How to stop nuisance calls

[PaulT]

Currently in France and when we answer the phone we normally say 'hello'. This normally results in one of three things:

The person is a friend and speaks to us in English - fine

The person asks, in French, if English is our only language, the reply is 'yes' and the line goes dead

or

The line just goes dead.

So when we get back to the UK the phone will be answered with a 'bonjour' and hopefully that will prevent the normal conversation of:

Can I speak to Mr X - 'yes hang on a minute I will get him' and just putting the phone to one side

'You are trying to sell me something and as this phone number is registered with TPS you are committing an offence'. 'We are not selling anything just want to do a survey'

 

[Clarkkent]

Sounds a good idea. Does your UK phone have caller identification?

 

I have toyed with the ideas of saying:

"You couldn't have rung at a worse time. We are just about to sacrifice a virgin - you know how hard they are to get, these days ..."

or, holding the phone a little way away, calling:

"Sarge, its another of those calls again, do want me to get a trace on it?"

[YCCMB]

I'm not convinced you've thought this through.

If you say bonjour in England, your friends will hang up too, non? :-)

[mint]

OK then, how about picking up the phone and saying nothing until the other party divulges their intention?[8-|]

[Benjamin]

The one I'm currently using goes like this.

Hello. Is that Mr Benjamin?

No. He's dead.

Which then results in a mumbled apology for calling and the line goes dead.

OR

Aah! (in a knowing tone) then you're the new owner.

No. I'm a workman clearing the house and I'm expecting my boss to ring.

Mumbled apology and line goes dead.

I've been having fun with this one for some time now so I'll soon be thinking up a new wheeze.

[idun]

Well I never said bonjour when I answered the phone in France, 'allo is what I'd say and it is what I'd say when I moved back to the UK, simply through force of habit, like I'd say 'excusez-moi' when trying to get past someone.

I like that about tracing the call Superman, but the problem I have are the computer generated calls, 'have you been sold a......... whatever' and I reckon it'd be lost on them. Still if it is ever a person I may well try it.

In France I was constantly called by one of the kitchen companies and they had a shop near us. I went in, and interupted them with a customer, insisted that they heard me, and when they said I was being very rude... which I was, I told them that they had to stop calling me, because they were doing exactly the same as I had just done to them. I left my number with a warning that if I got another call I'd be back...... and never got another call.

[Jazzer]

The answer is you won't! I have tried all the prescribed methods,but they will persist.

I no longer answer the phone- I wait to see if a message is left on the answer phone-if it's important a message will be left, if not then no worries!.

[Pommier]

The strangest phone call was when we were selling our previous house. The phone rang and I could see it was a UK caller on the caller ID, so I anwered it with 'hello', to which the response was a very French accented woman who said in English 'Oh, I'm sorry, I thought I was calling a number in France'. It turned out it was a French woman working in the UK who wanted to buy a holiday home in France.

[PaulT]

[quote user="You can call me Betty"]I'm not convinced you've thought this through. If you say bonjour in England, your friends will hang up too, non? :-)[/quote]

Had not thought of that Betty - that will get them to stop scrounging from me [:D] so double benefit

[Pierre ZFP]

This is genius!

How to make money from Cold Calls

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23869462