Page 1 of Sky Cold Caller

We live in a "Doorstopper" zone - the local trading standards and police take a very dim view of cold-callers - and theoretically we shouldn`t get any of the buggers. There`s a No Cold Calling sticker on the front window and anybody who dares to try anything gets an earful for their pains.

Of course it doesn`t stop Sky Television or Talk-Talk. The young lady from Talk-talk wasn`t too bad. She apologised and went on her way when I pointed out I was with Virgin not BT, so she couldn`t do anything for me. The idiot from Sky was another proposition entirely.

I opened the door. "Hqllkwrfgnoqirg?"

"Pardon?"

"Howareya?"

"Fine thanks."

"Nothing to worry about, I`m from Sky Television. I believe you`re with Virgin Media?"

"Uh, yes, but..."

"Is that for all your services? Phone, television, internet?"

"Uh"

"I`m pretty sure we can save you a minimum of £20 a month on what you`re currently paying."

(Finally getting a word in) "No thanks, I`m not interested."

"What, you`re happy wasting twenty quid a month?"

"Yes I am, thank you". (Starts closing door)

(incredulous like I`m a moron) "Really, you`re happy wasting a whole twenty quid a mo.."

(Door safely locked).

I happen to know that if I wanted to switch to Sky, then BT would have to do a full install of the phone line because the cable had to be cut back when we had the windows done. We`d have to have an ADSL line installed to replace the 10Mb cable internet connection, and of course there`s the probable cost of the Sky+ box unless there`s some funny deal going on. I`d already costed a switch to Sky and estimated the cost of switching over at around £380, not including the inconvenience of propagating new email addresses and other niggling little problems. I loathe Virgin Media with a passion, but I think I hate Sky even more - otherwise I wouldn`t have dropped Sky to join Telewest when the Cable company came down our street.

J Mark Oates

I hate cold calls from banks!

Not on the doorstep mind, on the phone. I mean they just haven`t got their head around this security lark.

I go into a bank, if I want to withdraw 50p from my account, I have to take a form of ID, more than £50, I have to take two IDs, this despite this being the bank branch I have used since I was 8 years old and my dad opened a junior account for me.

Then out of the blue, I get a phone call from them, on a regular basis, asking what I want to do with all that money in my account (It was just resting, your honour). "Ooh, look at this highly risky stocks and shares investment we have for you, look at these excellent returns with zero risk, there`s no such thing as small print in a phone call, invest, invest, invest!"

I`m supposed to think, just because he doesn`t have a Nigerian accent, this phone call is completely above board and on the level. And it`s not like I haven`t told my bank that I will not accept cold calls from them. Idiots!

===========================
Jitendar Canth

Quote:
"I thought what I`d do was, I`d pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes."

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Woman from Barclaycard phones me up about once every three months:

Barclaycard: Hello is this Mr XXXXX?
Me: Why who are you?
Barclaycard: It`s Barclaycard, can you confirm your address?
Me: Yes.........(long pause)
Barclaycard: No can YOU confirm your address?
Me: Yes.........I`ve lived here for a while
Barclaycard: I need to confirm your address Sir.
Me: You must have it written down or on your computer screen. Who are you?
Barclaycard: I`m with Barclaycard...just enquiring why you haven`t used your card in a while.
Me: OK
Barclaycard: Can you give me your postcode & house number?
Me: It`s fixed to the wall....
Barclaycard: Pardon...
Me: My house humber, it;s screwed on the wall...
Barclaycard: Nevermind Sir...
Me: Bye - oh and F*** OFF.

I love it - and they still keep calling :D

This item was edited on Saturday, 15th August 2009, 19:52

We`re signed up with the Telephone Preference Service as well, but we still get unsolicited calls - and you wouldn`t believe the number that claim "oh, that doesn`t apply to us!"

J Mark Oates

Quote:
Woman from Barclaycard phones me up about once every three months:

Barclaycard: Hello is this Mr XXXXX?
Me: Why who are you?
Barclaycard: It`s Barclaycard, can you confirm your address?
Me: Yes.........(long pause)
Barclaycard: No can YOU confirm your address?
Me: Yes.........I`ve lived here for a while
Barclaycard: I need to confirm your address Sir.
Me: You must have it written down or on your computer screen. Who are you?
Barclaycard: I`m with Barclaycard...just enquiring why you haven`t used your card in a while.
Me: OK
Barclaycard: Can you give me your postcode & house number?
Me: It`s fixed to the wall....
Barclaycard: Pardon...
Me: My house humber, it;s screwed on the wall...
Barclaycard: Nevermind Sir...
Me: Bye - oh and F*** OFF.

I love it - and they still keep calling
My missus did that almost word for word with the cock muncher frrom Scottish Power.
I never knew she had a sense of humour before that :x

When I get a cold call phone call I ask the caller when its their day off. They almost always reply why? I tell them if they give me their number I will call them at home. 9 times out of 10 they hang up.

As for Sky and Virgin I play them off one another. A few years ago I told Sky that virgin had offered me a V+ box if I went with them. The result I was given a Sky+ box from them plus free installation and no price increase.

I have a normal Virgin box in the bedroom. Last week I called Virgin and told them Sky had offered me a Sky+ box and I wanted to leave them. Result on the 4th Sept I will get a free Virgin+ with free installation and a reduction in my monthly payments. That gives me Sky+ (Living Room), V+ (Bedroom) Free-view (PC Room) and Free-view (my granddaughter`s playroom). Both frieviews I got for nothing as a result of doing online surveys.

I`m not mean it`s just that as a carer I only earn £53 per week.

This item was edited on Thursday, 20th August 2009, 15:25

Im getting totally p***ed off with Halifax ringing me up asking me my name , date of birth , phone number and address for security reasons and to check that its me just so they can offer me all kinds of health insurance!!?

I`ve resigned myself to just hanging up now.



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Good on you WD now if you could only get the DWP and the tax man against one another you would get a decent amount to live on :D

I`m sick of the calls that are just automated where it isn`t a human on the other end but a pre-recorded message warning me about debt or some other such bollocks that doesn`t apply.

Anyone know how to stop these? I am registered with the TPS to boot.

Quote:

Anyone know how to stop these? I am registered with the TPS to boot.
Absolutely nothing and that`s direct from BT.
They can screen the calls via them but as they use numbers that vary or even come up as 00000 etc, they can`t block the number direct. Screening your calls is more of a pain to you than it is to them.

My personal favourite is when whoever it is rings you then asks for the confirmation details.
I do one of two things here, the second is also used for any other form of marketing call.

Option 1: Now inform them I want the same details from them (ie: you tell ME your name then MY name, MY DOB and MY card number, followed by MY security question answer as you called me...

Option 2: (more favoured) "Oh, I`ll just get him for you, hold on a second please".
I then hit the INT button on my phone to transfer to another handset. That`s it...just hit INT.

As my phone is a very old DECT phone with answering machine the hitting of INT also begins playing a very electronic, almost monotone version of Greensleeves to them :-D

It also costs me nothing.. I just leave them listening to that til they give up :D
(once I had one caller stay there over 15 minutes! :o
Only knew they were still there when I went to hang up the handset, said hello, got a response and said "Has he not come to the phone yet? Oh FGS, I`ll go tell him again" ;)

Jimbo : oÞ

"Making Teenagers depressed is like shooting fish inna barrel"