OT: Do you hate Telemarketters as much as I do?

[Ilen]

There are always other jobs. I have yet to see a fast food joint not offering to hire.

Most telemarketing firms pay more then entry-level positions at fast food joints.

Anyone who interrupts the privacy of my home deserves the reaction they get.

If you are taking the time to blow up and abuse the telemarketer, like I’ve said before, your time is obviously not quite as important as some people are trying to lead us to believe.

No one deserves respect.

Then why are you complaining about people lacking the respect to not call you (calling you something you consider to be horrid and disrespectful), by your own words they need not respect you until you’ve demonstrated you deserve to be treated otherwise, so just what have to done to show to the next telemarketer that calls that you are deserving of his respect?

I have enough self-respect to treat other people the way I want to be treated.

I have had enough self-respect to work jobs that don't bother other people.

FD

The Telemarketers I know don't go ballistic over receiving calls, they rebuff the effort in a calm, rational and adult manner, so in other words they treat people the way they want to be treated. f you like to be abused then more power to you, but most people don't. And thus handing out abuse, is not treating others the way you want to be treated.

Commercials bother me; does this mean everyone in the business of making them has no self-respect? Um… no. Obviously somebody appreciates the calls enough to purchase the product else the business wouldn’t exist. Anyway, Its nice to know that the deciding factor on wither somebody has enough self respect is left up to you, I’m sure everyone sleeps better knowing this.

Why is it OK to have a job that entails being rude to people, but not to respond in kind to said people?

Well first, not everyone considers telemarketing rude; no more so then approved credit cards in the mail and such. Now if the telemarketer is being rude (in your case aside from simply telemarketing in the first place) then complain to the company they belong to (they have to tell you where they work if you ask, it’s a law IIRC), or if you don’t feel like going that far, utter those words I suggested earlier and hang up.

Not all Telemarketers are rude and refuse to let you go, it is unfair to say that all are such and are scum. And the fact that you consider them rude from the get go causes problems. Tell me, if I think people in stores ‘hawking sample’ are rude to ask me if I’d like to try the newest brand of Waffles am I justified in lashing out at them?

I’d say no. Beside, if you want to hold the moral high ground that certain people in the thread are hanging to you need to be polite, even if they are so 'rude' as to call you right before you sit down to dinner.

P.S. I probably wouldn’t have even bothered to post in this thread if people had stuck to being offended, and insulting the profession and not the people. Really, your all sitting here telling my Brother-In-Law who is telemarketer (though he’s off the phones now) is the scum of the earth and has no self-respect because the job has the flexible hours he needs (and the pay rate) to ease his going to colledge.

P.P.S. I've said it before, I'm saying it now, and I'll say it again, if the receiving of a phone call is such an imposition on your time why are you taking the time (it takes much more time to abuse a telemarketer then say the magic words) to abuse them?

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Most telemarketing firms pay more then entry-level positions at fast food joints.

Oh, I guess that must make it a socially acceptable job.

If you are taking the time to blow up and abuse the telemarketer, like I’ve said before, your time is obviously not quite as important as some people are trying to lead us to believe.

Why don't you go back and read the line after the one you quoted. I made it clear I don't answer the phone anymore at all.

just what have to done to show to the next telemarketer that calls that you are deserving of his respect?

I have not forced my presence in his life.

Not all Telemarketers are rude and refuse to let you go, it is unfair to say that all are such and are scum.

The only person to call them scum in this topic has been you.

I think it is an appropriate description- so I won't disagree with you.

FD

edit: missed a word

 

[Umbran]

Why is it OK to have a job that entails being rude to people, but not to respond in kind to said people?

Because (if you haven't noticed) the world is nasty enough as it is, that's why. Because "eye for an eye" is not a particularly effective mode of human interaction. Fighting fire with fire doesn't work in this case - being rude does nothing to stop others from being rude to you.

Think a sec - on these boards, they ask you not to reply to obnoxious posts in kind. Why? Just because the mods say so? No, it's because it's the best way to keep the place nice, overall.

There's a basic reasoning error to Furn_Darkside's position, in that it's the same position the telemarketing comanies have. If the "nobody deserves respect, all respect must be earned" position generates the problem, it's unlikely to generate the solution.

Or, from a different perspective - Let's say nobody deserves respect. That includes you. Do you earn respect by being rude to the telemarketer? No. Until you earn it by behaving better than they do, you don't deserve ther respect of peace and quiet.

