Telemarketing Couter-Assault
John Burkhardt: "A telemarketer called my house and I used my usual, "please put me on your do not call list" response. This time I got, "No, you don't want that. You want a new mortgage". "No", I said, "I want to talk to your supervisor". Well, they wouldn't tell me who they were and eventually they hung up on me. I can be a bit of a jerk sometimes (can you tell?)."
Not really. Telemarketers can be annyoing. I've found a fairly effective way of getting rid of them nicely with no harm done on either side: I get them to say 'No' to giving me their product.
The majority of the telemarketer calls we get are for credit cards. They usually start out with the 0% balance transfer rate and a low 2% or 3% "introductory" rate for 6 or 9 months. At this point, they are saying "All we need to do to get this card out to you is verify your address". This is when I say "Can I have the 2% introductory rate permanently?". Some flat out say "No". Others try and dodge the question by reminding you that the introductory period is only for X months. For them, I'll explain to them I understand the introductory rate but that I want a permanent rate of 2%. This usually results in a "I'm sorry. I can't do that".
So now, someone who's called my house trying to sell me something is telling me they can't give me their product. There's nothing left to discuss at this point. I can even tell some of them are smiling or at least are amused at the position they are now in. They usually end the conversation politely with the usual "If you have any more questions, feel free to call us at 1-800-...". End of call. Estimated duration: 2 - 3 minutes. No ones blood pressure went up. No hang-ups.
9:36:18 AM 
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