Telephone Surveys

I was woken from my nap this afternoon by the telephone ringing. It was some girl from some survey company.

She caught me while I was half asleep and managed to get me answering questions. I asked her how long it was going to be, she said not long. I figured fine, it's almost time for me to get up anyway, so I'll spend 10 minutes answering questions.

The survey had to do with News Stations. I'm answering question after question and she keeps on asking more.

My bladder is starting to become uncomfortable, Chynna is now on the bed licking my nose, my CPAP machine mask is blowing air in my ear and I wanted to get out of bed and pee!!

Finally after 15 minutes with what seemed like no end in sight, I asked her how much longer. She said not much longer. I asked her how many questions. She hesitated and said not many more. I asked again. She said that we were at question 56 and there were 138 questions.

I told her that I wished she had told me that right up front because I wouldn't have wasted her time or mine and that I was sorry but I wasn't going to continue with the survey. She said she would call me back another time and finish. I told her no, that it was just too long and time consuming and that they should be mailing stuff like that out instead of trapping people on the phone for an hour.

Also, at one point I asked her for the choices to a question again and she rattled them off and this time indicated "don't know" as being one of the choices. She never gave me that choice before, only a list of 3 News Stations (Global, CTV, CBC or Other), so whether I wanted to or not I had to pick one of those even when I had no clue and would have picked "Don't know" for most of what I had answered.

Gosh I hate phone calls like that. I usually try to be polite and decline to answer but sometimes the people will not take no for a answer and then I just hang up.

If you do *69 afterwards for the phone number, then do a search more often then not you will find that you are not the only one being bothered by these people. You usually find a whole message board of people with similar stories.

I have found out however that if you get there phone number, then call back, most have the option of removing yourself from the calling list. I have done this several times in the past year and now I very rarely get these phone calls anymore.

I haven't had one of those calls in years. When they used to ask for someone over a certain age, I would just say there was nobody here over that age.

I used to like the ones they would do in like the mall because they would give you money for it.

I like it, when they ask for the "male head of the household". I tell them that he doesn't speak English (Opie only speaks Catese).

LOL... hate them! I'll pick up the phone and hang it up just to get it to stop ringing!

Ahhhh.... the joys of having no homephone and only haveing a cellphone familyplan I have had no Telemarketing calls in YEARS. OK, in the 2.5 years or so we've been a cellphone only household.

I always tell them I am on my way out the door..then when they ask if there is a better time to call , I say "NO".

Try this...next time someone calls while your sleeping or eating, tell them that this is a really bad time for you, but if they want to give you their home number, you'll be more than happy to call them back when it is the most inconvienient for them! They will usually huff, then hang up!

Several years ago I got a call for "Mrs <my last name>". Well, I'm a "Miss" and to me "Mrs" was my mom.

I knew it must be a telemarketer, and I don't know why, but when they asked for "Mrs", I blurted out "I'm sorry, she's dead" This was like 12 years or so after she had died, so I don't know what caused me to say that.

But wow! Talk about making the person on the other end of the phone uncomfortable. They stammered and stuttered and apologized and hung up, LOL

So now when I'm awake and I know it's a telemarketer and they ask for the man or lady of the house, or me by my last name, I just tell them "I'm sorry she's dead" and they hang up pretty quickly

i just hang up on them.
I dont even say hi, bye nothing,

Originally Posted by theimp98

i just hang up on them.
I dont even say hi, bye nothing,

Click to expand...

That is so rude though. They are simply working to pay their bills just like anyone.

Back when I was in high school I used to telephone solicite for a vacuum cleaner company booking appointments for the sales guys. The pay is terrible and the work is not that easy because many people dislike telephone solictors and are really rude to them.

I know how some people treated me when I did that job, and I won't treat others in that same way. But at the same time I don't really like being stung along and told "not long" when the thing is 138 questions and will take an hour to do.

God it's so annoying when they bend the truth and don't take no for an answer!!!

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

That is so rude though. They are simply working to pay their bills just like anyone.

Click to expand...

hmm maybe. But really the phone is there for me, and my friends, and people i do business with.Since i pay for the phone. I dont feel the same rules apply. After all if they came to my door there is a huge chance, i would not even open it.


lol but that is just me.

Tell them that you work for the government / TV station / Media or another opinion research company when they call, they can't speak to you and will take your name off their lists.

Originally Posted by theimp98

i just hang up on them.
I dont even say hi, bye nothing,

Click to expand...

Me too, we have them blocked but occasionally one gets through.

I usually hang up too when I pick up without thinking. Usually I won't pick up if I do not recognize the number.

Anyhoo, even though it's not specifically a telemarketer, my coworker sent me this:
> Tips for Handling Telemarketers
>
> Three Little Words That Work !!
> (1)The three little words are: '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 the phone company's 'beep-beep-beep' tone, you
> know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has
> efficiently completed its task. These three little words will 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 used to determine the best time of day for a 'real' sales
> person 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 dialed 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) Junk Mail Help: When you get 'ads' enclosed with your phone! or utility
> bill, return these 'ads' with your payment. Let the sending companies
> throw their own junk mail away. 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-paid return envelopes, right? It costs them more than
> the regular 37 cents postage 'IF' and when they receive them back. It costs
> them nothing if you throw them away! The postage was around 50
> cents before the last increase and it is according to the weight. In that
> case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in these
> cool little, postage-paid return envelopes.