Answer to cold callers?

BHDOGS · 23-05-2012, 06:06 PM

Haha this could be th answer to those pesky calls if you don't mind a fine!

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/b...-1226364103313

Bucknaked · 23-05-2012, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BHDOGS

Haha this could be th answer to those pesky calls if you don't mind a fine!

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/b...-1226364103313

I've thought about blowing one of those horns you get at footy to those scammers calling from Microsoft. My mother inlaw gets the calls all the time. Please go to this link. Like to see one of them complain.

Yellow_Festiva · 23-05-2012, 06:30 PM

Forget the whistle... could get sued.

I just put the phone on speaker and say a few words back every minute or so ('ohhh I know'.. - like that Cocky in the commercial) to pretend I'm interested.... If I'm cooking or cleaning I have even asked for tips. I will also pretend that the reception is bad, and say every 2nd word in a sentence making them repeat the same crap they are trying to tell me several times. I once started reading the Bible.. Genesis, Ch1,V1... After several minutes they get the picture and hang up, annoyed that I had wasted their time ;)

I don't get called much now, if at all... I'm probably on their 'Do not call' register....

Pis-ton broke · 23-05-2012, 06:37 PM

once i said " oh your after so an so, I,ll just go an get him" i put the phone down and went and watched tv. I hang phone up in 15minutes, but then i got someone ringing and hanging up in the evening. Think i ****ed them off.

these days i just say "sorry i,m not interested" an put the phone

Dusty1 · 23-05-2012, 06:43 PM

I did telephone interviewing for a while.

It is a ***** job. These days if I've got time I'll do it, but if it someone looking for money I just say I give to 'Name a charity', sorry and hang up. No need to be rude, I reckon. I've been abused enough time to know that.

Strange, I don't get a lot of callers from the sub continent any more.

sgt_doofey · 23-05-2012, 08:16 PM

I've just set it up so our home phone goes straight to answering machine without ringing the phone. If anyone wants to get in contact with us, they'll leave a message and we just call them back.
I also have VoIP number which will ring normally. Don't get any marketing, charity or survey calls on that number.
I am on the do not call register, but I'm getting sick of all the calls from charities and government surveys, so the answering machine is the easiest solution to weed them out.

**Uncle_Ken** · 23-05-2012, 08:51 PM

My sons fav is a version of the seinfeld respsonse e.g.
TM "Hi. Would you be interested in switching over to TMI Long Distance service?" Seinfeld "Oh, gee, I can't talk right now. Why don't you give me your home number and I'll call you later."
TM "Uh, sorry, we're not allowed to do that." Seinfeld "Oh, I guess you don't want people calling you at home."
"No." TM "Well, now you know how I feel."

UK

Kieron · 24-05-2012, 12:33 AM

In a low voice say 'What are you wearing'....

2011G6E · 24-05-2012, 12:22 PM

Got yet another "Microsoft" call yesterday. Well, technically, it was a "Windows" phone call. Some woman with a heavy Indian accent called, apparently, Shirley...

poppa smurf · 24-05-2012, 12:27 PM

I use the 3 second rule......most cold callers wait that amount of time to see if you are an answering machine or not

after answering the phone I wait 3 seconds......no response......I hang up

love that answer Ken

Yellow_Festiva · 24-05-2012, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Got yet another "Microsoft" call yesterday. Well, technically, it was a "Windows" phone call. Some woman with a heavy Indian accent called, apparently, Shirley...

Drag the conversation on for a while... then say, hang on, my computer has a picture of an Apple with a bite out of it... could the windows button be in there perhaps?

GTP owner · 24-05-2012, 12:38 PM

I have used the whistle before - i was interrupted while practicing at being an umpire...sorry about your hearing. But if you hadn't cold-called me, it would not have happened

2011G6E · 24-05-2012, 01:47 PM

The Microsoft (or Windows) ones are persistent buggers if you get them talking...one young woman a while back who rang said I had a problem with my computer. I said no, I have an Apple Mac (I don't...we only have PCs). She then asked if anyone else in the house had a PC. I said no...we have Apple Macs, Iphones (another lie), and Ipods...no PC's at all in the house.

She then asked if anyone I maybe had a work laptop that I had brought home. At this point I decided to take the "what are you wearing" route as mentioned above...I said my wife had gone out and it was just the two of us...I was sitting here naked and had been watching porn on the net when she rang...what was she wearing? What turned her on?

Funnily enough, she hung up on me.

No idea what I'd have done if she responded...

gtfpv · 24-05-2012, 02:05 PM

it normally echos in the bathroom and people can tell when your in there on the phone . take the phone in there and take a slash , theyll herear the echo and the splashing , say hang on a minute and flush the toilet , you canhear them getting frustrated , and then try starting conversation with them , its great to hear them tell you they have to go now , just keep talking and keep them as long as you can till they hang up . another one is tell them to wait one second , put the phone on the washing machine or something , for 30 seconds, then pick it up and apoligise , after 20 seconds yell out to the kids , it annoys them and they hang up .
or simply just say sorry , i cant talk now , and hang up .

