middle aged moment and Microsoft

My home is muy castle, why should i be irritated by these cold callers even if they do happen infrequently because I am also ex directory, registered with TPS but even so some do filter through.

One very naughty one I've only used once so far is:
"If you want sex talk I'll need your credit card number".

Hopefully that might get me struck off the list of "easy marks".

To all of you with these 'witty remarks' that you all find so amusing:
What is wrong with just saying 'no thank you, Im busy'?.
Would you feel the same if your relatives got a job in this industry?.
I find this thread very hurtful and insulting to hard working people like myself. I know of several people who work in call centres who have had nervous breakdowns because of the abuse by the public. There is no need to be so horrible

ethel, you have a point but when you live alone and not so able, have to struggle to get to phone it is annoying. If is real prob get caller display and don't answer
I worked in a Care home where some had private phones and they can become very distressed.
I did give extremely short shrift to a cold caller who rang a blind 90 year old resident in the evening.

ethel if this post upsets you, nobody is forcing you to read it. I want peace in my own home- no telephone calls from cold callers and nobody banging at my door trying to sell their wares.

Ethel my OP was with regard to scammers, some of whom have stolen thousands of pounds from vulnerable people, these calls should never be acceptable to anyone. I also know people who work in call centres and I was not targetting them or you.
On another note I would never fill in a survey over the phone how do I know what the data will be used for, more cold calling probably.
I am quite capable of deciding if I want to buy something, I do not need a stranger on the phone trying to persuade me to purchase products I have never seen.

2 of my sons have worked in call-centres- they think the joke answers are hilarious, something different. But then they didn't take the work all that seriously.

I have a lot of sympathy for ethel. I also get many 'silent' calls and other cold calls to which I usually just say "no thank you" and put the phone down. It's quite simple and takes less time than being rude. When I worked for a high street bank, I sometimes tried to call customers to let them know they were going overdrawn and might incur charges. Because the bank's phone number said 'number withheld', I often had the phone slammed down on me. The same customer wold then complain about their bank charges and ask why I hadn't called them !!

Most of our intrusive (not cold!) calls are from autodiallers. An electronic recording starts to inform me of 'rights' that I apparently have or that their database tells them that I'm due something fabulous. Can't do more than slam down phone! Grrr

Thankyou for the links WilmaKnickersfit I have been meaning to register for ages

I take your point ethel everyone has to earn a living but in the past I've been sitting by the phone anxiously waiting for news of desperately ill relatives (mum and my husband) A phone call would have been bad news I knew that so I was very on edge.

Friends had been told not to ring that day so when the phone rang 3 times and each one was a cold caller I was beside myself and told them the situation. They were very understanding but that's not the point.

And then OH is convinced I am hiding something from him if I don't let him answer , but then he gets confused and upset when he can't understand them ............. We found out that we were paying for loads of extras on Sky that he had signed up for , took DS1 hours going through it all and cancelling films , sport etc

I have had some great fun with cold callers. I had one call - the 'Microsoft' one telling me my computer was in need of repair. I pretended I thought he said I had won a computer. He got very stressed. But beware - I had a call, saying I had won a prize, needed to confirm my id. I had won. I am so glad I didn't do my usual blah blah that day.

If I have any of my little grandchildren aged about 9 months to 2 years I say I will put you on to someone who can help you. I put one of the children on the phone and they love a little chatter. Works a treat!!!

Sorry, ethelbags, but I don't think there is any reason to be polite to the people who phone saying that your computer has a problem. I had my first one (and last, I hope) the other day, and I said that I was so upset that my computer had gone wrong that I would have to put the phone down.

On the other hand, we have had, on at least 2 occasions over the years, researchers who have come to the door, complete with paperwork and numbers to phone to confirm that they are who they say they are, and we have answered their questions and enjoyed the experience, feeling that we have contributed to something useful. They were real people, doing a real job. One was asking about what TV programmes DD had watched in the past week and another was about what we spend money on - a government survey then, but probably privatised now.

