Hello all. For a few weeks now, I've been bothered by these calls. They seem untraceable - numbers witheld
Does anyone else get a phone call every day,(sometimes two or three times a day) where the call is connected.... silence, then an automated voice says " goodbye", then cuts off....
?????????????????????
UPDATE
some wonderful solutions suggested. I've not had time to read all the answers!
I just wanted to mention that I tried the suggestion of answering without speaking - waiting until the caller responds first, which someone suggested will confuse these automatic dialling services;
Well, it's early days and it could well be a coincidence, but I've had a reduction in calls by 100% - of those automatic "goodbye" calls... so it looks as if it works for them! I still get some, but the result is quite staggering. It would be interesting to see how many of you get the same result.....
Karen yes, it seemed to work
I'll know more at the end of the week...because much to my initial horror, My Other Half(bless 'em) picked it up and answered today and he got the scary "GOOD-BYE"
BUT it should be an experiment because If the theory is correct we should get more calls ...watch this space!
Ahem - I was the 'not speaking' suggestion.
I didn't know if it was coincidence when it appeared to work with me - but it looks like we both got the same result!
Stanley ! Thanks for this link it really reminds me of how I sometimes feel when I'm listening intently to a french conversation and then suddenly I miss a phrase and it all collapses into 'sounds just like Stanley'!
Yes, All the time and I just hang up or tell them to "**** off"
Haven't got time, John. Too busy answering the phone!
That's tricky, because only a limited number of replies are allowed, but if you go back to the last available reply tab, you can write your reply and it will drop to the bottom of the thread. It is possible that that you will have to go back to an earlier page to find that tab.
But I found your reply anyway.
Maybe the time will come when we spend all out time answering unwanted phone calls and deleting junk emails. Then no work will get done and nobody will have any money to buy the things these people are trying to sell and the problem will solve itself!
In the meantime you could have fun finding amusing ways to answer these calls. Are you old enough to remember Stanley Unwin?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBJJ6I5a5pk
No Mike, one could knock up an small programme that would give them hell but then that would be a denial of service attack and thus probably illegal. As an alternative you could, with a bit of research, find out his/her name, call him and blow a whistle in his ear.
Can't reply directly to Mike, but ... I put up that Introvert or Extrovert link the other day - gave a good bit of insight as to what kind of environment each personality type preferred.
When it comes to environment, the more we have the less empathetic we get. We just are just distanced from it. Of course then we have the other side of the coin when people declare how much/often they give to charity. But giving or raising money is relative to how much you have in the first place.
Anyway in response to the OPs original question - I get really, really, really fed up when I run to answer the phone, pick up and there is no one there. I get even more fed up after I've done it 5 times in one afternoon.
I have given a lot of thought to this and have come to the conclusion that humans don't function well in large communities. We only care about people who we can call by name and know their personal history. I am reminded of Harry Lime's observations from the Ferris wheel. Neither religion nor politics has provided the answer. There are just too damned many of us. If we were few in number, everyone would be valued. But it is just too terrifying to contemplate how that might come about.
Actually Mike (I was replying to Mike's last post but can't get the reply button up) I think if you win a lot they visit you.
It's a long time ago but I saw a programme, I think it was to do with Premium Bonds, and they do phone up first and tell you you've won, but they don't say how much just that it is one of the larger prizes. I suppose that's to stop people having heart attacks. Then they come and visit and drop the bombshell.
I wish!!!!
Actually I remember at the time thinking that must be a great job to have - going round and making people happy. An all year round Santa! HoHoHo!
Doesn't work. After the first few, his mail program will automatically dump the rest in the trash box, never to be seen.
The sad truth Mike is that it is not actually relative. It is REAL. Poor souls are exploited whilst we probably complain about the rising price of bread that we can still afford but they cannot. There is inequity in this world that keeps people like me in work. I have spent almost half a century trying to help make changes but I suspect my contribution is little more than an obscure footnote. Likewise, these people's lives and all that compares and is worse will be swept under history's carpet and be less than the footnote I might be at best. Of course we cannot open our hearts to them and buy all they are selling, but at least we can pleasantly tell them we are not interested. If we do it in another language the chances are probably even they will understand. Treating them like dirty just makes the damage done to them worse. Most of us do not treat our dogs that badly. Those who do lose friends and make enemies of some of them. Compassion always stands out before aggression.
It's all relative Brian.
I have no doubt that future historians will look back on most of our lives and see only unmitigated, squalid, Dickensian toil.
True Mike but we, as mature, experienced business folk, don't need to add to their angst. If we are so motivated let's have a go at the creeps driving these operations. Hitting the poor person at the front end does no good at all. Getting the name of the CEO and sending him 1000 emails might be a more appropriate response in my opinion.