Riksta · 24-05-2012, 07:13 PM

One of my mates used to act like he was mentally retarded and really slow.

Apparently in the culture where the call centres are based (you know what I mean) - they believe that just by talking to someone with issues like that over the phone they can catch it themself?

They used to hang up pretty quick after getting frustrated with him.

MWTB · 24-05-2012, 07:18 PM

I got a call while I was on the toilet the other day. The lady asked 'whats that echo' and I told her that I was on the toilet taking a dump. She hung up.

Easy, and I was being honest.

Russ · 24-05-2012, 07:27 PM

I hate these callers, they always seem to have a happy knack of calling at the most inconvenient times as well :( I generally chuck on some heavy breathing for a few seconds and then hang up on them

Some of these calls are of course for worthwhile causes too, but if you give into them once they will be back hounding you until you die or change phone numbers

My father in law is Scottish and he really knows how to answer the phone to them, one day he received a call from the charity organisation (The House with No Steps) when they announced who they were and where they were from he abruptly answered with (in a Scottish accent)" ahhhh pi$$ off you've reached the house with no money" and then hung up on them

JC · 24-05-2012, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

I use the 3 second rule......most cold callers wait that amount of time to see if you are an answering machine or not

after answering the phone I wait 3 seconds......no response......I hang up

love that answer Ken

I do the same. Only person who gets caught with this is the father-in-law - he tends to dial on speaker, then picks up the hand set once you answer. Unfortunately, so do telemarketers, so he generally gets a hang up from us because he goes past the 2 or 3 seconds of silence I allow. But he usually rings back straight away, and often thinks it was a problem at his end!

atec77 · 24-05-2012, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BHDOGS

Haha this could be th answer to those pesky calls if you don't mind a fine!

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/b...-1226364103313

Last week I got three calls from some woman at an 03 number , she started telling me they were recording and I insisted that be turned off which took ages , when ready to start her rubbish I then suggested she not call again or I would be forced to hunt her down and hurt her , she hung up and I collapsed in fits of lafter

**ebxr8240** · 24-05-2012, 08:11 PM

My son gives them heaps.. He asks questions like...
Are you lonely??
What are you wearing etc...
Often in broken English...

poppa smurf · 24-05-2012, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebxr8240

My son gives them heaps.. He asks questions like...
Are you lonely??
What are you wearing etc...
Often in broken English...

Hah!.......I wonder how many actual weirdos these poor buggers have to contend with

it's a job I reckon I could not nor want to do

jd dad · 24-05-2012, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebxr8240

My son gives them heaps.. He asks questions like...
Are you lonely??
What are you wearing etc...
Often in broken English...

Mate does the same thing usually with references to goats as well

**ebxr8240** · 24-05-2012, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jd dad

Mate does the same thing usually with references to goats as well

If he thinks the are Indian he makes comments about home kill [cows] etc...

NickyN · 25-05-2012, 08:43 AM

If you have the time, play along and ask them the same question they ask you. Or ask the questions kids ask like, "why" "how" and repeat what they say.

Caller: how many PCs do you have?
You: how many PCs do YOU have?

Caller: what version of Windows are you using?
You: what version of Windows are YOU using?

-or-

Caller: what long distance carrier do you use?
You: what long distance carrier do YOU use?

In time it'll drive them nuts and they'll hang up.

TZENU · 25-05-2012, 09:05 AM

Got the Microsoft call whilst at my parents house and as soon as they asked me whether I had any PC's; I began telling them how when I was her age I use to run 15km everyday to work and back; I then said to her my credit card number is; and I began reading out a bunch of random numbers and an expiry date.... I then started the story again and went over the same cycle for 2 to 3 minutes before she gave up and told me to have a nice day!

sgt_doofey · 25-05-2012, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TZENU

Got the Microsoft call whilst at my parents house and as soon as they asked me whether I had any PC's; I began telling them how when I was her age I use to run 15km everyday to work and back; I then said to her my credit card number is; and I began reading out a bunch of random numbers and an expiry date.... I then started the story again and went over the same cycle for 2 to 3 minutes before she gave up and told me to have a nice day!

Why can I imagine this being said in a Grandpa Simpson voice and the quote "And back in those days, we wore an onion on our belts." ????

prydey · 25-05-2012, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dusty1

No need to be rude, I reckon.

this^^

these people are just doing their jobs. as mentioned, normally there is a pause after you answer, so just hang up. otherwise, just hear them out for a few seconds and politely decline. its not hard. maybe i'm just getting old.

blueoval · 25-05-2012, 10:58 AM

I try not to be rude about it, but yes there is 3-4 seconds a person has to answer me after I say hello. After that I hang up.

ohzone · 25-05-2012, 03:20 PM

Double post

ohzone · 25-05-2012, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

this^^

these people are just doing their jobs. as mentioned, normally there is a pause after you answer, so just hang up. otherwise, just hear them out for a few seconds and politely decline. its not hard. maybe i'm just getting old.

Perhaps, but not with the Microsoft callers as they are Scammers and are therefore "fair game"