I don't get many, but I just say, 'Did I invite you to call me? No? Goodbye.'

I had a call from a chap offering me Sky TV/phone /Broadband. Told him I wasn't really interested as my firm pay the phone bill, and I don't watch much tv. He was a bit startled by that, and tried to interest me in sport/drama/history packages, but I said that honestly, the telly was usually on if I went out, to keep the dog company. We chatted for a while, he was a very pleasant lad, until finally he said "Is there nothing I can say that'll persuade you to take up one of our offers?" to which I replied "If you can have an Aston Martin Volante parked outside this out in 20 minutes, I'll have any and all Sky packages" "Can't do that" he said - "but - as the dog watches the tv, can I have a word with the dog?"
We both roared with laughter, he thanked me for my time and off he went. I still chuckle about that. The dog, however was not amused that there was to be no upgrade, and she will have to make do with Freeview!

Thank you when I was your age at least someone knows and appreciates the work I do. I love my job but the rudeness is not necessary.

Having read and re read these replies, I have come to the conclusion that most people are horrible to callers, both in person and on the phone , not because they don't want to know what they are selling/researching/surveying, but because they are taking their frustrations out on someone who cannot answer back. I am not allowed to be rude (wouldn't dream of it anyway) in reply to insults therefore I am a sitting target to someone who has had a bad day/is worried about something/is tired/ is feeling ill and many other things so they slam the door or to the person on the end of the phone they say rude or silly things they would not dream of saying to their friends. this is done because they CAN, if it were someones friend knocking or phoning they would have to be nice or risk upsetting them, they just don't care about strangers.
Well, I have learned from this, in future is someone is ill, I wont offer to help (I have sat with a female who collapsed at the door until help arrived), I have listened numerous times to older lonely people telling their sorry tales, helped, made cups of tea, phoned relatives and in general thought I was being of use (on all of this time spent I lost money). Never again I will harden myself and walk away.

ethel please don't take all these comments and stories to heart - they are not about you personally. You have explained how professionally you do your job and are to be commended for that.

I think people feel that cold callers, either on the 'phone or at the door, are intruding on personal space without invitation and that's why they get short shrift. I agree that there is no need to be rude or mock such callers but they should realise by now how very unpopular this practice is.

Then there are the scammers and I have no time or sympathy for them. Most of them are recognisable now (e.g. the microsoft calls from India telling you that you have a problem with your computer). They can fleece innocent, usually elderly people of a lot of money. It's despicable and they deserve all the rudeness they no doubt get.

Gaga, I agree about scammers, but as you said ' they should realise by now how very unpopular the practice is'.

I know how unpopular my job is, by ignorant people who don't listen and don't want to take an interest in the world around them but it is my job and I don't have/want a choice. The people I meet who are helpful and kind and want to help resolve a problem and take part in a useful discussion more than make up for the others. I have met a lot of wonderful people and that is why I love my job.
btw I probably will stop and help the next person who in need of assistance.

Glad to hear it ethel - you have to be true to yourself!

Ethel the comments which you object to ,I think,are all made in respect to scammer phone calls. People are not referring to a legitimate call which has been requested which is presumably what you are doing. My DH sounds abrupt on the phone even to his friends as he is not a chatterers. My lovely cleaning lady sounds really bad on the phone. I always taken aback when she answers the phone. Same with a neighbour .she sounds as though she would stick a knife in you when she picks up the phone.

But do you get these repeated unasked-for calls from the same company with exactly the same script, ethel or from people who say their name is something terrible English, but in an accent that proclaims that their real name is Azziz? From someone who tries to scam you into giving them details of your computer passwords so that they can fleece you, and then that call is repeated daily by different people with different fake English names, calling from different numbers so you can't even block them? Do you wait for an important call from the hospital, unable to take the receiver of the hook, and get several telesales wanting you to do surveys?

From your posts, I don't think you would continue to be polite and understanding with them forever.

How weird I can't get on to page 3 I get the message - this web page is not available - err connection refused, is there something wrong with the wat the website is configured I wonder?