Soliciting moolah by phone...

[totoro]

Do any of you get REPEATED phone calls, every day, all hours of the day from every police agency in the world????
I swear, I get hit up at least 2x a day. The Sheriff, the Canine Unit, Fraternal Order of Police, Highway/State Trooper's....
Oh and the Fire Dept.

I have asked all of them to either send me something in the mail or stop calling. Then it is one calling from a different Precinct or County...
"Yes M'am, but can you pledge an amount?" "M'am we have never called you" "OK M'am but can we send something with the amount you are going to donate?"
"M'am you WILL receive a Fraternal Order of Police Decal!"

I just want them to stop calling! I donate to who I can when I can. I have call block and am registered on the national do not call thingy....
Thank you for letting me vent. You can send donations or treats to:
Totoro
Tucson, AZ...
You will not get a Decal, but you will get a BIG hug and a kiss... not tax deductible either.

 

[klmno]

Yep- and I used to politely try to get them off the phone, but now I deal with them just like any other telemarketer. My son has to conform to everyone else's expectations- so I see no reason for me to treat them any differently than I would anyone else calling me asking for money.

 

[SRL]

It's just started up, same time as it did last year. I told the last guy he was my 4th call in 2 days.

 

[Andy]

Sometimes at this time of the year I start screening my call - I have an answer machine, "Hello, you have reached ___________. I am screening my calls so friends and family please hang on, if I am home, I will pick up when you state who you are. All others, if you are soliciting we are not interested, do not call back." (Yes, I have done this)

If I forget, I usually say in a very firm voice, "I am not interested, don't call again, Good bye." and hang up before they get a chance to answer.

This is the worst time of the year for solicitors.

 

[DammitJanet]

Mine just started up recently too. I normally shut them up fairly fast by saying I already support the police...my son is an officer and since we all know what they get paid, obviously he gets my support! Then I thank them kindly for their service and say a quick bye bye.

 

[DammitJanet]

Oh...and I have a really great line for those pesky telemarketers who want to call and tell you that you have been selected to "win" some great vacation some exotic place.

I cut them off pretty fast asking them if this is to win a trip someplace and they normally will answer me with this "oh yes Mam...it is a lovely trip...blah blah blah" Then I go into my answer of: well I really dont want to waste your time talking to me about this because I cant go anywhere. You see I am very ill and am bedridden so I cannot leave my house at all.

One right stupid woman had the ignorance to ask me...what do you mean bedridden? Cant someone just take you places? I said Ma'am...I cannot leave my bed at all! I only have six months to live! LOL. She kinda got silent and said a really soft Oh...and hung up...lmao.

 

[muttmeister]

I am on the do not call list but as I understand it that does not apply to most charities. When they call and start their spiel, I don't say anything; I just hang up.
Except for the time I had just read in the paper that the "Nebraska Sheriff's Association" was calling for donations and that it was not legitimate and that you should not donate. Sure enough they called me so I said, "You must represent the 4$$#0!3 that put my kid in jail." Then I hung up. At least I got a good laugh.

 

[KTMom91]

I used to have Miss KT answer in German. I sometimes answer in Spanish, and rattle off the most amazing things...excuse me, sir, your alligator is standing on my foot...no, thank you, I do not like cheese in my coffee...doesn't matter what you say, as long as it isn't in English.

 

[GoingNorth]

I take these calls in Yiddish which is mostly German, but sounds completely different. My mother takes them in Afrikaans which is mostly Dutch, but again sounds completely different.

What annoys me are the local charities who don't seem to realize that I've already sent them a (small) check and call me anyways.

I'm on the "do not call" list for the telemarketers at least, but living up here in a rural metropolis of 7K people, we have no shortage of local charities that call up.

 

[Marguerite]

We have a blanket policy to not give money to anyone who calls over the phone. And we tell them this. We also ask to be taken off their database.

We have a problem here - because voting is compulsory in Australia, all adults in the country are on the Electoral Roll. This document is available to the public, I believe. And while it is better for a telemarketer to have a call list that is already 'cleaned up' (ie they only call the people most likely to buy their product) sometimes they start over and begin with another download of the Electoral Roll. That is when we can find organisations who DID have us listed as "do not call" suddenly calling us again. It happens. Sl again we say, "Do not call - remove us from your database."

My favourite was when I received a call from someone trying to sell me aluminium cladding - where you put this 'skin' on your timber house that can make it look like brick. Only it never looks as good, of course...

I let the guy talk. I did try, initially, to say we weren't interested but this guy was too pushy. So I listened and sounded more and more interested. "You mean - it could cut my power bills? The insulation is THAT good?" I had the guy stringing along for half an hour, then when I'd had enough I hit him with the killer question - "So how do you attach it to a full-brick house?"

The telemarketer hung up on me! And they have never rung back.

Now THAT is success.