We all get them...the phone ring rings...you pick it up....

"hello...."

nothing...again..."Hello?..."

Then you get someone (usually a foreigner) asking for Mr or Mrs Whatever and they say its about your phone/gas/electric or something....

What's your usual response? What would you like to say?

Depending on what mood i'm in I'll either;
a/ just 'terminate' the call
b/ engage in a bit of witty banter with them before telling them I aint interested
or c/ get nasty, tell them to get a proper job and start questioning why they bother to call me and what the hell do they want!!

Your thoughts please

we get loads of them wanting to sell my dad stuff for his business normally i just hang up on them but they get dad and i just stand next to him saying things about them in a raised voice, normally containing some choice words and then they get all flustered lol.

My sister used to have a fab way of dealing with them when she was litle if she answered the phone and they said about double glazing she would say we live in a cave and have no windows. in fact that was her answer for a lot of things, i remember one time she just shouted "fire" very loudly down the phone and hung up. sometimes they say hello as soon as you do and there isnt the pause for the second hello and if this happens i have a bit of fun and try to sell them some hay or haylage or ask them if they would like a quote for a dry stone wall from my dad. Recently one called me about personal "where theres a blame theres a claim" injury thing so i told them all about my leg and ankle and said i would like to go for compensation against the mud that i slipped on in the field, until it finally dawned on them a few moments later they were talking about claims with me when i was just blatently taking the pee hahahahahahaha!
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FoxyHan - Proof that it's not all grim up north

today it is even rare that you get someone on the other end of the phone. In recent weeks my parents have recieved them AUTOMATED!
No one to talk to, just numbers to press....guess what the reposnse is.....he hangs up.
It reminds me of an Ally McBeal episode, where someone sues the companys as they ONLY ever phone during meal times.....good oone that one.....makes you think.


I normally just tell them to piss off, I'm having dinner.

If they ask for Mr. Daniels, I say he's not available. If they say 'Are you over 18', I say no

For some reason, very few ring back.

i did telesales for a couple of weeks, i hated it
you have a list of things to say and a answer to everything

so the best answers are
you live in a rented property
youve just started a new mobile contract and its for 18 months


actually if you google bt.wav thats another way to get rid of sales calls
http://www.wibble.co.uk/tech/index.html
btw dont listen to that if your kids are about

I heard f someone who keeps a whistle by the phone for these calls, seems a bit extreme, not sure if it would even work that well.
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I just always answer the phone with "Hello, Hong Kong fish bar"

Usually gets anyone to hang up.
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Maybe if this sig is witty enough someone will finally love me...

(Oh what do you expect? I mean really)

I used to answer with "Hello, Bude Mental Home"... was quite funny to me.

On about automated ones, the ones that any the hell out of me are the ones that tie up your phone line.
Even if you hang up, then pick up a minute or so later, its still going on.
You cant dial out, or noone dial in untill the whole automated system has finished. You just cant cut it off your line!

Which to me is quite dangerous if you need to make an emergency call or something, and you cant because some idiot machine is trying to see you double-glazed roofing or something stupid.

Seriously, I think the people who done those need to be shot

you can actually take yourself off the marketing list, theres a number to call and i cant remember it, but the company is called tps (telephone preference service), google is your friend

TPS won't stop market research calls though only calls that are actual sales calls. I checked it out when someone phoned me about some crap on petrol stations.

If they ask for me by name I will usually listen but if they don't well its im not interested, bye and hand up. Ive done telesales so I do have a bit of patience with them but not much especially bloody 3G. I eneded up writing a letter to get them to stop harassing me!!

oh i didnt know they didnt stop market research calls, caz

and baggie how long ago did you do it? cos if it was recent it may take a few weeks to come off and if its been a long time, you may have to do it again

Yep Vi, quoted from their website: