Is it just me that finds it irritating that someone is giving me a "courtesy" call or email? Surely you don't need to tell someone you are being polite to them. In fact, to do so sounds a little rude. How often is "With all due respect..." followed by a respectful comment, for example? I tend to think that courtesy is self-evident, as is a lack of it.
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Telephone calls
I assume that when anyone whom I don't know calls me and starts with "This is just a courtesy call ...", they are trying to sell me something which I probably don't want - particularly, when they preface it with "Roderick" which they think is being friendly as it is my first name, but obviously not the one I use.
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If its a sales person, I generally say "sorry this is not courtesy at all as you are interrupting my day, courtesy would be not calling at all"
Then again I am a miserable git.
I lost my temper with a mortgage broker last week too for asking inane questions.
How are you today?
It's when they use your first name and go 'how are you today?' all chatty as if you're best mates. Given that it'll have been a miracle that I've answered (well a mistake actually) the best they can hope for is 'fine' and a silence.
I work on the basis that if it's a 'courtesy' call then it won't be anything I'm interested in and I can get rid of them pronto. Otherwise I get suckered into being polite and then not being able to get a word in edgeways to get shot of them.
Cold calling
I remember getting a visit from a salesman on a cold call. I fancied a bit of sport so I agreed to see him but said "I don't buy anything as a result of a cold call".
So he went into his full sales pitch to which I just responded with smiles, nods and the odd "yes". After about half an hour he concluded and asked if he could sign me up. At that point I reminded him "I don't buy anything as a result of a cold call".
He was a bit cross and said some unkind and wholely inappropriate things. I never saw him or his firm again!
Most of them are liars
Quite a few phone calls ask for my husband by first name, who is a director of my company just in case of emergencies (or my death due to frustration with sales calls) but he has no involvement with the practice at all.
I have lost count of the calls where they say they spoke to him last week/last month or whenever ... and he agreed to 'whatever'!
I tell them they are lying scumbags and slam the phone down. Is there any wonder sales people have such a bad reputation when they demonstrate their total dishonesty so blatantly?
I just tell them....
that they have dialled into a premium rate number (although they haven't) and that they will be charged £1.00 per minute for their call.
95% of the time they say "oh, I'm sorry" and hang up.
Who is calling please?
Can I speak to Mr Urhan?Who is calling please?Are you Mr Urhan?Who is calling please?I need to speak to Mr Urhan about (some nonsense)Who is calling please?
Repeat until they say who they are calling from. Unless it is someone I actually have agreed to have call me, I tell them I do not take cold calls and they are to remove me from their lists, then hang up.
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I also quite enjoy the "I don't have one" game.
So if they phone up about (say) Insurance, you say "but I am not insured"
if they phone up about software "we just type it all up on manual typewriter"
Etc etc
Of course if they phone up about telecoms you have to keep a straight face and say "we don't have any telephones".
All good fun.
Public callbox
Try saying that you've just picked up the phone in a callbox you were walking past.
Charity callers
calling to try to get me to up my monthly. Grrrrr! Twice now from Macmillan. Both times 'hail fellow well met' then the nitty gritty.
"It's great work but we always need more. Could you increase it to £10/mth?"
"No sorry. You're not the only charity & I only have so much money"
"How about £7.50/mth?"
"No sorry."
"...an extra £1/mth?"
"look this is getting silly. No sorry. "
"A one off donation?"
"Once again ... No. sorry. and I'm afraid my supper's going cold and you're really not doing the charity any favours"
"OK the. I'm calling from ****" - so not the charity but a cold caller firm
Ah well I suppose they've got to try but it REALLY does the actual charity no favours.
And then there's the Windoze Support scammers. Current record for keeping them on the line on a wet Saturday when I was bored & wanted to 'play' 25 minutes. Plus the cheeky s0ds manager rang me back after I got bored & put the phone down on them after a couple of well chosen words re their possible parentage
Step 1: "Sorry you have come
Step 1: "Sorry you have come through to the wrong person, let me transfer you".
Step 2: Put the phone on hold and then pick it back a.
Step 3: Repeat process
Do not change your voice. Do not get into any debates about it you being the same person (say your from a small village and all sound the same?).