Jasper
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 11:58 AM |
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Revenge on Telemarketers....
REVENGE ON THE TELEMARKETER
Three Little Words That Work!!
(1) The three little words: "Hold On, Please..."
Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off (instead of hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing call so much more
time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt.
Then when you eventually hear BT's "beep-beep-beep" tone, you know it's time to go back and hang up your handset .... You
have efficiently completed your task.
These three little words could help eliminate telephone soliciting.
(2) Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other end?
This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone
calls and records the time of day when a person answers the phone.
This technique is then used to determine the best time of day for a
"real" salesperson to call back and get someone at home.
What you can do after answering: If you notice there is no one there, is to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times, as
quickly as possible. This confuses the machine that dialled the call and it kicks your number out of their system. Gosh, what a shame not to
have your name in their system any longer!!!
3: When you get those "pre-approved" letters in the mail for everything from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk,do not
throw away the return envelope.
Most of these come with postage-prepaid return envelopes, right?
It costs them more than the regular postage "IF" and when they are returned. It costs them nothing if you throw them away! In that
case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in these cool little, postage-prepaid return envelopes.
Send an advert for your local chimney sweeper to American Express ... They might need one!
Send a pizza coupon to HSBC ... In case their canteen packs up. You get the idea.
If you didn't get anything else that day, then just send them back their blank application form ... After all, it is their form!
If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name isn't on anything you return.
You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to just to keep them guessing! It still costs them, and it is their envelope after all ...
You are just returning it!!!!
The banks and credit card companies are currently getting a lot of their own junk back in the post, but folks ..... We need to OVERWHELM them, in
order to stop them.
Let's let them know what it's like to get lots of junk mail,
and best of all they're paying for it ... Twice!
Let's help keep Royal Mail busy. Since the Royal Mail are saying that e-mail is cutting into their business profits, let's help them so
they will not need to increase postage costs again. You get the idea!
If enough people follow these tips, it will work ---- maybe you'll get very little junk mail anymore.
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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nib1980
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 12:02 PM |
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No.3 is a genius idea i like it and i'm going to do it!
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flak monkey
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 12:03 PM |
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The best way to avoid telemarketers is to make your phone number ex-directory 
I do the junkmail trick though
Sera
http://www.motosera.com
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stevec
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 12:04 PM |
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So where shall we send this?
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balidey
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 12:07 PM |
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I have been sending back the envelopes for ages.
And you can register with TPS (telephone preference service) to stop all cold callers. I have been for about 2 years no and hardly get any. And on the
odd occasion we do, my wife gives them hell as they can get fined for calling
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ScotJebus
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 12:15 PM |
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lol number 3 sounds a great idea, lol i know what im going to do if i get any!
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novacaine
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 12:18 PM |
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never thought of things that way, love it
so if they have to pay to return envelopes how about filling them with everything you can find, make them heavy and then they have to pay more
now wheres that lead sheeting gone.....
i always try to keep cold callers on the line as long as possible just to wee them off, such as windows salesmen, they call, you get them to go
through EVERYTHING, every possible thhing you can think of then you just say something like, " my cordless phone is running out of battery, do
you mind calling me back in 30 seconds and i will switch to the landline" then when they call back tell them to F*** off and that you arnt
interested. ooo its fun
And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but its sinking, Racing around to come up behind you again, the sun is the same in a relative way but
your older, shorter of breath and one day closer to death
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02GF74
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 12:40 PM |
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I'm afraid the corsetted monkey is wrong.
since a lot of phone numbers are allocated to an area, the calling machines will cycle through the numbers and dial them. Often you get someone
calling you and they have no idea who you are yet try to sell you double glazing.
Ask who they want to speak to and ensure you get a name not somehing like "the hose owner". IF they cannot provide you with that info,
and they won't be able to, simple tell them to F**K OFF!
The 3rd one.
I return all mail addressed to the owner and so on.
I use to get applications for bank loans from my bank (NW). Despite writing letters, returning the letters with notes to the effect I do not want a
loan etc. all fell on deaf ears. Each returned letter had more use of the F-word until the last one had plastered over the envelope and on every
single side of the application in big red marker
"STOP F***ING SENDING ME THIS S**T. IF I WANTED A F****ING LOAN APPLICATION I WOULD ASK YOU FOR ONE".
Funnily enough since that time, not a single piece of marketing info. has been sent by my bank and all other services are as normal.
Unfortunalely whilst this may give us some satisifaction, we pay for it by the bank screwing us with insulting interests rates and charges so we
don't win really.
phew .... rant over.
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gingerprince
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 12:42 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by novacaine
so if they have to pay to return envelopes how about filling them with everything you can find, make them heavy and then they have to pay more
now wheres that lead sheeting gone.....
selotape it to last years yellow pages 
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PeterW
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 12:43 PM |
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Done the 'bits-of-lead-in-the-prepaid-envelope' trick..!! Had all these icckle bits left from building the house and wondered what to do
with them..!!
Bet there were some odd looks in the postroom..!!
Another trick is to stick a white sticker over the prepaid reply mark - they then have to cough up £2 to get their empty envelope back !!
