Jambojohnnyboy Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 We keep getting calls from financial companies, the thing is we've told them on numerous ocassions that we are not interested but they continually call back. At what point does it become harrasment? And what can you do about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Old Tolbooth Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Tell them your on the TPS mate, that should scare them off Also remind them that cold calling is illegal within financial services. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Do The Dance Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 If you've not done this already ... http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/ Should help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambojohnnyboy Posted June 17, 2008 Author Share Posted June 17, 2008 Have registered with them a good few months ago and it was great for a while but it only seems to last so long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jambo 71 Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 cool, just registered, nothing worse when you sit down to your tea someone phones asking if you have fitted bedroom, kitchen etc etc, bugs me when they don't accept a simple and polite... no thanks i'm not interested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trotter Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 20 Ways To Get Rid Of Irritating Telemarketers: 1. If they want to loan you money, tell them you just filed for bankruptcy and you could sure use some money. 2. If they start out with, "How are you today?" say, "I'm so glad you asked, because no one these days seems to care, and I have all these problems. My arthritis is acting up, my eyelashes are sore, my dog just died . . . " 3. If they say they're John Doe from XYZ Company, ask them to spell their name. Then ask them to spell the company name. Then ask them where it is located, how long it has been in business, how many people work there, how they got into this line of work if they are married, how many kids they have, etc. Continue asking them personal questions or questions about their company for as long as necessary. 4. This works great if you are male. Telemarketer: "Hi, my name is Judy and I'm with XYZ Company." You: Wait for a second and with a real husky voice ask, "What are you wearing?" 5. Cry out in surprise, "Judy? Is that you? Oh my God! Judy, how have you been?" Hopefully, this will give Judy a few brief moments of terror as she tries to figure out where she could know you from. 6. Say "No" over and over. Be sure to vary the sound of each one, and keep a rhythmic tempo, even as they are trying to speak. This is most fun if you can do it until they hang up. 7. If MCI calls trying to get you to sign up for the Family and Friends Plan, reply, in as sinister a voice as you can, "I don't have any friends, would you be my friend?" 8. If the company cleans rugs, respond: "Can you get out blood? Can you get out goat blood? How about human blood?" 9. After the Telemarketer gives his or her spiel, ask him or her to marry you. When they get all flustered, tell them that you can't just give your credit card number to a complete stranger. 10. Tell the Telemarketer that you work for the same company, and they can't sell to employees. 11. Answer the phone. As soon as you realize it is a Telemarketer, set the receiver down, scream, "Oh my God!" and then hang up. 12. Tell the Telemarketer you are busy at the moment and ask him/her if he/she will give you his/her home phone number so you can call him/her back. When the Telemarketer explains that telemarketers cannot give out their home numbers say, "I guess you don't want anyone bothering you at home, right?" The Telemarketer will agree and you say, "Me either!" Hang up. 13. Ask them to repeat everything they say, several times. 14. Tell them it is dinner time, but ask if they would please hold. Put them on your speaker phone while you continue to eat at your leisure. Smack your food loudly and continue with your dinner conversation. 15. Tell the Telemarketer you are on "home incarceration" and ask if they could bring you some beer. 16. Ask them to fax the information to you, and make up a number. 17. Tell the Telemarketer, "Okay, I'll listen to you. But I should probably tell you, I'm not wearing any clothes." 18. Insist that the caller is really your buddy Leon, playing a joke. "Come on, Leon, cut it out! Seriously, Leon, how's your momma?" 19. Tell them you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak up . . . louder . . . louder . . . 20. Tell them to talk very slowly, because you want to write every word down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagger Is Back Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 20 Ways To Get Rid Of Irritating Telemarketers: 1. If they want to loan you money, tell them you just filed for bankruptcy and you could sure use some money. 2. If they start out with, "How are you today?" say, "I'm so glad you asked, because no one these days seems to care, and I have all these problems. My arthritis is acting up, my eyelashes are sore, my dog just died . . . " 3. If they say they're John Doe from XYZ Company, ask them to spell their name. Then ask them to spell the company name. Then ask them where it is located, how long it has been in business, how many people work there, how they got into this line of work if they are married, how many kids they have, etc. Continue asking them personal questions or questions about their company for as long as necessary. 4. This works great if you are male. Telemarketer: "Hi, my name is Judy and I'm with XYZ Company." You: Wait for a second and with a real husky voice ask, "What are you wearing?" 5. Cry out in surprise, "Judy? Is that you? Oh my God! Judy, how have you been?" Hopefully, this will give Judy a few brief moments of terror as she tries to figure out where she could know you from. 6. Say "No" over and over. Be sure to vary the sound of each one, and keep a rhythmic tempo, even as they are trying to speak. This is most fun if you can do it until they hang up. 7. If MCI calls trying to get you to sign up for the Family and Friends Plan, reply, in as sinister a voice as you can, "I don't have any friends, would you be my friend?" 8. If the company cleans rugs, respond: "Can you get out blood? Can you get out goat blood? How about human blood?" 9. After the Telemarketer gives his or her spiel, ask him or her to marry you. When they get all flustered, tell them that you can't just give your credit card number to a complete stranger. 10. Tell the Telemarketer that you work for the same company, and they can't sell to employees. 