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Annoying Salespeople

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I feel like I’m in an AA/NA meeting.. Hi my name is Kevin, and I’m a salesperson. So many people feel that ethics have all gone the way of the Commodore 64. While this saddens me, I also see more truth to it than I wish to admit.
I am interested to know one thing from all the techs out there. What are some of the worst things salespeople have done to tick you off or loose your trust?
I have no intention of touting my stuff on this website, but I would like your feedback on what you guys think is a reasonable way (if any) for salespeople to approach you.
Nobody likes their day to be interrupted by a salesperson wanting to “take a minute of your time”, and e-mail has become an over abused communication link.
Sorry if this strikes a cord or two, but it’s an issue that needs to be addressed.

Many Thanks.

Topic

Business sales don’t require tricks

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

The one thing I like about being self employed is that sales are easy. Many years ago I sold vaccuum cleaners door to door. That was difficult. Business sales, by comparison, are easy.

The thing that I like about business sales is that the potential client already wants something. All you have to do is to find out what the potential client wants and see if you can provide it. I spent many yeas as a contract employee before I became entirely self employed. I always regarded the contract job interviews as sales meetings. I always had one approach. I would listen to what the potential client wanted and then I would explain how I could provide the stated requirements. Now that I have my own independent business things are pretty much the same. Generating prospects is something that I didn’t have to do when I was working through contract houses but otherwise sales to businesses don’t require tricks or other unethical practices.

All of that really doesn’t address your question, though. As a system administrator I have had many sales meetings where I was the potential client. I rarely found any unethical or even irritating behavior from sales people. As a business customer I have always had good experiences when dealing with sales people. There was just one experience that really bothers me to this day. This happened about 15 years ago and I’m still bitter about it.

I was working as a contract system administrator running DEC VMS machines. My customer had heard about some performance tuning software from the person whom I had replaced and the customer was determined to try it. I went to a sales meeting with others of my client’s management. I had read the detailed description of the products and I was very concerned about what the products would do. I expressed my concerns and the sales people assured me that no harm would come to the computer systems as a result of using the products.

Now you have to understand something about my position at this job. Although I was the system administrator I was not in complete authority over the way that the computers were run. There were other direct employees that had their jurisdictions, which they vigorously protected. One of the direct employees was in charge of doing system backups. Unfortunately he didn’t do his job very well. He was what we would today call a “script kiddie”. He didn’t understand what his job required. He didn’t understand how to check on the quality of the backups. He didn’t want to hear from me about how he could check for errors in the previous night’s backups. I would check his work every couple of weeks, tell him of problems that I had found, and make suggestions about how to address these problems. He never adopted any of my suggestions.

So back to our sales story. The sales people sold three products to my customer. One was a dynamic tuning application, another was a disk file cache that replaced the cache that came with VMS, and the third was a disk defragmenting product. Once the sales meeting ended I told my customer’s managers that I recommended against using these products. They said that they wanted me to implement the products right away. Okay. Fine. So I did that. Guess what. The disk file cache corrupted files. So when I turned these three products on the disk defragmenter started working away. Unfortunately the files that it processed were sent through the defective disk cache software. Numerous files were corrupted. Once we discovered this I asked the backup guy about restoring the bad files. He had no idea how to do this so I checked the backups. Many of the files that had been corrupted by the faulty disk cache software did not have a recent backup. Ugggh.

I called the vendor of these products and explained the problem. When I said that we had defragmented disks while the cache was running the vendor customer service person just said “Of course. Everyone does that.” However they did not have any resolution except to restore from backups. The thing that really bugs me is that the sales people knew about the disk cache problem before they came to sell this junk to my customer. When I expressed concern about the products harming the computer system the sales people said something to the effect that their customer support was available to work through any problems that we encountered. I responded by saying that they and their customer service people were not the ones that had to get the machine running again if a disaster occurred. Once the problem happened and I called their customer service the attitude of the person to whom I spoke was a matter-of-fact “of course that happened”. I will never forgive the sales people for assuring my customer, if not me, that any problems that arose from using their products could easily be overcome. That turned out to NOT be the case.

Well the backup guy was allowed to resign. I was allowed to get this stinking software off of the VMS machines. None of the managers that decided to use these products suffered any consequences.

Those sales people were unethical in selling a product that they knew was defective and that would cause a catastrophic data corruption problem.

Ooooh, a great topic!

