How do you respond to them? I hate being an asshole to them so I usually just give them my best pathetic little girl voice and tell them "Mommy's not home". It works really well.
I talk to them, asking them about their life, their family, their goals, and ambitions... changing the topic everytime they try to talk about the product they are selling.
I interrupt and ask what they are selling and if they come clean I apologize and tell them they are wasting their as well as my time. If their aim is to get me in a good mood to loosen my wallet strings (usually telling me I've won some wonderful prize) then as far as I'm concerned they are trying to scam me and time permitting, I string them along, acting excited and waste as much of their time as possible... playing along; ordering the magazines or agreeing to the time share or whatever... then when they go to close the deal and get credit card info I say no, just send me a bill and I'll mail them a check. Pisses them off every time.
Depends on the call, what type... I usually just hang up. Sometimes I'll get a case of the ass and bitch.
I have not gotten a call from a telemarketer for over six years. When I used to get them though I would be nice and polite but let them know I didn't wanna waste their time and the answer was a no..... if they went to rebuttal, I'd let them and just say "no thanks" again and then say I had to go. (I know a lot of places people have to rebuttal to keep their jobs and everyone's gotta eat)
I do understand the need to put food on one's table- that is why I'm very polite to legitimate telemarketers. It's the scammers who operate by first trying to jerk a good mood out of me by pretending I've won something-- appealing to a presumed greed facet when I go into waste-their-time mode. It has been a few years for telemarketers though I do seem to get repeated calls from people taking marketing surveys. For now they get a polite if abrupt cut off.
"no thank you please take me of fyour phone list" sometimes with a 'better luck next time" if theyre nice/polite. and sometimes ruder when they keept rying to push afer ive said no and tak me off your list
Lace... well, first I got on the national do not call list. (yeah that^) Some people say it didn't work for them but it worked for me. *shrugs* Then I got rid of my landline for just a cell phone so that's another reason.... Stinkfoot... Oh yeah, I know the type of telemarketers you are talking about. That's really annoying and shady there.
Interesting, Anna--for some reason I thought the do not call list was only for cell phones! I guess I hadn't given it much thought. I'm going to that site right now and signing my land line up (thanks for the link Posthumous).
It may not work as well for a landline, but I've given up on landlines completely and only use a cellphone. I hardly ever get a telemarketer, but I hang up on any that do.
I've handled it numerous ways. A few times (if they let me) I've kinda just gave them a break by bullshitting with them about music, movies, etc. etc. I've done all kinds of pranks, but I've been on the 'no call list' for a few years so I can't remember any of them. The only one I can remember is......When they ask the usual : "Hi Mr/Ms. So and so, how are you doing today?" "Well since you asked...terrible. ABSOLUTELY terrible. When I woke up this morning my dog was dead on my porch, slaughtered. There was a note saying that I'm next if I don't leave $10,000 dollars in my mail box next tuesday. I am severely deppressed and the last living family member I have died a week ago. I don't have any friends, my body is covered in worts and I can't even reach my penis because my arms are so short." lol, I don't think it went exactly like that but you get the point.....just keep going on and on about how miserable your life is.