October 4, 200917 yr Hi, I had to take my mobile number off my website because the amount of sales calls I was getting was starting to get pretty annoying. I can handle the odd salesman no probem, and sometimes I like to hear what they are offering, but sometimes it gets too much. Recently I got phone calls from a company who started to use abusive scare tactics to try to get me to buy their products. I told them I wasnt interested and they hung up the phone on me which I found pretty damn rude. I found out later on that they were notorious for it, AND it is a company that represents Google and Yahoo, which I found pretty odd, but it turned out to be true. Again and again they kept phoning my mobile and I have recently begun to start ignoring the number until I thought about getting the number blocked. It had to be a well written threatening email to get them to stop. But this is just one of many calls that I got and I am pretty sure some sales companies started to pass my mobile number around and a lot of the time the number was witheld. Now I know with the world of online promotion that stuff like this is bound to happen, but how do you people handle it? I want my number on my website, without it I dont think I would convert any incoming visitors to my site and it looks unprofessional, but I dont want to be answering my mobile every 5 minutes to sales companies throughout the Uk, especially when I am out with family at weekends. To clients sure, but not to sales people as they are pretty persistant. I'm generally a calm man, but even I have a limit and it is only a matter of time before some poor soul feels my wrath Or have I just been unlucky? Thank you WW
October 5, 200917 yr Make sure your number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service - http://www.tpsonline.org.uk. You can put home, mobile or business numbers on there. They say to allow a month for it to fully kick in but it does work. And for those few who do get through if you tell them you are signed up there they should go away pretty sharpish.
October 5, 200917 yr Ive got 2 ways to deal with incoming calls. 1) "you need to speak to Dave, let me just get him for you" *put phone on side and just leave it til they hang up* 2) "You are aware this call is being recorded? anything you say may be used for training/complaint purposes" (this normally makes them hang up) if number 2 doesnt work i then just add a "i will now forward you to the correct department, please hold" and press hold. Then leave it. They always hang up eventually. Suprisingly enough, i dont get the same company call me twice very often...... Reaper
October 5, 200917 yr you should also get a second phone number to use just for business purposes so you dont have to put your personal phone number up on the net. if you cant afford a second number or a dedicated landline, you can get a cheap 'PayAsYouGo' mobile, you dont need a flash phone or big call package just a cheap handset to take/make calls on... I've found tho you will convert more customers if you can get a landline number, people trust them more than mobile numbers
October 5, 200917 yr I second getting the second line... you can then leave it in the office / home or turn it off at weekends. If you're on a contract call them up and see if they can offer you a good deal on a second line
October 5, 200917 yr i LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE sales calls. I do one of two things: - Take them for a ride, i pretened to be intrested in there products until they think they are just about to make a sale, and then i ask them what they are selling again, and tell them that i'm not intrested, because you've waisted so much of there time they hang up, and genreally won't call back. - Find out the company name and website, from this with some indepth research you can sometimes find out the telephone numbers of some high up people. then you just keep ringing them at roughly dinner time, day in day out untill they stop ringing you!!!
October 6, 200917 yr Author What is the name of this company that have used these scare tactics? Thanks for the replys, a few nice ideas, I may start to play them at their own game or simply leave the phone on the side so I waste their time instead of vice-versa I suppose this type of thing is inevitable? I do not usually like to name and shame but the company in question are called Infoserve Group Ltd, or at least somebody who represents them. After getting pestered from them myself I looked up information on them and a lot of people complain. I seen them listed on Blagger.com and many forums when I googled the phone number they kept calling me from. I didnt buy into their products so I cannot comment on if they work or not, but they are persistant when it comes to parting you with your money. What gets to me is that these guys are supposed to be a reputable company, are registered resellers of Google Adwords, represent Yahoo services, yet I got abusive phone calls from them if I did not buy into their services. I came across them because I wanted to get listed on Yahoo local, and I thought it may be a free service like Google local, but I had to submit my details through this company. Then they called me telling me that I had to pay, so politely I told them I wasnt interested, then they hung up on me only to phone me again the next day, and the next, and the next!?! Since then I got pestered and I am sure it is this company that sold my number, I sent a pretty nasty email to them because I was a bit peeved off so who knows what they did with my number? Recently after I got witheld numbers from many different accounting firms/freelancers asking to be my accountant, every day for 2 weeks solid I got a different sales rep. Also phone calls from companys who create booklets and they (so-called) deliver to tens of thousands of people and do I wish to subscribe for an advert? It had become constantly annoying. Thankfully the calls have slowed down immensley, but I think it maybe too late and I will have to change my number when the next batch of sales calls come back to haunt me http://www.blagger.com/db4/company_id/5083/companyname/Infoserve.html http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/08453677200 http://www.snozwangler.com/search.php?q=08453677200 I wont be ever making the same mistake again! Naughty, naughty sales people. People may have had a different experience with them and my experience may be quite rare, but something didnt go down right and I will never contact them again. WW
October 6, 200917 yr I got a tip off an old boss (the MD): If you get a call that wont give up when you answer just ask for their details, name, contact details etc first. Then tell them as a company (or yourself) you charge £2,000 per hour consultation and that for every minute on the phone they will receive a bill of at least £33 per minute. - at that point you have advised of a verbal contract and they can either agree or get of the phone sharpish. I had this with a mobile phone company trying to sell me a phone contract and I did the above....funny I never heard the guy say goodbye and never heard from the company again...mmmmmm. Good luck.