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

I’m asking all of the salespeople that represent TechRepublic to subscribe to this thread. Not only are they salespeople but they talk to the sales and marketing professionals that are selling these technologies. If you have a beef with how you’re being treated by sales teams, please know that TechRepublic’s team will be watching and ready to rely sales “worst practices” to our sponsors.

Yeah baby. Spank those sponsors.

In reply to Ooooh, a great topic!

You are funny. 🙂

no spanking,

In reply to Yeah baby. Spank those sponsors.

Our sponsors genuinely want to make the right kind of impact with potential customers. Believe it or not, they ask our sales people how they can do a better job.

spoilsport!!!

In reply to no spanking,

here I was getting ready for some foreplay and you had to kill that. 🙁

Solictors or salespeople?

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

– Ever notice when it gets warm outside that the salespeople appear in droves?
– I bet your company has a [b]NO Soliciting[/b] sign (or similar) posted somewhere…how many salespeople actually pay attention to it? We’ve actually had [b]ONE[/b] who said “Oh I see your sign, I’ll just leave this and go”. We’ve had one guy even say, “But I’m not soliciting” (Oh brother!) (I did look up the actual definition of soliciting and there are a cpl meaning that aren’t “selling” related, but the main meaning here in the US is to “approach with a request, or urge (strongly)”
– The ones I hate are the telemarketers that call and ask for the model # on your copier. If you ask them which one a few will try to guess and say “Xerox”, “Canon” or “Minolta”. Most of the time I just ask what company their with and they’ll hang up. But I do know one co-worker who got clotheslined by one of them and they sent a toner cartridge and billed us for it. **Actually, I don’t think they ever sent the cartridge because I was in charge of the copiers as well as office supplies and never received a cartridge from another source. But I do remember when A/P came and asked who the heck were these people billing us for a cartridge.
– Then there’s the empty promises. When we purchased a new copier, the salesguy promised us 2 free toners. It took us months of fighting through the red tape to get it.

– On a personal experience: We were trying to buy a new car. The salespeople gave us one and said they’d be out to our home with the loan papers to sign. We thought “Cool” right? Ha! When they came with the loan papers, the interest rate was 40%!!
Needless to say we didn’t get that car.

– On a good note: With the car we currently own, the salesguy was so sure he’d get us a loan he let us take the car off the lot that day with his dealer plate on it. We actually drove the car for [b]3 months[/b] before they got us a good loan!
Tink

Ah finance

In reply to Solictors or salespeople?

I signed up for a fitted carpet for the hall, stairs and landing at price X, he muttered that the finance boys would sort out the payments.

They turned up and it was X * 3. So I said, seems to have been an omission in the sales pitch there matey. I was paying for a carpet, not a bloody extension.

Unfortunately for them while this wrangle was going on, they came round and fitted it.
I got it for nothing, I felt very guilty about this for about two nanoseconds.

So let this be a warning to the sales types, somthings you do to make a sale can cost you.

Mind you the scam, I mean bargain, they were running they could probably afford one nasty git like me in three and still make a tidy sum.

But I’ll bet when you buy the next new car

In reply to Solictors or salespeople?

you will give this same dealer a serious look before you go anywhere else.

That’s salemanship.

ask for the model # on your copier

In reply to Solictors or salespeople?

They do that where I work too. I think of that as a scam rather than sales.

The worse thing?

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

I don’t have a horror story thank goodness.

The only time I dumped a vendor was when my rep seemed to become numbers oriented after working with him for a year and started quoting me inconsistent prices and offering solutions I didn’t need. He stopped taking care of the customer.

Usually, I entertain a solicitation for twenty seconds by telling the salesperson an honest outlay of what we already have and receive an honest “thanks for your time” from the person. They’re welcomed to call back when vendor review are underway because it’s nice for me to have options. This saves me the stress of trying to get off the phone, too. I lead the call which seems to help both parties. I know you have a job to do. Before, I used to get so stressed with calls from sales folks.

Toner vendors get hung up on. Their tactics feel somewhat abusive, misleading and antagonistic. Their business model does not help me, the customer. It’s not a win/win in my book.

All in all, if you have my phone number and e-mail; leave me a message on both avenues. Believe or not, I listen to the voicemail and if it’s followed up with an e-mail, it gets put into a vendor contact folder. While you may not get on my vendor list everytime, you’re already a pre-qualified list judgemented upon the voice demeanor and single follow up e-mail.

Hate the obvious cold call

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

Well you probably already know this but one of the most annoying things is when I receive what is clearly a cold call. Somebody who really has no idea what my company does, nor any idea what my role in the company is. They somehow found or purchased my contact info someplace and are essentially fishing for business.

