Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucselx!bionet!hayes.ims.alaska.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: carols@drilex.dri.mgh.com (Carol Springs) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Dealing with Telemarketers Message-ID: <14827@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 19 Nov 90 15:26:13 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: DRI/McGraw-Hill, Lexington, MA Lines: 48 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 834, Message 2 of 8 Jeff Carroll reports in Volume 10, Issue 828: > Actually, here in Bellevue, the police department (or, rather, >the Police Officers' Guild) *does* engage in telemarketing. Back when I was living in Philadelphia and had less experience with telemarketers, I received a call one afternoon that went like this: VOICE: Hello, Mrs. Jones? [Jones was a current single male resident in the house] ME: There is no Mrs. Jones here. VOICE: Mrs. Smith? [Smith was a former single male resident] ME: No. VOICE: Who am I speaking to? ME: What do you want? VOICE: [Long monotonic speech about being from the Fraternal Order of Police and "selling" circus tickets for disadvantaged youth, as Jeff Carroll describes above. The last sentence is something about how much should they put me down for, but I don't hear it very well] ME: Excuse me? VOICE: [Starts to repeat *entire spiel*, not just the last sentence] I recall that I somehow extracted myself from the conversation without simply hanging up on the guy, which in my misguided youth I was loath to do to anyone. But when I thought about it afterward, a tactical question sprang to mind and I wished I could replay things: [didn't happen but should have] ME: As a member of the Fraternal Order of Police, do you often encourage women to give out their names to unidentified callers on the phone? VOICE: Carol Springs carols@drilex.dri.mgh.com