Telemarketers ...please read

As a person who spent most of his adult life in sales. I jokingly refer to telemarkets as a lower life form. Like Terese I was trained to be professional, that means listening!!! Finding your customers need not trying to fit him(or her) to your need. And like Terese I very much enjoy being sold by a fellow professional.

The point of all of this is and Rozann stated it best. When you ignore a "no" your being rude. Maybe that doesnt really justify being rude back(especially in our new "kinder and gentler" society) but your invading my time and life at least have the courtesy to listen to me.

So who is it that forces you to stay on the phone? Like I said, a person's job is not justification to be a jerk to them, especially when they are, as has been pointed out by Rozan, reading from a script, and not, in fact, making the decision to ignore your no. What you are doing is shooting the middle man.

You know, for that matter, you should expect to get telemarketer calls when you get a phone, so you deserve whatever you get. Right? You knew it was going to happen going into it, so what are you complaining for? Hypocrisy.

OH Richard, you are too amusing!
There is also a script of what you are supposed to say if someone wants to be taken off the list. Many times you are not though, although they read from the script actually writing on the form to take someone off seems to be a little more difficult! Beats me as to why.
When a person PAYS extra to have their phone unlisted they do NOT expect solicitors to call.
By the way Richard, My name has two n's at the end

Forgive me, the mispelling was not intentional.

On the contrary, everyone seems to expect to get them regardless, as the info is culled from banks and credit agencies and such, none of which care whether or not your number is private. This being the case, according to the logic used to justify berating and insulting telemarketers, if you didn't want to or couldn't deal with telemarketers calling, you should not have acquired a phone, as there are other forms of communication available.

Richard,

I think rudeness as a telemarketer is a known "hazard" of duty for them. You either get thick skin and blow it off or get out of the business. To look at it with your previous comparisions, cops have to deal with rude people on a daily basis (you pull them over and when you walk up to the window their not in a good mood immediately). My brother is a state cop in CA and I asked how he puts up with. He said he stopped noticing after about 6 months. A driver opens his mouth and all he hears is the school teacher from Peanuts cartoons "Wawawa wa wawawawa".

As for me, I say "No thank you; I'm not interested."

The second time, with a little tension in my voice, I say, "I'm sorry, but I am NOT interested!"

If that still does not impress the individual, I simply say (as calmly as I can) something like:

"Look, I've done your job before, and I know it's difficult dealing with rude people. However, one skill that you seem to be lacking in your professinal maturity is learning when to stop pestering someone who is trying to be nice to you. Feel free to call back AFTER you've gotten that part of your job mastered, but not before!"

It almost always works, and I hope that it helps the next person on "the list" as well. Who knows . . .I feel better anyway!

Personally, I like what Jerry Seinfield did on his show. The telemarketer called, and Jerry said, "I'm sorry, but I'm kind of busy right now. How about you give me your home number, and I'll call you back when I get a second, OK? . . .CLICK!"

On the contrary. I do expect my private phone number to be private, I am paying for it. I do expect the banks and creditors and agents for a company to keep my information private.
It must have been a very long time ago indeed and give away my age. But I remember a time when SS told you to keep your number to yourself, it is your own private number. When did that change that people you entrust with it, only because you have to to get an account can abuse your right to privacy?
I do expect it. I do not give out my info because I want to but because I have to in order to get something, like bank acct. phone, credit card a job ect. It is a requirement to these people ONLY because it is added paper work to them if we don't give it.
It is NOT mandatory to give your SSN to police, even if arrested, it is NOT mandatory to put your SSN on your license. I do not do that either. They ask you, but you do NOT have to give it.
OOOPPPPs ranting again.
Bottom line, I do expect it.

Richard,
What it boils down too is that these people know what they are getting into before hand. Quality control at these places are a joke.
You don't think these people get bored sitting there for eight hours? They can a do get rude. They talk to each other in between calls, have a great ole time. Draw, dont pay attention.
They want the pay check and that they get.
I do understand where you are coming from, I am not rude to them when they are not rude to me. Guess I was just in the mood for a little debate.
Your time and knowledge might be better spent than defending telemarketers.

Guess I was just in the mood for a little debate. Your time and knowledge might be better spent than defending telemarketers.

You may be right. I must admit, I was enjoying the back and forth as well.

Uffern - I can't believe you would put in a comparison of telemarketers with police and military personnel! But let's go the whole nine yards with it.

Both the military and LEOs fully know what their job entails and they take it based on that knowledge. Just as telemarketers should. If they can't accept the down side, then they shouldn't take the job. All of them need to go into their job with their eyes open and fully prepared to take what they can expect to receive from it and because of it.

If I were a bad guy either in a military operation or in a criminal investigation, I would probably not look upon those guys coming after me with compassion, and neither would I be inclined to hold my fire simply because they are only doing their job. It may very well be that, in my mind at least, I am within my rights doing what I am doing, and they are infringing on that right. Of course the difference here is that I may be engaging in activities where there is a presumed likelihood that I would come under the attention of these people and I am doing what I am doing with that being understood as the ground rules.

As far as telemarketers are concerned, no, having a phone doesn't implicitly grant them my permission to use it to throw sales pitches at me, nor restrain me from not appreciating it and letting them know about it. Just as my having a door to my house that might happen to be unlocked be an implicit invitation to anyone inclined to just walk in and make themselves at home in my house. I am paying for the phone service for MY use, not theirs.

Further, to say that they may have no other option for employment and should be tolerated because of it, is pure nonsense. The very same argument could be used if they couldn't even land that telemarketing job, and instead had to lead a life of crime in order to feed their family. So one of these poor souls threatening me with a tire iron should be simply handed over my wallet in recognition of their pitiful financial state? And such a person might be aghast that I would resist their overture for separating me from my money, or would they expect it and understand it comes with the territory?

If a person doesn't like the necessities of a job they have chosen, then they need to change the job, not expect the rest of the world to change in order to accomodate what they want.

IMHO.