I understand the cold call can work, but I think you have to be a little better prepared. I mean when I worked at CNET, it amazed me how many people called me and had clearly not even bothered to Google me. They would have learned a lot about me since I’ve had so much posted on the various CNET sites. That’s just laziness on the part of the cold-caller, they know my name and the company’s name yet don’t bother to do any research before attempting the cold call.

Not to say that I’m opposed to salespeople. When they do their jobs well they can in fact be worthwhile. At my new job we deal with an Oracle sales guy who is kinda smarmy but he can and will get you in contact with the right folks when you have a problem or question with the product.

And he knows we’re too heavily invested in Oracle to switch but rather than be arrogant about it (like Microsoft might be) he’s helpful. For example he recently helped us find a way to actually *avoid* having to buy a couple additional licenses for a product. That to me was good service from a sales guy.

About the Cold Caller

In reply to Hate the obvious cold call

In defense of the cold caller- [i](I worked for 1 week as a telemarketer for a local newspaper- and [b]HATED IT![/b])[/i]

To make your money, you usually must meet a quota of sales. To make this quota you are expected to be on the phone constantly. As soon as you hang up from one call, you’re to be dialing the next number, continuing down your list.

They do not have the time, nor probably the access to research the name they are calling. It’s not an essential part of the job. For them, time is money. If you’re not on the phone, you’re not selling.
Tink

Slightly different perspective

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

I cannot begin to tell you how often I have left a call for a salesperson to contact me… and heard nothing.

This is truly irritating as I am generally, at that point, trying to validate a purchase and need to have additional information.

It’s a good bet on the part of the salesperson that three months later, I am not terribly interested in talking to them- I have found other vendors that can provide me with the information I need and a service level I can validate.

Cold calling won’t get you anywhere either- for the lion’s share of what is cold called, I already have a trusted resource… and back-ups.

If I have sent an RFP, I don’t want to get calls either- I have detailed the manner in which contact is acceptable and how to get additional questions answered. Your call is only an irritant- I am not permitted to step beyond the RFP process once started.

If you have my email address, by all means use it. My phone time is often more limited than my email time. I may hear your voicemail and may or may not take a note. Your email I will at least reply to, even if to say, “No Thanks”.

Mixed emotions

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

I don’t ever want sales people contacting me.

On the other hand, how can I sell my own services without cold calling?

Are you talking to a decision-maker?

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

Find out where the person you will call or buttonhole fits in the grand scheme of things. Fon example, I don’t have purchase authority except for me and I don’t buy big-ticket stuff for the house. Nothing fries my bacon faster than some salesman hearing this and deciding that I still need to listen to his spiel so I can “Pass it on” to the PTB at corporate.

Since most of these incidents are cold calls, you won’t be surprised when you find that my attitude is “Don’t call me, I’ll call you.” 😀

As an aside, you have already addressed the email issue that is probably my second-biggest peeve.

What I would like

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

is if salespeople would leave a message on my voicemail. I get many cold calls every day, if I answered them all, I’d be on the phone all day long. If I don’t recognize the number on my caller ID, I don’t answer the call. Most of the time, I get a hang up. If they would just leave a brief message, I’d be able to decide whether or not I wanted to hear more of what they had to say, and call back. Or not. Either way, leaving a message is a plus. Oh, and the other thing, if I see a number 5 or 6 times in ONE day on my caller ID and there are no messages, I will NEVER take a call from that number. Calling that many times is just plain rude.

Annoying sales techniques and people.

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

There are a few of things that really get my defences up. The one is the price, dont keep offering discount after discount, give me your best price after you have sold me the product. If I use your product or something similar, I will be interested to hear if yours is better, then I am keen to see if its more competative.

The other irritation is, being called by a call centre by staff who have no idea what the product does, or I get a different person calling if it is agreed to call back later. This happened a few weeks ago when a call centre phoned and I said it was not conveinient to speak at the time. She was to call back the next day, but it was some three days later when I got the call. By then I had made other arrangements.

If I agree a time to phone back, I expect the call from you, but not at any other time. On the other hand, if you keep on phoning, your put on my block list, where you stay unless your personaly recommended by a reliable source.

Oh and finally, I hate buzz words. Once I start to hear the same buzz word being used, I stop listening.