11. Answer the phone. As soon as you realize it is a Telemarketer, set the receiver down, scream, "Oh my God!" and then hang up. 12. Tell the Telemarketer you are busy at the moment and ask him/her if he/she will give you his/her home phone number so you can call him/her back. When the Telemarketer explains that telemarketers cannot give out their home numbers say, "I guess you don't want anyone bothering you at home, right?" The Telemarketer will agree and you say, "Me either!" Hang up. 13. Ask them to repeat everything they say, several times. 14. Tell them it is dinner time, but ask if they would please hold. Put them on your speaker phone while you continue to eat at your leisure. Smack your food loudly and continue with your dinner conversation. 15. Tell the Telemarketer you are on "home incarceration" and ask if they could bring you some beer. 16. Ask them to fax the information to you, and make up a number. 17. Tell the Telemarketer, "Okay, I'll listen to you. But I should probably tell you, I'm not wearing any clothes." 18. Insist that the caller is really your buddy Leon, playing a joke. "Come on, Leon, cut it out! Seriously, Leon, how's your momma?" 19. Tell them you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak up . . . louder . . . louder . . . 20. Tell them to talk very slowly, because you want to write every word down. I was just gonna post that! I had a company on the phone a few weeks ago and I was feeling really ****ed off when they called. I started to ask THEM questions about their company, things like how many employees, how long established, what their capital position was, how many customers they had, whether they paid their bills on time and what their creditor/debtor position was. Told the boy I needed money but wouldn't want to borrrow from any old Tom, Dick or Harry. I wanted to make sure that the people I was borrowing from were not fly by nights. Boy eneded up getting his supervisor - he lasted 2 minutes before the line went dead. A very amusing way to spend 15 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Therapist Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 I registered with tps when I moved into Therapist Towers 4 years ago. I did the mail equivalent at the same time. I now get no telemarketing calls or junk mail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jambo 71 Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 20 Ways To Get Rid Of Irritating Telemarketers: 1. If they want to loan you money, tell them you just filed for bankruptcy and you could sure use some money. 2. If they start out with, "How are you today?" say, "I'm so glad you asked, because no one these days seems to care, and I have all these problems. My arthritis is acting up, my eyelashes are sore, my dog just died . . . " 3. If they say they're John Doe from XYZ Company, ask them to spell their name. Then ask them to spell the company name. Then ask them where it is located, how long it has been in business, how many people work there, how they got into this line of work if they are married, how many kids they have, etc. Continue asking them personal questions or questions about their company for as long as necessary. 4. This works great if you are male. Telemarketer: "Hi, my name is Judy and I'm with XYZ Company." You: Wait for a second and with a real husky voice ask, "What are you wearing?" 5. Cry out in surprise, "Judy? Is that you? Oh my God! Judy, how have you been?" Hopefully, this will give Judy a few brief moments of terror as she tries to figure out where she could know you from. 6. Say "No" over and over. Be sure to vary the sound of each one, and keep a rhythmic tempo, even as they are trying to speak. This is most fun if you can do it until they hang up. 7. If MCI calls trying to get you to sign up for the Family and Friends Plan, reply, in as sinister a voice as you can, "I don't have any friends, would you be my friend?" 8. If the company cleans rugs, respond: "Can you get out blood? Can you get out goat blood? How about human blood?" 9. After the Telemarketer gives his or her spiel, ask him or her to marry you. When they get all flustered, tell them that you can't just give your credit card number to a complete stranger. 10. Tell the Telemarketer that you work for the same company, and they can't sell to employees. 11. Answer the phone. As soon as you realize it is a Telemarketer, set the receiver down, scream, "Oh my God!" and then hang up. 12. Tell the Telemarketer you are busy at the moment and ask him/her if he/she will give you his/her home phone number so you can call him/her back. When the Telemarketer explains that telemarketers cannot give out their home numbers say, "I guess you don't want anyone bothering you at home, right?" The Telemarketer will agree and you say, "Me either!" Hang up. 13. Ask them to repeat everything they say, several times. 14. Tell them it is dinner time, but ask if they would please hold. Put them on your speaker phone while you continue to eat at your leisure. Smack your food loudly and continue with your dinner conversation. 15. Tell the Telemarketer you are on "home incarceration" and ask if they could bring you some beer. 16. Ask them to fax the information to you, and make up a number. 17. Tell the Telemarketer, "Okay, I'll listen to you. But I should probably tell you, I'm not wearing any clothes." 18. Insist that the caller is really your buddy Leon, playing a joke. "Come on, Leon, cut it out! Seriously, Leon, how's your momma?" 19. Tell them you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak up . . . louder . . . louder . . . 20. Tell them to talk very slowly, because you want to write every word down. brilliant, i'm gonna use some of them should i get any more calls, watch this i'll no get any now!! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sawdust Caesar Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 I registered with the TPS and the calls stopped almost entirley within a coupe of weeks. I still get the odd one but I tell them I've reg'd with the TPS and I willl report them, they usually hang up when I ask for their name etc. If you do #6 say 'no' in the style of Big Ben - no no no no, no no no no, NO, NO, NO. That probably makes no sense. It's hard to write down how a tune should go, sounds ok in my head but not when I read it back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawriejambo Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 cool, just registered, nothing worse when you sit down to your tea someone phones asking if you have fitted bedroom, kitchen etc etc, bugs me when they don't accept a simple and polite... no thanks i'm not interested Best thing to do when they call is tell them you're not a homeowner, they cut you of pronto. Works a treat.