WTF!

[gort]

Oh she took off like a racing car on the starting grid, did'nt have a chance of stopping her!.

Dave

[Mary Fisher]

He wouldn't know until afterwards :-)

The frustration factor would be worth seeing.

[Mary Fisher]

Oh, we're a nasty lot!

Mary

[Mike Clarke]

[snip]

No, but he's going to be making lots of trips if you keep plying him with those drinks.

[Mary Fisher]

I think he'll be so embarrassed that he'll keep his legs crossed. Or ask for a rubber band. Or go home.

Mary

[Owain]

I was thinking, block the U-bend slightly so the water levels rise alarmingly when flushing.

Owain

[Roly]

If you really want to see a salesman cry, do what I do.

All the time he's discussing the finer points of double glazing, he's sat at our table, from the outset a sheet of paper is face down in the middle of the table.

Then the time comes for him to clinch the deal and he casually mentions that there is a special offer that finishes tonight, but if you sign right away, you can still qualify for the discount.

At that point, the sheet of paper is turned over and it says 'Any mention of a special offer that finsihes today will disqualify this salesman from further consideration'.

[Christian McArdle]

That was always my favourite before the TPS came along. If you listened carefully, you could hear the telephone receiver at the other end briefly going supersonic on the way to its cradle.

Christian.

[Bob Mannix]

Why does everyone have to invent stories? It must be a British thing, the inability to say no :o)

I just say "I'm not interested, thanks" and put the phone down. No need for rudeness or anything - they are trying to earn a pittance at a shit job after all. Where's the problem?

TPS has removed the need for even this, I have to say.

[Christian McArdle]

The problem is that they are so persistent and do not allow a non-rude conclusion. You would have to put the phone down whilst they were talking, which seems inherently rude. By saying that "we're tenants" or suchlike, you actually provoke them into being rude, which is more comfortable, even amusing.

Christian.

[Huge]

I'm quite capable of saying "no". Why shouldn't I have some entertainment having been disturbed in my own home?

They should get a better job that doesn't involve disturbing people who are generally at dinner.

My telephone is *mine*. It is not available to support your business.

Mostly, yes.

[Steve Firth]

The problem is that they are calling me without my permission. It's the equivalent of screaming advertising through my letter box.

The TPS is OK as far as it goes, but many of the cold callers don't bother with TPS, the bucket shop operators simply use telephone directories, not databases and why should I have to constantly renew my objection to something that it should be blindingly obvious is objectionable?

My wife sells direct to the public and we'll be damned if we will ever try to use cold calling telephone sales.

[Bob Mannix]

Oh, no, once you have said you are not interested (definitely and politely), they are the ones being rude by continuing talking and you retain the moral high ground even while putting the phone down. Only about 50% do, the other

50% realise they are not going to get a lead and say "OK, thanks" and hang up anyway. Which is fine.

Once (and only once) a company rang back to say we had been cut off. THEN I was rude!

[Bob Mannix]

Well, sometimes they can't. You don't imagine it's a job anyone actually WANTs to do, surely?

Excuse me? I don't make it my business to cold call people, I assure you.

[Huge]

That's a type 2 problem. (*)

Sorry, I didn't mean "you" specifically, but "one" in a general sense.

(* In this world there are two kinds of problems; (i) My problems & (ii) Your problems. I don't care about your problems.)

[Mary Fisher]

They seem to work to a script which prepares for any response.

Mary

[Richard Conway]

Someone from Bulldog's call centre in India refused to take no for an answer from me once so I hung up on her. She called back *AND* left a message on my answering machine telling me how rude she thought *I* was. Bloody cheek of it.

[Owain]

It doesn't prepare them for "I can't answer that question" :-)

Owain

[Mary Fisher]

A Royal Mail 'Customer Care' call centre person once accused me of lying when I called about non delivery of a time sensitive Special Delivery parcel. I was very polite but she hung up on me.

I was less than pleased, took it further and was given quite a lot of compensation - which I neither asked for nor wanted. I was assured that the offender would be reprimanded - but of course we don't know if that happened.

I work on the principle that the customer is always right, even when s/he's wrong.

Mary

[Richard Conway]

I wouldn't agree with that - when s/he's wrong then I think they should be told politely that they are.