Am I being too grumpy?

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Chris
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Just had a phone call on home number 14:30 on a Friday

Lad on the phone says he's from BT and to make sure I am on the best package, would I like to run through what I currently have and see if we can improve it. OK I said, slightly cautious. After a pretty poor spoof TalkTalk call 4-6 weeks ago, my suspicion levels are running quite high.

Then he asks, for security, can I confirm the last 4 digits of my phone number. I point out he's just rung it. He restates it's just for security and I think, the number can be displayed straight in front of him, so I am not giving much away, so I tell him the last 4 digits. Then he asks for my postcode. At which point I flatly refused to give out any personal info to someone calling me, purporting to be from BT (but who knows at this stage) and wanting to sell to me. He restated again its for data protection and security, to prove who I am. I pointed out he rang me at home on a work day - why do I have to prove I am me - does he think he rang the wrong number, or that I am the cleaner pretending to be me? So he said instead if I wanted to I could look at all their packages and deals online. I refused to give my postcode again, and said I wouldn't be wasting my time looking up their offers and deals, saying if they want to sell to me, they have to put the effort in, not ask me for personal info and then directing me to look at their website. We knocked the call on the head pretty quickly after that.

My question is, I guess, am I too grumpy (part way to Victor Meldrew) or would most of you react in a similar way to me...?
 
You lasted longer than I would have. I answer the calls and if I hear a delay in them talking then it's obviously sales and I put the phone down.

The other day I went a step further though - the guy on the other end wanted to make sure I had the best BT deal and to keep it that way I would need to take out a further 12 month contract - I then put the phone down.

Putting the phone immediately is the best - it lets them call someone else who may be interested rather than wasting their time with me.

I'm also grumpy btw.
 
I'd have hung up before you did Tbh.
 
You can never be too grumpy with unsolicited phone calls.
To my dying day I will regret the switch to automatic messages on spam calls I used to enjoy winding/arguing with the idiots who rang me. I particularly liked the calls that advised I had won a major prize and all I had to do was phone a premium rate number to claim it.

I also get grumpy when my bank/credit card people ring me and ask me to give ID to them even thought they never give ID to me. I get world class grumpy to those folk.
 
No not too grumpy at all ... thanks to Truecall he wouldn't even have got that far with me :)
 
Ive had a similar call to this a short while ago. I also went along with it until they asked me to confirm my name, postcode and phone number. At that point I just said that if they didnt know who it was they were calling then im not interested, and just hung up.

Gives me rage, these type of calls.
 
We've resorted to using caller display and an answerphone. If we don't recognise the number we let it ring and see if they leave a message. They usually don't.
It goes without saying that International/Witheld/Unavailable numbers are never answered.
 
Got one myself last week and flatly refused to give any details. I was told that I would have to prove who I was!
I said first you prove to me who you are, we are not allowed he said.
Right then I want a refund I said, what for he said, I am paying you to stop this type of call I said, he hung up.
 
wontolla said:
I was told that I would have to prove who I was!
Click to expand...
I never understand why the person who does the calling never gives their ID yet demand it from those they have called.

I once twisted what must have been a complete novice round my little finger. I finished up with his home phone number and works pass number. Took me about an hour!!!
 
gramps said:
No not too grumpy at all ... thanks to Truecall he wouldn't even have got that far with me :)
Click to expand...


Got that on the home phone, if someone's number isn't on the accept list they have to give their name in order for me to get asked if I want to take the call ;)
Good isn't it (y)
Wish I could get the same on the mobile last one I got like that was supposedly from my bank about loans etc, which I didn't want anyway,
I said I would ask the security questions and talk to them if they knew the answers, got told it didn't work like that and I could get the number online and ring them back.
Never going to happen, so I got told I was just wasting her time, hope they recorded that call for training purposes.
Another chap told me he got into trouble if the call didn't last at least 10 mins, told him to enjoy talking to himself I'd just leave the phone on the table and
turn the music up
 
Assuming I'm not in a rush I will try to keep them talking for as long as I possibly can but without providing any personal information.

The way I see it, the longer I keep them on the phone, the less time they have to mislead some older or less aware people. Apart from that it can be quite good fun if you pretend to be deaf or clueless. :banana:
 
I had my Bank write to me at my home address asking me for photo ID and proof of address....
 
I went through a phase of stringing them along as long as I could. Last one I had phoned to say that there was a problem with windows on my laptop and he could sort it out if I was to give him remote access and some money. So I played along for a while assuming the role of a simple techophobe, happy to get all the help I could. When it got to the point of giving him anything useful I said:

"You'd think I'd know how to do this what with being Professor of Computing at Surrey University."

I don't even know if that role exists and even if it does I'm no professor. Needless to say it was him that slammed the phone down. Ahhh, what fun........
 
You have absolutely no obligation to talk to a cold caller or any one else.

When ever I realise I have one on the line I just hang up.
 
