Swearing at a Phone Solicitor

[jdb in AZ]

Do you ever swear at a phone solicitor? Yes, we're on the Do Not Call Registry, but that's a joke -- telemarketers just keep on calling.

DH's bro gets a fiendish delight in telling them to "get cancer and die" or other cheerful(?) comebacks. He brags when he makes a telemarketer cry. DH just swears at them and hangs up. I check Caller I.D. and if it's a name/number I don't recognize, I don't bother to answer.

What do you do?

 

[RamblingMad]

I don't pick up numbers I don't know. If it's important, they'll leave a message or text me.

 

[prairie_girl]

No, and it says a LOT about people who do. They are just trying to earn a living with the skills and life situation they have.

 

[Meglen]

My phone has an option to screen calls. So any number I don't know I screen. And usally they hangup.

 

[Kittyblue]

I get they are just trying to do their job, but once I realize it's a telemarketer I just hang up. I used to try to decline politely but they wouldn't let up, and I don't want to waste my time engaging with them.

 

[GBRforWDW]

I ignore any number not saved in my contact list.

I get that the calls are annoying and you sign up for the DNC, but I'm pretty sure the person calling doesn't know and they're a low wage employee trying to earn a paycheck. Maybe down on their luck and it's the best they can do to build up work experience, so I'd steer clear of being obnoxious to them off the bat. If they're rude or persistent, maybe, but not right away. I know it's your family and not you doing this, but just imagine it was you or your family member working that job. Is that how you'd want to be treated?

Heck, the phone numbers probably get put on a list to call more often because 1. The phone is answered and 2. It annoys the receiver so much. So maybe they're getting revenge after all...

 

[iheartglaciers]

I usually don't pick up if it's a number I don't recognize, but when I do, I just hang up. I figure this is wastes the least possible amount of time for everyone (if they're a telemarketer, time is money for them too).

But I don't think saying anything rude is productive. They're just doing their job and may not have had much choice in their occupation.

 

[Pooh2]

My husband working from home this year puts us in a situation that we need to answer the phone due to his customers being all over the country with various area codes.
So I answer politely..

My dad was dying last November and I got a political pollster at 10 pm.
I picked up thinking it was "the call" to get to the hospital.
I scolded the women for calling so late and told her I was waiting for a call from the hospital.
She was very apologetic.
It was a good reminder that sometimes there are real people on the other end of the line just trying to make a living.

Most of our daily scam calls are robo calls.
If someone does not answer right away, I hang up immediately.
I have accidentally hung up on my husband;s customers if they did not speak up quickly enough!

Swearing at the solicitor does not seem like it would be helpful!

 

[Praying Colonel]

If I lose my temper or lower myself to their level, they win. I just don't pick up, or hang up as soon as I realize it's one of those calls.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

The person on the other end of the phone most of the time doesn't have a say as to who to call. Somebody else in the company gets a list from somewhere and put it in their computer. The computer dials a number and the poor telemarketer just reads a script.

Sure, it's not the most morally justified of jobs, but it's not the person on the other end of the phone who decided to bug you personally.

Also, don't answer phone calls from people you don't know. Let that go to voicemail, listen to the message. Problem solved.

 

[J'aime Paris]

Do you ever swear at a phone solicitor? Yes, we're on the Do Not Call Registry, but that's a joke -- telemarketers just keep on calling.

DH's bro gets a fiendish delight in telling them to "get cancer and die" or other cheerful(?) comebacks. He brags when he makes a telemarketer cry. DH just swears at them and hangs up. I check Caller I.D. and if it's a name/number I don't recognize, I don't bother to answer.

What do you do?

Very childish, unnecessary and obnoxious behavior on your DH and his brothers part.....borderline abusive to a complete stranger.


Why be a jerk to a person trying to make a living?? They can choose to ignore the call or simply hang up when realizing its a telemarketer.

 

[GreatLakes]

If I accidentally answer a solicitor I just hang up. I despise these people, both the caller and the company that employs them, but it is what it is.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

If it's a salesperson, I just say "no thank you" and hang up. If it's an obvious scammer, I have been know to play along a little and waste their time. I once picked up my mom's phone and the guy said he was with Medicare. He called me by my mom's name and said my Medicare benefits would be cut off if I did not give him my SSN so he could confirm it. I asked him for the exact department he was calling from, why he needed the number, etc. He got flustered and became slightly abusive. Then I asked for his number so I could confirm that he was calling from Medicare. He said he was going to cut off my benefits and called me a few choice names. It escalated quickly on his part when all I did was ask a few simple questions. I stayed calm the whole time and kept asking valid questions. He finally hung up on me. I guess I thwarted his little scam and he didn't like it.

 

[Jennasis]

I'm never mean. They are just trying to do their job. I do hang up on them with a curt "no thanks you, put us on your do not call list"...CLICK.

 

[mjkacmom]

I rarely pick up, but if I do, I say thanks but I’m not interested and hang up.

 

[msjprincess]

Do you ever swear at a phone solicitor? Yes, we're on the Do Not Call Registry, but that's a joke -- telemarketers just keep on calling.

DH's bro gets a fiendish delight in telling them to "get cancer and die" or other cheerful(?) comebacks. He brags when he makes a telemarketer cry. DH just swears at them and hangs up. I check Caller I.D. and if it's a name/number I don't recognize, I don't bother to answer.

What do you do?

How delightful.

 

[China Expat]

I get it and the annoyance, but that seems a bit harsh.

 

[MrsPete]

DH's bro gets a fiendish delight in telling them to "get cancer and die"

Lovely.

Very childish, unnecessary and obnoxious behavior on your DH and his brothers part.....borderline abusive to a complete stranger.


Why be a jerk to a person trying to make a living?? They can choose to ignore the call or simply hang up when realizing its a telemarketer.

Take away the word "borderline" in the first paragraph, and I'll agree. It's wrong to treat another person this way.

 

[ford91exploder]

If it's a salesperson, I just say "no thank you" and hang up. If it's an obvious scammer, I have been know to play along a little and waste their time. I once picked up my mom's phone and the guy said he was with Medicare. He called me by my mom's name and said my Medicare benefits would be cut off if I did not give him my SSN so he could confirm it. I asked him for the exact department he was calling from, why he needed the number, etc. He got flustered and became slightly abusive. Then I asked for his number so I could confirm that he was calling from Medicare. He said he was going to cut off my benefits and called me a few choice names. It escalated quickly on his part when all I did was ask a few simple questions. I stayed calm the whole time and kept asking valid questions. He finally hung up on me. I guess I thwarted his little scam and he didn't like it.

Telemarketing is a cancer upon humanity way way too many of them are trying to commit fraud and it's especially true with the medicare medicaid scams like the one you describe which will force an elderly person to give up their financial details so the fraudster can clean out their accounts. Anyone involved with a business like that IS a criminal

 

[kymom99]

The robocalls irritate me. However, my son worked for a research company when he was 16. They did surveys over the phone for grocery stores. He got cussed at sometimes but as others have said, he was just trying to earn some money. Try to give some grace, that’s all I can say.