Telesales

[Just Katie]

A question for you guys living in France.  I was wondering if you get high volumes of telephone calls selling you loans, mobile phones, gas and electric, windows and many other things.

I work one day per week from home and, as I sit at my desk I would bet my mortgage that I get about six or seven calls per day.

I am always, well usually polite to these callers.  One of them has just called from what sounded like thousands of miles away asking about a phone.  "No thank you" I replied, "I am happy with what I have".

"Yes but bla bla bla", she said.

"Thank you but I am happy with what I have".

This went on and on and I counted that I told her I was happy on NINE occasions.  I told her this and she got the hump.

So, does much of it go on in France?

[Will]

We used to get lots of those calls, not as many as you, but we went on France Telecom's liste orange annd they miraculously stopped.

[YCCMB]

And in the UK  the Direct Marketing Association telephone preference service works pretty well, too. Saves you having to be either rude or polite. Once they've tried to convince you that either you or the OH filled in a questionnaire about leisure activities (yeah, right) you just say very sweetly "actually, I don't think you should be calling me as this number is registered with the Direct Marketing Association TPS", and you'll get a lovely apology and they'll hang up like someone just set fire to their handset.

[chris pp]

No, hardly any at all, maybe one a fortnight. Mainly telephone service providers, double glazing, insulation, heating, and insect pest surveys. Of course I may be on a list of people "not worth bothering with".

All very boring, sorry,

Chris

 

[JayJay]

You do get quite a few. Meat sales, wine, frozen food & not forgetting double glazing. Once you've said no thankyou, they don't force the issue. About time we went on the liste orange really![;-)]

[ali-cat]

Registrar with these folks, KKK.  Our calls stopped, totally, within a couple of weeks.

http://www.callpreventionregistry.co.uk/

Unless, of course, you enjoy talking to all the poor telesales people, calling!!! [:D]

[opas]

We get the occasional one for dryrot treatment or doubleglazing/central heating, these usualy come in at lunchtime when the girls are home for lunch,they answer the phone ,find out who it is and then say we are not in!

When they were toddlers in Uk and I got one of these persistant callers I would give the phone to the toddler, she would chat away for ages............until finaly she would say in that lovely questioning voice that 2 year olds have "lady gone?"

[TWINKLE]

Not very often - lucky for them.  I hate it and am very unpleasant to the caller. 
I just say  "I am not interested in what you are selling, good-bye!" 

 Works everytime[:)]

[Russethouse]

If they are lucky I put the phone down, if they are unlucky I put it on the work top and let them rabbit on.

The one that asked me how I was getting on with the bath, got the latter treatment. [:)]

[Gardian]

Anybody ringing during the day is French, so we don't break our neck to get out of the pool / off the chair to answer quickly.  If it's really for us, they'll ring back.  Otherwise, the recorded message that kicks in after 6 rings puts them off.  Pain in the arse.

One (of the many) good things about being out here is that we don't get our (UK) bank ringing incessantly wanting us to drop by for an 'account review' (i.e. try to sell us some more insurance).

[Tresco]

Same here Ian, re the answer-phone, but ...... sometimes I will go through the whole fractured French thing, just for the sake of it:

S/he says 'it will take 3 minutes' but it takes 10!. I often get three quarters of the way through the qustionnaire, before the poor 20 year old on minimum wage says, 'do you want mze to ask this in English'?

It's always water purification people.

Frankly, there are some days when the Mormons would be a welcome change[Www]

[TWINKLE]

My hubby is so nice to them. 

 He actually talks to them and I'm sure that if I wasn't screaming obscenities in the background we would now have double glazing, full central heating and 7 complete Encyclopedia collections!!

[Just Katie]

So in France you get them trying to sell you meat and dry rot treatment?  I have heard it all now.  I quite enjoy playing games with them.  Me and my mate have a little competition going.  Similar to Gays game really.  When they ring I pretend I am really interested in their product then say someone is at the door.  To keep them hanging longer I come back then say something like "Oh the dog has run outside hang on". 

Me and my mate compete in who can keep them the longest.  He is the best with a 21 minute wait!!

I quite enjoy them.  However, I have had calls at 9pm and on Sundays.  Out of order!!

Oh and when the mormons call I tell them I am catholic. 

[ali-cat]

[quote user="KatieKopyKat"]

Oh and when the mormons call I tell them I am catholic. 

[/quote]

I'm lucky in that area - I'm usually wearing a pentagram, around my neck.  It usually puts them off!!  [:-))]

[La Vette]

When the call sign shows number unavailable I answer the phone with a very english 'hello' and they usually hang up straight away.

[Pads]

put them all in here  

scretly im trying to see if i can move my smileys but dont tell anyone[blink]

edit and no i cant phaaaa, any help any one?

Edit By the power of cassis i did it

[Patf]

We get one or two a week. I just say " I haven't any money" and they soon lose interest. Pat.

[Russethouse]

When people come to the door to sell double glazing etc I just say, oh we rent, would you like the landlords number ? No one has ever said yes.

[Missy]

[quote user="Russethouse"]When people come to the door to sell double glazing etc I just say, oh we rent, would you like the landlords number ? No one has ever said yes.[/quote]

When I get these calls here is the procedure followed in this household :

'Hello? Can we speak to Mrs B...?' ... 'I'm terribly sorry but she no longer lives at this address'... and it's me whom they want!!! [:-))]

'Hello? Can we speak to Mr B...?' ... 'We have just bought the house from him and here is his new number ....' .... I have on the notice board by the phone the weathercheck telNo and invariably that is the number which I quote!....[:D]

It tends to slow down the frequency of these unwanted calls....

 

[Cerise]

I find they usually ask for my husband - on finding he isn't available (he never answers the phone[:)]) they then ask if I am his wife.  At that point I cry "The swine, is he married?  He promised he wasn't"   They usually go away at that point  .... can't think why[6]

[Rob Roy]

"Oh and when the mormons call I tell them I am catholic"

Do you mean the Mormons, or Jehovah Witnesses? My dear departed father-in-law used to tell the JW he was a blood donor - quick exit stage left![:)]

We find that having the answerphone on is the best way to deal with cold callers, I can hear who's talking and can answer if necessary, but telesales just ring off. They seem to love to ring at lunchtime in France, I suppose they know the families are usually at home then[:P]

[saddie]

We haven't had Mormons but the Jehovah's witnesses have been twice. The first time they left us a watchtower in French and said that they would come back with an English version. This turned out to be Dutch. There are not many English around here.