Grumpy old men....

[wooslehunter]

Signed up with TPS a while ago and found it has now severely affected my fun - no cold callers to wind up.

1. Get them to actually admit they're selling something & not just offering free surveys etc.

2. .............blah blah - well actually I already have windows they came with the house............. so I'd have to cut some new holes in the wall for yours............. well I don't want to get rid of mine, they still let the light in and keep the rain out............. oh you sell the frames as well.

etc etc.

They soon get the message if they're old hands but most are quite persistant - sad really.

Seriously there are some flaws. I heard of a case recently where one brother started a telemarketing company & signed up to TPS. That gave him the list of numbers not wanting to get calls. The other brother's company sited across the room then just happened to look at the list & started calling.

Best mail I had recently was offering a free gift on attending a "holiday presentation" - why don't they just say timeshare. Deal was, attend a presentation with SWMBO. Get 70 quid expenses & a large screen TV, Hi-Fi or PC or some others I can't remember. i.e. I get to sit through a boring presentation, expect to get a great gift & 70 quid.

The small print described the gifts & all looked good except the PCs which were 2nd hand & probably useless giveaways. Also the processing charge for the gifts to be delivered later was 69.94. Actually I get 6p & a useless PC.

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[richardandtracy]

I signed up for this too.
In the first few months I had to resort to threats of reporting several companies before they got the message that I hadn't signed up for a lark. That was 2-3 years ago.
However just recently I'm starting to get unsolicited calls again. Is there an expiry date? Or have companies come to realise the TPS is toothless?

Regards

Richard.


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[jhr]

So far as I know, there's no expiry date on TPS and, if anything, recent legislation, banning unsolicited calls to private phone numbers, should strengthen the situation. We signed up to TPS earlier this year and the effect has been amazing, though I still get an occasional cold call from the States (or at least purporting to be from the States) usually trying to flog a get rich quick investment scheme of some kind.

Not sure if you can do much about such calls, but the UK law derives from EU legislation (hurrah! at last something worthwhile from that august body!) and should prevent anybody cold calling you (or sending you unsolicited e-mail, in fact) from an EU member state.

<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho

 

[abraxus]

I don't even bother with a fixed line anymore as I always have my mobile on and now find that I don't get any sales calls.

I do find it frustrating though that some sites refuse to accept a mobile number as a primary contact number and wont let you pass that stage without putting in a fixed line number. I end up having to put my old disconnected number in.

I'm also thinking of setting up a premium rate number to use specifically for putting on enquiry forms. That way if people do insist on making unsolicited calls they can do so at a rate of £1.50 a minute and pay me for the privelidge.

Bill

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[bobnewbury]

Re: Oh my!

You should see me on a Monday.

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[Sean]

A while ago, I received a call from a co. selling patio doors. Naturally, I was thrilled, as I hadn't had patio doors sice I lived with my parents. I spent about twenty minutes on the phone, answering questions and arranging for a man to call and measure up, only for the co. rep. to hang up on me when I gave my address. "Flat 2, 2nd floor...."
Well, it was a slow day...

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[bobnewbury]

Sorry..

Transferred wrath syndrome. The bile wasn't directed at you.

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[Birdseye]

Re: Sorry..

OK you collection of grumpy old sods. I have learned nothing new so far, but one of you must have found a way round the most irritating and infuriating phenomenon of modern life - the pre recorded automatic phone answering service. You know, the one that finishes, four choices down the line, with "all our operators are busy at the moment, but your call is very valuable to us....."

Since everybody does it, you usually cant go elsewhere. Many companies now dont even put their real phone numbers in the directory, just the call centre. So how do you get through to a human being on the first dial?



<hr width=100% size=1>this post is a personal opinion, and you should not base your actions on it.

 

[abraxus]

Re: Sorry..

I usually find that ignoring their instructions to push 1 or 2 or whatever fools them to believe that you don't have a touch tone phone, so you automatically get routed to a person.

Doesn't always work but sometimes does.

Bill



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[jerryat]

Re: Sorry..

Hi Abraxus!

Exactly! Actually one of our 'phones is non touch tone and it really does work. I never, 'press one' or any other number, and far more often than not, end up speaking to a (broadly) human being, while others are no doubt still on the fourth level button five!

Simply loath the Bagalore type call centres too - now they really are a challenge!

Cheers
Jerry

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[BrendanS]

Re: Sorry..

A little bit of inside knowledge as to how these systems work.

Press 0, if that doesn't work, press 9, otherwise press nothing at all, and just wait. Will work with 8 out of 10 systems.

Some banking systems such as Lloyds TSB and Abbey National will take you to a voice activated system if you don't have a touch tone phone and don't press anything. There are lots of variations.

<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[MAURICE]

Hi all
One of the best things to do is say that you are very interested in the product and ask them to hang on while you get a pen. I had a double glazing sales women on hold for 20 mins waiting for me to get back to her. When i did and found out that she was still waiting i said i wasnt interested and put the phone down.
If we all did this i think it would cost the companies too much on phone bills
What do you think!!!

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[cliff]

I believe 3 years is the duration on MPS and TPS but all you do is re-register before the 3 years is up - I have had both MPS and TPS for many years now and they do cut down the calls and junk mail

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[Vara]

After registering with TPS,the only sales calls I get have an International tag,presumably if a company is registered and the call centre is outside EU the rules don't apply?
For those calls that do get through strong language does the trick!

<hr width=100% size=1>If it can't be fixed with a lump hammer dont fit it!