and cost them money just place the receiver beside the phone and go an do something for a few minutes. They will leave you alone after a couple of doses of this treatment.

 

Heee heeee! I used to put them in front of the telly, especially if the boys had thomas the tank engine on

 

Since registering with TPS, I've had very few. The ones I do get, as you say, just mention TPS and they can't hang up quick enough!

 

I think as more people opt out like this though they are getting more desperate, hence the abuse and nastiness? Not nice though - it's such an intrusion into your home. Caller display helps as well - if no number shows up, I don't pick up. If they can't be courteous enough to identify themselves then

 

(I've been dying to use that emoticon!! )