Have you ever said or done something funny to a telemarketer?

[mayfly]

We got a call from a telemarketer about some "wonder additive" that must be added to septic tanks. My husband answered the call, and for the next ten minutes this lady did her best to convince him of the amazing abilities of this septic additive. She was adamant that we would be AMAZED at how it could keep a septic tank clean. My husband played along, acting amazed, then he asked her if it would eat away the oil he dumped down the drain (not true-lol). She thought it might just do that, so he said since it was so good he was going to add it to the cat box. LOL she then tried to convince him that would not be a good idea, while he used all of her examples back at her as to why it would. The poor lady didn't know what to do! LOL

I have never done anything like that, I just don't have the patience to talk to them, plus I can't keep the straight face it takes.

[crazytimes]

I rarely answer the home phone anymore -- I figure if it's important, they'll leave a message. I do pick it up occasionally and if it is a telemarketer, I usually hear them out for a bit then say that I'm either not interested or if I am interested to place call back in a few weeks. I have to upsell and suggestive sell at work and I know it annoys some people, but we're really supposed to do it, so I try and be nice.

Last night Columbia House called me which confused me -- I'm already a member of Columbia House DVD Club and it sounded like she wanted me to join ANOTHER DVD Club? I was confused and told her that I am broke and to call back in a few weeks .

Oh you would love the things I say to those people. Usually, I ask them to repeat everything. One time DH asked them what they were wearing. Last year I told them that I would like to buy what they were selling but a certain candidate running for office was against telemarketing and that on that basis I couldn't. I usually am too tired to answer the phone by the time I get off work. If it says unknown caller, I just ignore it. I am on the do not call list, but still get them from time to time.

[YorkieLover]

A friend of ours, at his work, once got a telemarketer call when we were there. We heard him say, "Do you want to hear something really funny?" ... and then he hung up. We were kind of shocked, since we don't treat people like that on the phone ... but then laughed about it because it worked so well for him. A few months later, we got a telemarketer call at home, and DH, being in a funky mood, did the same thing ... "Do you want to hear something really funny?" ... and then he hung up the phone. Well ... I guess it really miffed the telemarketer ... because he kept calling back and hanging up on us!!! He did that probably 20 times, and we were thinking we had a real looney on our hands. The CID always said 'out of area' ... but we had to keep answering the phone because of work. So, I guess he got us back.

We are on the DNC list, too, but sometimes we still get solicitation calls. If I answer, I always make sure to ask for the person's name and company, and make sure they know I'm writing it down, and then I tell them that we are on the Do Not Call list, and to please not call back again, and if they do, I've got their name and company name to report to the FCC. That always stops them from calling back. I try to be very nice about it because I know they are just doing their job ... but it's so irritating, especially since the calls always seem to come when I'm making dinner. Argh!!! Sometimes we get recorded messages for septic tank additives or carpet cleaning or whatever, and I hate those because you can't tell them to quit it ... you can only hang up ... but in the meantime, it has interrupted what you were doing.

I guess I'm not quirky enough to 'play along with them'. I wish I were, though! This thread will be interesting to watch.

Only minutes after I replied to this post I got a call from a telemarketer at the museum where I am the curator. I was conducting a large tour. It is pretty bad when a telemarketer calls a museum. LOL

[bestmidwest]

Originally Posted by mbclark1

Only minutes after I replied to this post I got a call from a telemarketer at the museum where I am the curator. I was conducting a large tour. It is pretty bad when a telemarketer calls a museum. LOL

I got a call on my CELL PHONE when I was in Las Vegas. I am standing in the middle of a casino and this guy is going on about some kind of investment. I said #1, you're on my cell phone costing me money, #2 I'm in Las Vegas in a casino, and #3 I'm not interested. Then he had the nerve to say something like...well, maybe I should talk to your husband about this opportunity. I nearly went through the phone to wring his scrawny neck!!

[sheriera]

My b/f pretended that we were a family of psychopaths that had people locked up and we were torturing them, then he started coming on to the poor woman in a very explicit way. They never called back though.

[juliet57]

Yes, I did but I stole the idea from Jerry Seinfeld. I told the telemarketer I couldn't talk right then but if they would give me their home number I would call them back later.

[Debbie42]

After I had my back surgery I was home by myself and I was so bored. They called trying to sell me siding for my house. I started asking the guy all kinds of questions. Then I told him my house is brick he said that was ok they could put it on the areas that are not brick like above the door and at the roof overhang. I just went on and on with this guy after about 20 minutes I don't know if he caught on to my game or what but we got disconnected.

[Here2Earn]

Heavens yes, I have had round after round with telemarketers in years gone by. I had one company that called at the most obnoxious times. I got where I'd say hello and lay the phone down or put it under a pillow. I have laid the phone in front of a blaring radio. I have screamed bloody murder. I have cried and sobbed and had all sorts of psycho problems that I wanted them to listen to. Anything/anytime I had time to mess with them I did. Since we went cell only and don't give our numbers out freely any more, we rarely get a call.

[mayfly]

lol @ the psycho problems!!! What did they do?

[Jaxxie]

My GF has a little girl who loves to chat. She loveeeeeees to talk on the phone. GF lets this little one answer the phone from the dinner hour on. ROFL. She has heard her say things "NO it is Chrissy's time to talk", "Want to hear my new song", "look at me dance" and if they don't abide by her rules she hangs up on them. Friends and family know to ask a certain way if they need to talk to the parents. But most of avoid calling at the dinner hour.

[Debbie42]

Originally Posted by Jaxxie

My GF has a little girl who loves to chat. She loveeeeeees to talk on the phone. GF lets this little one answer the phone from the dinner hour on. ROFL. She has heard her say things "NO it is Chrissy's time to talk", "Want to hear my new song", "look at me dance" and if they don't abide by her rules she hangs up on them. Friends and family know to ask a certain way if they need to talk to the parents. But most of avoid calling at the dinner hour.

OH that is priceless I love it.

[rk24]

a guy called me one night trying to get me to work from home with a website that they build for you and you get people to it to click on links like ebay, overstock.com, etc and they pay you like 10 cents each time. i told him that that sounded great but if he was trying to get money out of me he was wasting both of our time. he said well you don't believe in spending money to make money? i said no i haven't worked in six months and need a job and that i wasn't going to pay him to go to work for him and he hung up on me. usually if you tell tham you don't work and don't know how you can pay them back they won't call again.

[Here2Earn]

Originally Posted by mayfly

lol @ the psycho problems!!! What did they do?

Usually there was a brief silence and then I would lament about the plots on soap operas making them MY friends, relatives talking about how they wouldn't ever come and visit me, would only stay in their "own little world" never leaving Channel 4 or whatever the channel was. They'd start to stutter things like "I need to go now ma'am" and such. I'd just keep asking them questions until they hung up. What fun! LOL LOL