How to deal with Telemarketers

[Hom3r]

This is how some guy in the US deals with them.

Unfortunately its from a radio show and there are numpties laughing with it.

I had to zip it as MP3s aren't supported here.

[alanasomething]

Haha this is cool.

My friend works for British Gas though and has to make telesales calls and gets so much abuse when she isn't the one phoning them out of spite or whatever. If you're rude to someone from a telesales place and scream at them not to call, they will pretend to take you off the dialler but will infact put a few notes on the account to make them call you more just to pee you off. So be nice just incase! Then register with www.tpsonline.org.uk if you can as this works sometimes!

[bw41101]

Quite often these companies use what is called a telecaster to phone you (at different times of the day) to determine whether you are at home. How often have you answered the phone only to hear a beeping followed by an immediate hang up?

Apparently the telecaster's software uses certain algorithms to differentiate the difference between a recorded message (voicemail/answerphone) and words used by people to answer the phone. However, there is a ruse you can use to try and protect yourself, I.e. when you receive a call like this - listen but don't speak, if you hear an feint beeping then press the hash key on your phone rapidly as fast as you can. This can confuse the software at the other end and effectively scramble the monitoring.

Another ruse, is that when you receive a call from telesales, get the name of the company at the beginning of the call and (when you have this), stop the caller immediately (talk over them if you have to - but be firm), tell them that you are registered with the Telephone Preference Service and they are in breach of same and that you intend to report them with a view to prosecution attributed to harassment. Believe me this works - they very rapidly lose interest - I very rarely get call now!

Lastly get yourself registered with the TPS (URL in the earlier thread) as soon as you can. It takes a little while to be effective, but is well worth the wait.

That's it and Si thee

[alanasomething]

Originally Posted by bw41101

...tell them that you are registered with the Telephone Preference Service and they are in breach of same and that you intend to report them with a view to prosecution attributed to harassment. Believe me this works - they very rapidly lose interest - I very rarely get call now!

Lol I agree, we signed up for TPS and we have had about 3 calls in the last 3 or 4 years, and at that, you just have to mention TPS and they hang up and don't call again.

[frogstamper]

Originally Posted by alanasomething

Lol I agree, we signed up for TPS and we have had about 3 calls in the last 3 or 4 years, and at that, you just have to mention TPS and they hang up and don't call again.

Great link alanasomething, we have been getting these calls 3 or 4 times a week at about 1800 to 1900 trying to sell gas, electric, and other services but the worst by far are Anglian Windows.
Hopefully that'll finally be an end to this unsolicited nuisance.

[maddyp]

I get so many recorded message calls, sometimes 3 or 4 a day it drives me up the wall.

[Peter_]

Originally Posted by maddyp

I get so many recorded message calls, sometimes 3 or 4 a day it drives me up the wall.

Sign up for the Telephone Preference Service here and you can register for your snailmail as well http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/tps/