Has anyone ever bought something from a telemarketer?

[grinningghost]

I always tell them I'm not interested, or sometimes I tell them they have the wrong number, but I've never bought anything from a telemarketer. Have you? Has ANYONE?

 

[barbeml]

Never. A very high percentage are scams. Sometimes I tell them to send something in writing, and they never do. What does that tell you?

I know some are legitimate offers from people just trying to earn a living, so I try to be polite. But some call every single night no matter how many times I say "No" and "Take me off the list" (AT&T is the WORST offender), and I just hang up.

 

[olena]

Never have and I NEVER, EVER will. Apparently plenty of people do patronize these annoying salespeople. Otherwise, they wouldn't call. I'm on the state No-call list and I have Privacy director. I even did the opt out thing to reduce junk mail. Some calls still get through, but I can only imagine how much worse it would be if we had neither of those things. I'm looking forward to putting my name on the Federal No-call list when it comes out.

 

[browneyes]

Nope, never have.

 

[jfulcer]

In my 'make money any way I can' phase around college, I took a job at a telemarketer soliticing donations for different non-profit organizations.

I was susrprised at how many people DID actually make a donation. Of course, 95% of the people said "no thanks", but that still didn't deter the organization...

I eventually quit that job as I couldn't stand trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip.

 

[Lynn CC]

I bought some Miracle Knives at Christmastime, then a few months later a man called me back to see if I wanted a free cutting board, set of steak knives and knife holder if I would purchase 2 more sets of knives. I said sure because I was going to order them anyways for gifts, I just hadn't gotten around to it.
He already had my credit card info in his computer so I didn't have to give it out over the phone. Otherwise I would'nt have made the purchase because you never know who's on the other end.
Does that qualify me for a yes answer to buying something from a telemarketer?

 

[FOJMO]

No. Heck, I don't even answer the phone if the caller ID shows a number I don't know.

I figure if it's someone legit, they'll leave a message...

 

[dandave]

I was a telemarketer in college too- for about 3 hours. The company was selling aluminum siding. They gave me a list of people to call. Some people just hung up on me, but some were almost in tears. They seemed to be mostly senior citizens, and they would plead for this company to please stop calling them.
My take on it was that they were being called over and over again. I would apologize, but I felt so crummy. At lunch time, I walked out and never went back.

 

[Mishetta]

Ahh....if only ALL telemarketers were like dandave!

It never fails that as soon as I put the baby down for a nap, that stupid phone rings! I HATE telmarketers! I wouldn't buy something from them if they were selling me a car for $1! I don't want them to bother me! If I want to buy something, I will go looking for it. On Wednesday, I got 7 ~ count them SEVEN telemarketing calls! I wanted to hurt someone that day!

Ok....ahhh....feel better now.....thanks for letting me get that out of my system!

 

[CamColt]

Not even when it was one of my best friends trying to get us to change oil companies(our name happened to be on her list). At least I answered the phone for her, but usually, they dont even get a hello.

 

[TiggerPiglet]

No, never. It's hard to believe that people do buy stuff from telemarketers, but I guess they do since they're always calling. I used to get so many calls, that I finally got caller ID and it has helped a bit. I don't get as many calls and I know if it says "out of area" it's a telemarketer and I don't answer.

 

[grinningghost]

We're on the "Do not call" list for New York, but it doesn't seem to weed out all of them. We still get about 5 a week. I don't know how many times I've told Sprint I don't want their long distance service and to take me off their list - it's really frustrating. I always know it's them when they ask for one of us and totally butcher our last name. And it's really quite easy to pronounce.

 

[BrerMom]

"never have, never will"

I've learned that if I'm home for a sick day for me or one of the kids, I have to turn the ringer off on the phone before nap-time.

 

[Robin]

No... Never have and never will.

But I must admit that I am often tempted to buy things off Infomercials... I really have the urge to Turbo Cook something. I had a perfect pancake maker but I broke it

 

[eeyoreforever]

No way! Usually I just hang up on them, but occasionally I try to be polite and say I'm not interested and take my name off your calling list. What really irritates me is when you have to tell them 2 or 3 times and then they hang up on you. What I really hate though is the computer calls where you answer and there is no one there, or the ones that have a recorded message on their end. Who wants to listen to their whole message and then get a phone number to call to tell them not to call you anymore? Not me! I wish they would outlaw all telemarketing calls.

 

[gumdrop]

No...I always hang up before they can really start talking.

 

[Disney Ella]

I just wonder what percentage of the people who buy from telemarketers are elderly. Before my grandmother, who has Alzheimer's, moved to a nursing home, she bought all sorts of things she didn't need.

 

[cinmell]

Nope!