October 7, 200917 yr I use a free service, that allows you to use a 0843 number which is routed to your home landline or mobile. If you route the number to your landline all callers are held in a que until you select the # key. before you answer the call a message tells you if is a business or personal call. The same this happens if you route the call to your mobile but you pay 13.4Pence per minute. This service has done two things for me. 1 I look more professional with a 0943 number 2 I don't get sales people calling any more because they know the chances of talking to the owner is very slim. If you want the website PM me.
October 8, 200917 yr If you get hassles by sales call and can find out the identity of the company then contact BT - you can find the procedure at the BT help site. If the calls are abusive or threatening then log directly with the police.
October 8, 200917 yr Author If you get hassles by sales call and can find out the identity of the company then contact BT - you can find the procedure at the BT help site. If the calls are abusive or threatening then log directly with the police. I wouldnt say they are threatening, just pretty rude, they dont say 'buy our products, or else!'. But it is the first time I have come across a company that uses inpolite tactics, it was a pretty strange and annoying experience. I think I am going to hire a number eventually and get it rerouted, one that allows me to block certain numbers if they get persistant on their sales calls. I can handle everyday sales calls, sometimes I like to hear what they say, to test their sales expertise by firing every damn flaw in their product I can think of at them, turning them into a blubbering mess in the process. Its just when they dont take no for an answer that really irks me. A no is a no, they should really leave it at that. WW
October 10, 200917 yr On my home phone I use my secretary if I think it's a sales call. I just let my daughter answer it (she's 5). They hang up immediately.
October 10, 200917 yr Inform them that they have just called a crime scene. Ask them how they knew the deceased (whomever they're calling) and inform them that they are now a suspect Might be better to stick with some of the other suggestions though. Its a thread worth noting for future reference.
October 10, 200917 yr I have a few different types of businesses and have experienced this throughout all of them The typical tactic is say "Yes that does sound interesting please explain how it works" I then put my phone on my desk and continue working and having a conversation with other people in the office They sometimes will phone back 10 minutes later and say "I just phoned you etc etc" i say "oh yeah sorry about that, I am really interested please tell me again" And do the same again, they never phone a 3rd time Best thing I ever done was this: I used to own and Gym in stockton on tees, (cleveland) and a company phoned me about 6 or 7 times trying to sell me TV's with advertising on to go in my reception area. I told them everytime i was not interested and also told them to stop phoning but they would still phone every few days. SO i told them i was interested and would like a demo. They sent a guy from manchester with all of the kit to demo. he came into reception so i went to greet him, and told him i was just finishing a meeting and to wait for me. I left him in reception for over an hour, then came out and told him I wasnt interested and I didnt want a demo, He was puzzled and explained that he had driven all the way from manchester (170 mile) I said, well maybe now you wont phone me any more, try updating your database! The manager phoned to complain about his salesman wasted trip, and he got a lashing off me on the phone also
October 23, 200916 yr Ive got 2 ways to deal with incoming calls. 1) "you need to speak to Dave, let me just get him for you" *put phone on side and just leave it til they hang up* 2) "You are aware this call is being recorded? anything you say may be used for training/complaint purposes" (this normally makes them hang up) if number 2 doesnt work i then just add a "i will now forward you to the correct department, please hold" and press hold. Then leave it. They always hang up eventually. Suprisingly enough, i dont get the same company call me twice very often...... Reaper I like this a lot... I'm definitly using one of these techniques next time!
October 23, 200916 yr I have a cool feature on my mobile (most people probably have this I'd have thought) that sends selected numbers straight to voicemail. I have a contact saved as "Telemarketing" and everytime some insurance company or indian call centre phone me up I just save the number under that contact, they never leave voicemail!
October 23, 200916 yr I use a free service, that allows you to use a 0843 number which is routed to your home landline or mobile Is that the virtual switchboard? I thought they charged for all calls
October 26, 200916 yr First thing I do when I get a call from a number that I dont recognise is Google it. Takes a few seconds and very useful for avoiding sales calls. I'm really confused as to why anyone would offer a website for £199 to a web designer?
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