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Lyon Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 If a company hasn't agreed to participate in the TPS scheme then it can just ignore it and call you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjc2006 Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 If a company hasn't agreed to participate in the TPS scheme then it can just ignore it and call you. No they cant, any company that phones you cold calling while your on the tps can be fined if they persist on calling you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Harris Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 If a company hasn't agreed to participate in the TPS scheme then it can just ignore it and call you. it is the company's responsibility to make sure that they do not call anyone that is registered with the tps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real Maroonblood Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 We keep getting calls from financial companies, the thing is we've told them on numerous ocassions that we are not interested but they continually call back. At what point does it become harrasment? And what can you do about it? Keep the phone off the hook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2 Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 One of the unfortunate things about TPS is that companies can get round it in the guise of surveys. I have found the best solution are to treat them as they treat you. First clarify who they are - what is their name, what is their number, after all they initiated the call. Then of course it's not safe to divulge any of your details over the phone as you don't know who they are. - "How do I know you are not a fraudster?" Then ask them under the data protection act if they can tell you all the details they have about you. One of the favourite questions - Do you own your house? Answer, what do you mean by own? then you can't tell them as you have no evidence of who they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Harris Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 One of the unfortunate things about TPS is that companies can get round it in the guise of surveys. I have found the best solution are to treat them as they treat you. First clarify who they are - what is their name, what is their number, after all they initiated the call. Then of course it's not safe to divulge any of your details over the phone as you don't know who they are. - "How do I know you are not a fraudster?" Then ask them under the data protection act if they can tell you all the details they have about you. One of the favourite questions - Do you own your house? Answer, what do you mean by own? then you can't tell them as you have no evidence of who they are. the TPS only exempts legitiate market research from independant companies, there cannot be a commercial aspect to the call. If someone is selling you stuff in the guise of a survey and claiming they are exempt from the TPS they are telling porkies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I P Knightley Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 I often hand the phone over to my two year old. The other is to feign great interest in everything that they are offering, frequently asking for 'lots' of whatever they're selling before suddenly remembering that you bought just the very thing they're trying to sell only last month. Only if you've got 10 minutes to kill, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Lyon Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Commander Harris - I salute you for correcting me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Sidious Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Best thing to do when they call is tell them you're not a homeowner, they cut you of pronto. Works a treat.. That's what I do. "Hello sir, don't worry we are not selling anything. Your postcode has been selected for a free kitchen or bathroom" "Hello sir, you want a free mobile" "Yes, just send it", "Can I have you bank details" "You said it was free why do you need that" they then "Slaver slaver slaver" [i then hang up]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Old Tolbooth Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Or you could just give them the name and address of the pesky neighbour that's been bugging you for ages and order free samples of stuff for them and arrange for loads of salesmen to call round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debtor Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 TPS & MPS are very good in themselves but not all companies are either registered with them or, as has been said, some find ways around them. The best answer is an ansafone! When they hear the message they just ring off, marvellous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I P Knightley Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 So that's John Mitchell, c/o Rosyth... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corstojohn Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 The best cold call I got was when a company phoned and asked me if I would be interested in an extension to my house so I told them yes. We then spent 15 minutes discussing things and had almost agreed terms when I aked him if it made a difference that I lived three floors up he swore at me and hung up. Never heard from them again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tams bird Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Link said i have already registered the number. Had 3 calls already tonight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankblack Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 TPS worked great for a few years, but I think that since there must be so many people registered the companies have stopped abiding by it. In the past few years the marketing calls have started up again. Nearly always I get calls that pretend to be surveys and ask 3 questions before trying to sell me a new kitchen. Often I come home from work and find quite a few withheld number missed calls that haven't left a message on my answering machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jambos are go! Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 I thik they can get round TPS/MPS if you have been a customer fairly recently. Can take many weeks for TPS/MPS to kick in but worth it. As said previously I just quickly say I only rent this property and they disappear like snow of a dyke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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