Cheers
Pete
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Fozzie
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 12:47 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by flak monkey
The best way to avoid telemarketers is to make your phone number ex-directory
Errrr no, sadly not in all cases, as a computer just generates a number to call, but yes, it does cut the amount of calls down.
TPS as mentioned above, cuts them down even further to zilch....
Fozzie
'Racing is Life!...anything before or after is just waiting'....Steve McQueen
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smart51
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 12:51 PM |
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the telephone preference service is great. I used to get 2 or 3 phonecalls per evening, ususally just when I was sitting down to eat, selling my
loans and windows. since registering with TPS we hardly get any. We jsut remind them about TPS and they go away.
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flak monkey
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 12:51 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Fozzie
quote:
Originally posted by flak monkey
The best way to avoid telemarketers is to make your phone number ex-directory
Errrr no, sadly not in all cases, as a computer just generates a number to call, but yes, it does cut the amount of calls down.
TPS as mentioned above, cuts them down even further to zilch....
Fozzie
Bloody new technology  We do get some to be honest, but I just hang up on them, dont say a word usually.
Sera
http://www.motosera.com
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millenniumtree
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 01:32 PM |
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Cellphone!
Telemarketers aren't allowed to call cellphones in the states. I no longer have a land line. It's a bit more expensive, but infinitely
more convenient.
That's a great idea with the return envelopes, but hardly any of the stuff we get comes with return envelopes. I'll need to try that with
the credit card applications though. We get a lot of applications, many with with +20% APRs.
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 01:45 PM |
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The best line to give any cold callers is "I don't own this house, I rent - does that make any difference?"
Amazing how fast they lose interest...
If that fails, the "Hold on a minute..." is a good backup!
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Schrodinger
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 01:56 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by flak monkey
The best way to avoid telemarketers is to make your phone number ex-directory
I do the junkmail trick though
Not so I'm ex-directory but they can still buy the numbers from BT and they get them from other ligit places.
Keith
Aviemore
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flak monkey
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 01:59 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Schrodinger
Not so I'm ex-directory but they can still buy the numbers from BT and they get them from other ligit places.
If you are ex-directory BT arent allowed to sell your number or publish it anywhere AFAIK.
Sera
http://www.motosera.com
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donut
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 02:00 PM |
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I either hang up, leave the receiver on the desk or make weid noises to see what they do.
Andy
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andywest1/
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balidey
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 02:08 PM |
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Just thought of another one. Keep a whistle or air horn next to the phone for such calls
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need4speed
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 02:33 PM |
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As well as the TPS there is also MPS I've registered with both. You still get
the stuff delivered by Royal Mail though.
As for calling ex-directory numbers some of the diallers just start at the first number in a range and work through ignoring the number unobtainable
ones.
Dave
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02GF74
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 03:47 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by millenniumtree
That's a great idea with the return envelopes, but hardly any of the stuff we get comes with return envelopes.
don't let that stop you.
write return to sender on the envelope, just like Elvis did.
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James
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 04:38 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by 02GF74
quote:
Originally posted by millenniumtree
That's a great idea with the return envelopes, but hardly any of the stuff we get comes with return envelopes.
don't let that stop you.
write return to sender on the envelope, just like Elvis did.
Don't do that!!!!
I belive that Return to Sender stuff is paid for by the Royal Mail. They spend millions on it.
The RM is in enough financial trouble as it is!
What I would like to know about is the pre-paid stuff. Does is only get charged to the company when it goes 'back' through the postal
system? Or have the senders paid in advance?
If RM only charges them when it goes back through the system then cool, but if it's done in advance it's just costing the RM money to
send it back!
Just a thought!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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James
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| posted on 29/5/07 at 04:40 PM |
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Or, depending on answer to my question above, use the pre-paid envelopes for your own mail.
I did a test once, I changed the address to my own and posted it. The letter came back to me.... paid for by the pre-paid envelope!!!
Cheers,
James
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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ChrisW
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| posted on 30/5/07 at 12:13 PM |
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Best one for telemarketers I've found is to say something like...
"I'm actually a bit busy right now. Perhaps you could give me your home number and I could call you back when I've got more
time?"
{some excuse saying 'no'}
"Is that because you don't want people hassling you at home in the evenings?"
Some of them get it, some of them don't. Always amuses me though. If they just go 'Huh?' you can always move on to the "wait
a moment" trick.
The other good one is those people you see in shopping centres for the 'no win, no fee' type things.
"Have you had an accident at work in the last 12 months?"
{look yourself up and down, then look angry at them}
"What are you trying to say?"
Usually shuts them up quick too 
Chris
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trogdor
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| posted on 30/5/07 at 03:02 PM |
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one of the things about southampton is the amount of people hanging around the city centre trying to get you donate to charity etc.
everytime you walk pass you get hassled, i tend to cycle thro and at least they have learnt not to stand in front of me to try and get me to stop,
doesn't work!
me and a house mate were going to go and start a petition going by stopping people and asking people to sign a petition to stop people hassling you in
the city centre, would of been interesting to see how many peeps got the irony.
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