International calls get answered in Greek since it's only calls from there that we'd want to speak to (and we don't want to miss calls from there, hence answering them at all!) Withheld numbers get answered with a grumpy "What?" - quite a few places have internal exchanges and they report as withheld (including our doctors and Mrs Nod's business's landlord). Until I'm sure who I'm speaking to, I never use the "Yes" word in case they fiddle with recordings. My hats are made by Alcoa but I've yet to be hacked or landed with something I don't want!
 
My home phone is broken.
It no longer rings, and the answerphone doesn't kick in...tragic :lol:
Still works to call out though :-)
Years ago it would have been replaced quick smart but now?...just can't seem to get enthused about it.

And I never give my mobile number to corporations businesses or utilities etc.

If they need me, they can write. :-)

Funnily enough I get very few nuisance calls!
 
Home is okay (mobiles and no lnadline), but always getting them at work.

They get more and more cocky too "I was just speaking to Mr x and got cut off, can you put me back through?" Err really he sits 2m from me and we've been having a conversation for 10 mins.

Or the buggers that send out email calendar invites so they go in the calendar (until you notice and decline) and then call claiming to have booked in a call.
 
Or resellers claiming to be from a big name like HP or Dell. If you really were from those company's you'd know exactly what kit we have on site and what contracts are in place already..
 
i used to own a tele-sales marketing company ,so possibly better equipped than some to deal with this my standard answer goes along these lines ,

(them) hallo is that mr xyz or householder ," my guard is immediately up"

(me) say nothing let them start on there spiel give them 20 to 30 seconds then reply like this

this is inspector brown of north wales police (or wherever you live) i'm conducting a murder inquiry how well did you know the deceased .

funnily enough at this point i always hear the other phone click down ,never ever fails :naughty: :naughty::naughty: :muted: :schtum:
 
Peter B said:
You'll never regret spending the money on one of these: http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/mobi...bt8500-review-the-best-call-blocker-phone-yet
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree. Best thing we ever bought. Haven't had 1 spam caller since we got it. :cool:

There was a guy on tv recently, who has taken a few of these telemarketing companies to court.
After telling them not to ring him again & if they ever did he'd charge them £xx pounds per minute for his time etc.

I think he said he'd been awarded in court, something like £2k, twice & a few hundred £'s a couple of times.
 
LowIQ said:
Then he asks, for security, can I confirm the last 4 digits of my phone number.
Click to expand...

That would have been the point I used some "Anglo Saxon" terminology on him and then put the phone down.
Then again, I am very grumpy at the moment.
 
its o.k winding them up if you have time to waste ,i was at the late mother in laws a few years ago when some prick who had been pestering her re double glazing rang i kept him on the phone for a hour or more ,convinced him i was the mayor of chester and ordered 675 new double glazed windows for all the tower blocks in chester ,he must have put the phone down rubbing his hands in glee working out the commission ,wish i had been at the council offices on the monday when he popped in for his appointment
 
I very rarely get spam calls, but I wouldn't have even given him the last four digits of my phone number.

No way I'm going to prove who I am to anybody that's called me. If they can't talk to you without proof, it can't be urgent.
 
I was visiting my parents a few years ago and happened to answer the phone while waiting for them to come home..

Me - hello?
Caller - Hello is that Mr G?
Me - well, one of them.
Caller - are you the home owner?
Me - no I'm afraid he's not home right now.
Caller - OK could you let him know his bank called.
Me - which one, I believe he banks with a couple.
Caller - I can't tell you.
Me - um okay, are you from x or y bank?
Caller - I can't tell you. For security reasons.
Me - so you'd like me to tell them that one of his banks called but let him guess one?
Caller - ...
Me - okay thanks, bye
*click*
 
Being grumpy is bad!
If someone calls you, they intrude on your private space and so have to accept your terms. You don't need to be polite. But if, after the call, you feel grumpy, it's 'you' who loses out.

Either hang up, string them along or do whatever amuses you. So that afterwards you either get a good feeling about it. Or at worst you "don't" get a bad, angry, grumpy feeling.

This week an Indian sounding voice called. "I am from the technical support at Windows". He oddly never mentioned Microsoft. And we don't have Windows. Purely Linux at home.
I started off grumpy and told him he was lying:
Him: but you lie all the time.
Me: I burst out laughing.
Him: why are you laughing?
Me: because you rang me up to tell me I lie all the time.
Him: I'm glad I made you laugh.
Me: Yes. You're funny. Click.

I went off to work with a smile on my stupid face.
 
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There was a chap on dispatches that tells them not to call again or put him on the do not call list. When thy do he reports them and has had 4 having to give him several thousand quid compensation! They're in breach of some electronic communications act or other.

Just noticed someone else mentioned him above and with a lot more useful detail :)
 
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How come you guys actually get to speak to the spammers? If we inadvertently answer the phone we get an automatic - usually American sounding - "Hi". That ends the conversation. Those who leave messages on answerphone are always pre recorded.
I'm getting misty eyed about the times when I could speak to a person.
 
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I now respond to these type of canvassing calls by barking like a dog.
 
There's a good restaurant near here called The Barking Frog. Can you do that?
 
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