hanging up.
i'm a receptionist. i answer the phone. we get a lot of sales calls here. a lot. people wanting to know if my windshield is cracked. or someone wants to offer me a fantastic deal on satellite television or carpet. most of the time, i'm convinced they do not hear me say the church's name in my greeting. because after their little pitch, i say to them, 'this is actually a church' and they almost always apologize and bid me a good day. the only exception has actually been the windshield people (who call about once or twice a month) who let me go when i tell them that my windshield is in fine condition.i just got a call from someone who didn't care that i worked in a church or that i was not interested in subscribing to the star tribune. in fact, she was quite convinced that she could persuade me to realize that my life was lacking without the paper. here is the conversation (shortened for time's sake) for your enjoyment.
persistant sales lady: this is ___ and i'm calling for the star tribune. i'd like to offer you the daily paper for only $2.70 a week for 13 weeks. what is your name?
me: this is actually a church.
psl: yes, i know. we are calling local businesses (on a side note, i really dislike when sales people call my church a business) and offering their employees a special deal on the daily paper. you would pay only $2.70 a week for 13 weeks. what is the address where you live?
me: i'm sorry, but i'm not interested.
psycho psl: ma'am, where do you get your information? in what form do you receive your news?
me: when i have time, i watch the news.
ppsl: newscasts only provide you with the basic news. with the daily paper, you would receive in-depth coverage of your local, national and international news as well as.... (she goes on for a bit and i was trying to interupt her, so i'm not sure of all she said here) what is your name?
me: unless it's free, i'm not interested.
ppsl: if money is an issue, i can offer you the sunday paper for only one dollar a week. what is your name and address where you live so we can get you started?
me: i'm not giving you my information. i'm not interested.
ppsl: (here, she reiterrated some of the stuff she'd already said, insisting that i needed to subscribe)
me: ma'am. i am working. i'm a receptionist, i don't have time to talk to you, i need to be answering the phone.
ppsl: yes, i don't want to take a lot of your time, but with the sunday paper, you would receive... (again, not sure of all she said as i was trying to interrupt.)
me: i'm sorry but i'm not interested.
ppsl: how.... hello?
realizing that she thought i'd hung up, i did. i took my out and ran with it. i've never before hung up on a telemarketer. i've never had one be so persistent. i'm pretty sure i couldn't have done it if she hadn't thought i already had, but i now understand how it feels to want to hang up.
posted by julie @ 9:46 AM
5 Comments:
You are officially the last person on earth still being polite to those phone pests. I always thought I'd have that honor, but a few months ago I gave up. They get one chance to take "no," then I hange up. Frankly, I see this last bit of patience on my part coming to an end soon, because not one has ever taken my "no" seriously.
I've never had a salesperson be that persistent over the phone, but last Christmas, a woman working at a kiosk in the mall selling sunglasses was. I was walking along, and she stepped in front of me, blocking my path. She said, "Come with me." in a really authoritative way. So, I actually took a few steps forward in the direction she was leading me, until I realized what I was doing and what her deal was. I wonder how many people she roped into buying overpriced shades with such a direct and in-your-face strategy.
I had a friend who used to ask the salesperson "Would you like to talk to my dog?" and then SHE would start barking (with it being terribly obvious that it was a human acting like they were a dog).
Wow, she was pretty persistent! Must have figured church folk wouldn't be rude to a telemarketer just trying to make an honest living. There does come a point, though, when you have to just exercise your right to hang-up.
Peace,
Cindy.
i wish i could get a call from someone so pushy.... just one time so i can see how long you can keep them on. i tink that's the ultimate phone prank... when they call you.
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