No One Calls Me Anymore . . .

[KathyK]

Cindy C. wrote:
 
>>But now we have the National "Do Not Call" list.  Since October 1, 
I have received *not one* telemarketing call.  When the phone rings, 
it is someone who wants to talk to *me,* not my wallet.<<

Sandy:
 
>I *suspect* it's actually because the vast majority of people, 
including those making the ruling, fall somewhere in 
between "dislike" and "utterly despise" on the scale of feeling 
about telemarketers. They are so incredibly obnoxious that *no one* 
really wants to deal with the. NPR ran a segment on how many poor 
ickle telemarketers are facing unemployment now. I can't say I feel 
very sorry for them: personally, I did my best to warn them. Any 
live telemarketer who got me on the phone (especially before we got 
caller i.d.) was apt to hear "Go get a *real* job!" before I hung 
up. They really should have listened.<


I don't care for telemarketers, either.  In fact, I'm not a fan of 
the telephone at all.  I absolutely refuse to answer it when I am 
home unless it's someone I *need* to talk to.  My feeling is that if 
you really want to talk to me, you can come see me and we'll talk 
face to face.  I drive my family crazy.  When I have my very own 
phone line it will have an answering machine message that will say 
something like, "I don't answer my phone.  If you want to talk to me 
you have no choice but to leave a message."

This isn't because I find telemarketers particularly intrusive, but 
because I find *all* phone calls intrusive and it cuts into my 
precious time if I have to answer the phone, even if it's just to 
take a message for someone else.  I'm very protective of my "me" 
time.  I like to spend that on the computer talking about Harry 
Potter.  That's much more important than anything anyone could 
possibly call me for.  <g>

I've been working in retail and customer service type jobs for the 
past six years now.  My most recent job is taking phone orders (I 
hate the phone more than ever!) for a catalog company and I have to 
deal with a great range of people in all sorts of moods, many of 
them foul.  As a result, I have over the years become the perfect 
customer.  I always smile at the clerks, give the waitstaff tips of 
at minimum 15% but usually much more, I never complain unless I 
really have no choice (ie something I bought is broken) and even 
then I don't have this burning desire to take it out on the poor 
person who has to deal with me.  What's the point?  It's not their 
fault.  

And I just don't understand how people can be so rude to 
telemarketers.  Sandy's above comment is quite mild compared with 
some of the things that have come out of my younger brother's 
mouth.  I yell at him for it.  Yes, these folks chose to take the 
job they're doing and I suppose they could go look for a "real" job, 
but it still doesn't mean they're inviting abuse or that they 
deserve it.  If you don't want to hear it just hang up the phone!  
Insulting these folks does nothing to change how many calls one 
receives and only serves to show how petty and nasty people are.

Myself, I go back and forth with what I do on the rare instance I 
answer the phone and it also happens to be a telemarketer.  I never 
know if it's more unkind to let them go through their whole spiel 
before politely but firmly saying, "No thanks" or to cut them off at 
the beginning to let them know there's no chance I'm buying whatever 
it is they're selling.  I go back and forth because when I'm in the 
middle of a spiel, I don't enjoy being interrupted by the customer.  
But at the same time, I hate getting to the end of what it is I'm 
saying and then getting a "No.  I wonder why they didn't just tell 
me that before I got rolling.  

I hope I haven't rambled too much.  There's no one here to cut me 
off.  :-)  And I also hope I didn't use too many adverbs for you 
folks.

KathyK (wondering if Sandy might be so kind as to define "real job" 
for her as Kathy always defined "real job" as anything that helps 
pay the bills)

Oh, and on an unrelated note I'm one of those folks who makes the 
restaurant sing to my friends on their birthdays.  It's such a great 
way to torment and annoy them, I can't resist. <g>