How to counter Telephone Marketeering.........

[Chris Ryser]

This is cute

Telemarketers make use of a telescript - a guideline for a telephone conversation. This script creates an imbalance in the conversation between the marketer and the consumer. It is this imbalance, most of all, that makes telemarketing successful. The EGBG Counterscript attempts to redress that balance

http://www.xs4all.nl/~egbg/counterscript.html

[Eyeseeit]

Chris, thanks for this wonderful piece. I have already printed out a copy of the script. I can't wait to use it! Despite being on the National DO NOT CALL registry, I am still receiving several sales/marketing calls per day. Perhaps this script will end these nuisance calls. :)

[Jim Schafer]

I have played nasty by agreeing to appointments and then acting like I had no idea what they are talking about when they call back to confirm or worse yet, yell into the phone that I can not hear them and they need to speak louder and clearly, they need to call back on a better connection..
Sometimes I ask if it ok if it is ok if I get my cat or dogs opinion before I make a decision.
Jim

[spartus]

Me, I'm a big fan of the Do Not Call Registry.

No more guys calling from India to ask me to refinance my house, which would be slightly more useful to me if I didn't rent.

[Ed_Optician]

One of my favorite ploys with telemarketers is to begin a sales pitch offering them the Brooklyn Bridge. I keep it up until they hang up on me by that time they remove me from their call list without my asking

Ed

[Ed_Optician]

I combat a paper war with paper. I take two extra copies of the junk fax and tape the 3 pieces into an endless belt in my fax machine sending it to the fax number on the fax. I get to waste their paper and toner

Ed

[coda]

I return all the credit card offers in their own envelopes. Let them deal with the trash and pay for the postage.

[rbaker]

I have a friend who says he tapes the post paid return envelopes to a brick and the Post Office forwards them. I have not tried it nor can I vouch for the voracity of this story. If it is true, it would be a good way to get rid of 25 pounds of edger sludge.

[RGC_man]

I just say no thanks and hang up. It can't be much fun spending several years studying at college in India just to spend your nights being abused by rich westerners.

[chip anderson]

Business has been so slow since Katrina we would almost welcome a call from a telemarketer.:(

[apaul]

I just do two things

Usually the reason they ring up is to say how much money I can save by going over to them (telephone etc)
I say I dont want to save money cos I got so much I dont know what to do with it!
This throws them!
Or if I cant be bothered I say they need to speak to Jack whos not in!
Unfortunately hes never in!
Alan

[hcjilson]

I just say "Can you hold for a moment? I'll be right with you!? I then put the phone down and resume whatever I was doing before the call.