It’s one of the biggest annoyances of our modern age. Technology such as telephones are great because they allow us to stay in touch over long distances. However, they also make it a lot easier for companies to advertise to us at any time – even when we are just trying to relax in the comfort of our homes.
It happens to all of us – we have just relaxed in front of the television or in a warm bath after a long day when the phone rings. We answer it because we think it might be important, but as soon as we answer the phone we know it is nothing but a telemarketer. They have a script to follow – trying to get us to sign up for a new cell phone package, change our life insurance provider or purchase a range of different products. They are just doing their jobs – but the entire idea of telemarketing is invasive and irritating and it is not surprising that many people want to find out how to get rid of these persistent and frustrating callers.
Many people find telemarketers annoying because they interrupt us at home – invading our private relaxation time. If you wanted to buy something you would go out and shop for it yourself – you don’t want to be hassled at home!
So what can you do when you are tired of being hassled by telemarketers? Here are some ideas:
Block Their Calls
Did you know that there is actually a device called a Nuisance Phone Call Blocker that allows you to block all unwanted calls? It’s called a call blocker and it can detect unwanted calls from research companies conducting surveys, telemarketers, charity organisations and any other nuisance callers that you want to avoid.
Call blockers will display the number of whoever is calling and if you don’t recognise it, you can add it to your call Blacklist with the touch of a button. The next time that caller attempts to contact you, all they will hear is a dead line and your phone will not even ring.
Join the Do Not Call List
Many people have decided to add their names to the official Do-Not-Call list for their country, which promises to prevent annoying telemarketers from calling. Although this list has had some effect, it is not a perfect way to prevent telephone spam because many shady companies flout the rules.
Another technique is to contact the specific organisation that is calling you and request that you are put on their internal Do Not Call List. They are required to do this by law and if they don’t, they can be subject to huge fines. Make sure that you make your own record of doing this, so that if they still continue to call then you will be able to file a complaint or even take them to court.
Waste Their Time
If you do get on the phone with a telemarketer, you could try a number of techniques to annoy them and waste their time. For example, you could pretend that you are getting a pen and paper and leave for 10 minutes, then say that you need to get your wallet and leave for another five minutes, etc. You can even ask them to speak very slowly so that you can write every word down. Or perhaps you could ask a lot of questions and tell unrelated stories, until the telemarketer realises that you are not interested in the product and they eventually terminate the call.
There are even a lot of amusing and funny ways that you can waste the time of the telemarketer, such as pretending to propose to them, telling them funny stories, acting like different characters and otherwise being silly. There are a few comedians on Youtube who make an art of coming up with funny responses to telemarketers and recording their reactions – which can actually be quite amusing.
This might seem rude, but telemarketers don’t want their time wasted any more than you want yours to be wasted. If you can make them realise that calling you is fruitless, they will not make the same mistake again and they will probably cross you off their list. However, you don’t have to be rude or mean to them – they are just doing their jobs.
These are just a few of the ways that you can fight back against annoying telemarketers who interrupt your private time and disturb the peace in your home.
