Telemarketers: villains or victims?

[CountDeMoney]

I am pure white. WHITE POWER.

That baby is sooooo stolen goods.

[11B4V]

Naw, look at the hair. That brillo pad action.

[jimmy olsen]

IT Help my ass. I fucking hate doing business with any company that outsources like that.

I've generally had good experience with dotheads.  The one time I called Flipistan was very frustrating.  They clearly weren't a colony long enough to do phone work.

I found the level of English amazing when I visited. Even in the backwoods of the backwoods people could speak it.

[Martinus]

I'm with Yi.  It may not be the worst job in the world, but it's close.

I'm polite but firm with telemarketers.  "I'm sorry, I'm not interested in your service.  Good bye."  If they keep talking after that point they do get hung up on.  But no use to go out of your way to be abusive.

I say "I'm sorry I cannot talk right now" and hang up while they try to ask me when would be a good time to call.

Your method would be better if it actually worked - instead they try to get you into a discussion as to why you are not interested in their service - and then call again anyway.

[Jaron]

My company doesn't outsource. It offshores.

[Eddie Teach]

My company doesn't outsource. It offshores.

Just to be clear, you realize that Deseret is not a country. 

[The Larch]

It's a miserable job and the people who have to resort to it should be pitied, not abused. Unless they behave like jerks. I have friends who had to work as such, and they told me that the best thing you can do is cut them with a stern "No, I'm not interested" and hang up ASAP, as it frees up both your and their time.

Btw, over here the main destination for outsourcing this kind of service is South America, mainly Ecuador, Perú and Chile. During the 2010 Chile earthquake the customer relations department for several big name firms went down for several days.

[Martinus]

It's a miserable job and the people who have to resort to it should be pitied, not abused. Unless they behave like jerks. I have friends who had to work as such, and they told me that the best thing you can do is cut them with a stern "No, I'm not interested" and hang up ASAP, as it frees up both your and their time.

The problem with this approach, to me, is that answering like this makes me feel rude already. Which creates a stress and makes me mad at the person for forcing me to behave like this.

It's like meeting an (overly intruding) beggar in the street - it creates a cognitive dissonance because on one hand you want to consider yourself a nice person who helps people but on the other you have a sense that this person does not deserve your help/is exploiting you. So simply by refusing (sternly) you have to overcome a certain innate level of politeness, that makes you irritated/mad. And then you hate that person for making you mad.

[Syt]

The problem with this approach, to me, is that answering like this makes me feel rude already.

I never thought that might be a problem for you.

[The Larch]

It's a miserable job and the people who have to resort to it should be pitied, not abused. Unless they behave like jerks. I have friends who had to work as such, and they told me that the best thing you can do is cut them with a stern "No, I'm not interested" and hang up ASAP, as it frees up both your and their time.

The problem with this approach, to me, is that answering like this makes me feel rude already. Which creates a stress and makes me mad at the person for forcing me to behave like this.

It's like meeting an (overly intruding) beggar in the street - it creates a cognitive dissonance because on one hand you want to consider yourself a nice person who helps people but on the other you have a sense that this person does not deserve your help/is exploiting you. So simply by refusing (sternly) you have to overcome a certain innate level of politeness, that makes you irritated/mad. And then you hate that person for making you mad.

Thing is, the onus is on you to cut short the conversation, as they're forbidden from doing so. All their conversations are monitored by their supervisors, and they have to follow a tight script of questions which they can't deviate from. Dragging on for politeness' sake when you're not interested wastes both your time and the time of the person calling you. And believe me, they're not going to consider you rude for doing so, they will most probably be thankful.

[Sheilbh]

I feel sorry for them.

[11B4V]

I'm usually very short with them. I pity them not. They took the job.

[Brazen]

What's this "Not take no for an answer" malarkey. As soon as I realised what they are, I just say, "I'm not interested. Thanks for calling" and hang up. Job done and everyone's happy.

[Ed Anger]

You people. Hang up. 

You enter the mad realm of Ed Anger when you call my house.

[Admiral Yi]

I'm usually very short with them. I pity them not. They took the job.

Would you rather they not work at all?