Or, from a practical perspective - what do you accomplish by being rude to the telemarketer? Diddly. Perhaps you put the final straw on the camel's back, and force on person out of the business. There's always another person they can put in that chair. Being rude will not cause them to run through all the possible employees, despite some folks here wishing that were true.

The Golden Rule: it's not just a rule. It's actually a Good Idea!

 

[Nifft]

The Telemarketers I know don't go ballistic over receiving calls, they rebuff the effort in a calm, rational and adult manner, so in other words they treat people the way they want to be treated.

I do treat others the way I want to be treated: I do not deliberately bother them, call them at home, try to sell them crap, etc.

Telemarketers aren't the only type of people who deliberately make annoyances out of themselves. Another good example is a protester. However, the protester is being a nuisance for a higher cause -- there's an element of self-sacrifice involved. The telemarketer is just doing it for money -- his actions are self-serving.

-- Nifft

 

[Furn_Darkside]

There's a basic reasoning error to Furn_Darkside's position, in that it's the same position the telemarketing comanies have. If the "nobody deserves respect, all respect must be earned" position generates the problem, it's unlikely to generate the solution.

If my "position" is going to be quoted- then I want to quote something I said earlier. Just so my position is more clear:

Originally posted by Furn_Darkside I have enough self-respect to treat other people the way I want to be treated.

FD

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Commercials bother me; does this mean everyone in the business of making them has no self-respect? Um… no. Obviously somebody appreciates the calls enough to purchase the product else the business wouldn’t exist. Anyway, Its nice to know that the deciding factor on wither somebody has enough self respect is left up to you, I’m sure everyone sleeps better knowing this.

It slipped my mind to respond to this part.

Do you not see the difference between a commercial and a telemarketing call?

If I purchase a television or radio, then I do so with the full knowledge that most televisions supplement their profit with commercials.

That is not the same expectation used with having a phone. A phone is a modern necessity, and a radio/television is not.

FD

 

[Ilen]

Oh, I guess that must make it a socially acceptable.

Oh, I guess working at a fast food joint and making less money will pay the bills, I'm sure the apartment manager will understand.

And since where you the definer who what was socially acceptable? There are enough people out there who accept it and buy the products and services offered over the telephone, else the business wouldn’t exists.

Why don't you go back and read the line after the one you quoted. I made it clear I don't answer the phone anymore at all.

Maybe you are the one who should go back and read. I said some people, not you.

I have not forced my presence in his life.

Neither is he, especially considering you don’t bother to answer the phone anymore.

The only person to call them scum in this topic has been you.

I think it is an appropriate description- so I won't disagree with you.

I wasn’t quoting anybody I was paraphrasing, certain people, yourself included have taken the general stance the telemarketers are somehow less then others.

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Maybe you are the one who should go back and read. I said some people, not you.

Then don't quote me when you are making a general comment- and such confusion can be avoided. Agreed?

I wasn’t quoting anybody I was paraphrasing, certain people, yourself included have taken the general stance the telemarketers are somehow less then others.

Only by their behavior.

FD

 

[Westwind]

(quote)
My current favorite is: There have been three quarterbacks who started their careers with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and went on to win the Superbowl with other teams. Can you name the players?
(/quote)

Steve Young, Trent Dilfer, and ???? To be honest, I'm not even sure Dilfer started there, but I think he did.

My favorite experience with a telemarketer (which, thankfully, don't seem to exist here in Germany) went like this:

Her: And all I need now is for you to confirm you're Mr. So-And-So and your address is XYZ so I can send you this information.

Me: Look, I've been trying to tell you, I'm not interested.

Her: So I can sign you, up right?

Me: Are you listening to what I say?

Her: This is Mr. So-And-So, right?

Me: No, it's not.

Her: So you're not Mr. So-And-So living at XYZ? I have your information right here....

Me: Sorry, I was robbing the house when you called. I have to go.

In retrospect, I was glad she didn't call the cops, but I got the satisfaction of that "dazed and confused" tone I love so much from telemarketers.

 

[Hejdun]

After getting 20-30 telemarketer calls a day, I pretty much consider myself to have free reign to **** with them however I want. I don't care who you are, but if people are calling me every 15 minutes to try to sell me stuff, they are invading my life, and they'll know they are doing it. Fortunately, there's a No Call list in Colorado, so as soon as I heard about it I signed up. Now we only get a telemarketer call every so often, and then they get an earful.