How do you get rid of cold callers on the phone?

[blackkitty]

How about, ' No I'm not interested in double glazing but have you let the light of Jesus into your life yet?' Works a treat.

[Comfreyfan]

OH registered us with the no cold calling register (I don't recall the proper name), she reckons it takes about one second from "Why are you calling us, we are on the <no cold calling register>" to "So sorry, goodbye."

It's the telephone preference service and it works like magic - hardly get any calls now and the odd one that does come through, you just mention the telephone preference service and they even apologise for calling you!

DD worked as a cold caller while at college, so I can never bring myself to be rude to them (it's someone's daughter/son after all), but if I want a service/goods - I'll go and find them thanks!

[Minty]

I remember disputing a £25 charge that had been added to my wifes Virgin Media account.

After a good 20 mins arguing with a very stroppy young woman at the call centre she decided she had had enough and exclaimed she should not be discussing it with myself only the account owner.
At this point i realised that i had not told her that i was NOT the account holder so asked loudly but politely if she had children, "no" was the reply. My response an equally loud " well god has blessed me with two fine children a great husband and a deep voice but trust me i am as much a woman as you are!!".
£25 charge removed NICE !!

[jacob marley]

My phone is registered with TPS and when people ring up and ask to speak to mr......... i say do i sound like a women that gets loads of apologys.
Then the next statement i use is my phone is registered with TPS and they told me that reputable companys will not ring me so your company must be disreputable they usualy waffle at that point or hang up it is all fun .
I some time's tell them to fff of being as they rang me i even had a woman caller swear at me as i had wound her up that much she was insistent that i had won a holiday and i told her i did not want it....jacob

[jackie j]

It's the telephone preference service and it works like magic - hardly get any calls now and the odd one that does come through, you just mention the telephone preference service and they even apologise for calling you!

but if I want a service/goods - I'll go and find them thanks!

Thats what we did but we do get a few the most annoying one we get is an international call no idea what they sell, our phone has caller display ( names that are on the list ) so if I dont recognise the number I dont answer, if I do by mistake I say no thank you and hang up. Simple

[Hilary B]

The last couple of times I have simply said "are you selling something?" and when I got a 'yes' I simply rang off.
I wouldn't be rude as such (unless they were) but I would love to have the nerve to be annoying, and if they get stroppy about that, THEN be rude.
If people can't imagine how they would feel about getting cold calls, and accept the responses that go with it, it is the wrong job for them (and yes, I do realise there might not be any other job going, but such is life sometimes).

[HeyWayne]

Ex directory and registered with TPS - hardly ever get them at all now. In fact, can't remember the last time I did.

Such a shame, much fun to be had.

[Pootle]

Like HeyWayne - ex directory and TPS registered.

Still get the odd one - depending on my mood I say that I'm the au-pair and am grateful for the opportunity to improve my english (long fruitless conversation...) or begin asking them for help with my 'homework' like I'm a 14 year old (OH's physics book do have some use)

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

We are registered with TPS and are Ex-dir but it does not stop the foreign call centres, who like to annoy me - especially the ones who will only speak to my husband (cause I'm a lowly woman). Those ones find out very quickly this lowly woman is Glaswegian and knows quite a few sweary words. I put on my best Rab C Nesbitt accent for them. Other than that I was told by a friend do not answer their questions, just talk about socks - I've got a new red pair of socks, my friend has blue socks, what colour of socks are you wearing, do you have red socks? etc, etc, They hang up quite quickly.

[BarleySugar]

I had a phone call from a person from the uni I graduated from. She said she was updating the alumni register and did i still teach. I confirmed that I did, and she told me she was considering going into the profession. I talked to her for about 10 minutes, answering questions about the job, good and bad points etc, thinking I was helping her. Then she cut to the chase, she was actually asking for donations to different funds to help struggling students. I informed her I already helped 2 struggling students, and had another going the same way, so no I could not afford the £25 per month she was asking for.
I was really annoyed, I wondered if she pretended to be interested in whatever career the person had chosen, to set up the conversation.
I also had a cold call from Vonage, but to start with I thought he said he was from my isp, offering a new service, so I listened. He only expected me to give out credit card details there and then . He then said I could check the details on their site, but not to sign up from there, as I couldn't have the offers unless I did it on the phone. Fishy or what? (I also had problems understanding half of what he said) I contacted Vonage because I thought he was an imposter, but apparently that is their sales technique. Vonage have now taken me off their list and won't be contacting me again since my complaint.
I usually just say very firmly that I'm not interested and hang up. We don't usually get them, but if we do, there seems to be a spate of them, then it dries up.
My Mum, 84, is usually a bit ruder than me.

[HeyWayne]

We are registered with TPS and are Ex-dir but it does not stop the foreign call centres, who like to annoy me - especially the ones who will only speak to my husband (cause I'm a lowly woman). Those ones find out very quickly this lowly woman is Glaswegian and knows quite a few sweary words. I put on my best Rab C Nesbitt accent for them. Other than that I was told by a friend do not answer their questions, just talk about socks - I've got a new red pair of socks, my friend has blue socks, what colour of socks are you wearing, do you have red socks? etc, etc, They hang up quite quickly.

I would imagien asking them what kind of underwear they have on would work even quicker.

[SlugLobber]

I've had those phone calls, Barley Sugar. Once a year or so. They also waste paper sending me 'updates' on alumni that I have never met, never will and am not interested in!

I used to repeat everything the cold-caller said, which normally got rid of them, that or cut them off whilst I was talking.

Haven't had a land-line for over 4 years, now and have to say, I don't miss it either! It's one reason I don't have the internet, as I don't want to pay line rental for a service I won't use.

[SlugLobber]

I would imagien asking them what kind of underwear they have on would work even quicker.

Some guy called a phone box and asked me that, when I was about 14. I told him "They're My Little Pony, with Wednesday on, only it isn't Wednesday is it, so I should really go home and change into the Friday ones. What do YOU think?" He laughed and hung up.

[kiwirach]

i used to get loads asking for my mother. now since my mother has never lived in the UK i know they are cold callers so would string them on a little......

them ' may i speak to Mrs xxxx
me ' i'm sorry, shes in NZ'
them ' when will she be back?'
me 'i'm not sure.....she lives there......goodbye!'
then i hang up!.

the ones that make me laugh are the ones going 'but i'm only trying to save you some money' when i say no thanks. to which i reply 'i havent asked to you ring me have i?' and i just keep repeating that until i hangup.

must remember to go on the list when i get my next flat!.

[Pootle]

Not quite the same, but the funniest one we had was when a guy came to the door offering to chop down trees..."Could I speak to your Mum?"

Errr I'm 38 with 3 children (I know I'm short but...)