Hope this helps.

hmm, when the word no doesn’t stop them

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

Hi, I have sympathy (somewhat) for both sides. Working in Marketing it sometimes feels quite ‘salesy’ so I try to apply my ethics to how we market/sell. I’ve been in the software industry for about 20 years now, and in the heyday of the 80’s there was a real type of software salesman(very rarely woman)- brash, over confidant and irritating. Nowaday, the company I work for makes a point of only employing people who really know and understand the product. Maybe we are too ‘anti-sales type’ in that we try to employ more consultant type people – someone who actually knows what they are talking about. Does seem to work for us – customers appreciate straight answers, and if the software can’t do something – say so. It works for us.

Anyway that’s how we do it, so back to what’s annoying. I get cold called quite reguarly. I don’t mind as I feel quite sorry for these people, it must be soul destroying. Having said that, when I say no thanks I MEAN IT. Don’t keep up with your patter – NO MEANS NO.

“No means…”

In reply to hmm, when the word no doesn’t stop them

I actually had one (a door-to-door vacuum cleaner peddler) tell me, “If they say ‘No,’ it means they don’t have enough information.” His personality was that of a sociopath religious fanatic.

Hmmm

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

I have nothing against salespeople in general,they have to support their families also. What does tick me off is when you go into a Best Buy Store and you are attacked by every known salesperson in there. If I need help finding a product, I will ask! I went in just because I was waiting for someone and had some time to spare. Just wanted to look around. You don’t need a salesperson to tackle you as soon as you walk through the door or when you are looking at DVD movies. I realize that not all stores are like this and not every sales person is like this. Most of these stores hire kids off the streets that think they know much when it comes to IT, but they have an awful lot to learn.

but then they disappear

In reply to Hmmm

After the initial attack I have found they tend to dissapear….like when I do have a question or need assistance.

The system can do it

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

The prospect asked, Can the system do such-and-such. Sure, replied the salesman. When the system was delivered the customer noticed that this feature was not present, and went back to the salesman. The salesman explained, I didn’t say the system did do such-and-such, only that it could. That would be subject to a customisation request, which I would be happy to quote for.

A Life in Sales – And this is one of the best posts

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

Kevin,
I have been invovled in the sales side of the business since 1977. I have seen lots of discussions by and for sales people but this is one of the best formats and questions I have ever seen.
I think your question represents the new age of sales in the technology business. When I started out I faced sales managers who insisted that products be sold regardless of customer need. Today, I teach sales people how to measure value to the customer. If there is no value, then the sale will go down in history as a failure.
Thanks for bringing up the topic.

A Life in Sales – And this is one of the best posts

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

Kevin,
I have been invovled in the sales side of the business since 1977. I have seen lots of discussions by and for sales people but this is one of the best formats and questions I have ever seen.
I think your question represents the new age of sales in the technology business. When I started out I faced sales managers who insisted that products be sold regardless of customer need. Today, I teach sales people how to measure value to the customer. If there is no value, then the sale will go down in history as a failure.
Thanks for bringing up the topic.

Grrrrrrr

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

I have found that when I go into a hardware sore, or home improvment discount center, and ask the location of a specific item I often get the question “what are you trying to do?” Just tell me where the product is. If I needed additional information I would have asked for it.

My response to this question

In reply to Grrrrrrr

Almost invariable I reply “I’m trying to find this item.” If they persist in asking why I want it and not telling me where it is, I find a manager and tell him what I was trying to purchase and why I’m going someplace else to get it.

The clerks at the local Home Despot don’t ask me why I want something any more; they just tell me where it is. I think they’re tired of me taking my business to the more expensive but much more helpful Ace hardware down the street.

Yeah, and then some …

In reply to Grrrrrrr

I went into a home improvement center (remaining un-named) to price out a materials list i had compiled. I was standing in the plumbing aisle in front of the pvc pipe. I was consulting my list when this guy in a company vest and nametag asks me if I’m finding everything I need. I replied that I had found the 3/4 pipe and the fittings. He immediately looked me right in the eyes and said, “Oh, going to do some plumbing?” I know they hire these guys right off the street, but I think we need to close that street. Same thing in IT. That’s why I retired this year. (at least semi)

Sneaks my precioussssssss!!!!

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

Annoying – only begins the barrage of words I can think of to describe sales persons. But perhaps my biggest annoyance is when they ask you who you are using to service a particular operating system or platform, say thank you and then call back a couple of days later asking about the pricing of their competitors. It is not my responsibility to give you information to compete with. Nor to provide them with information so they can steal business from someons I am doing business with. They’re just like hobits – thieves – filthy little thieves.

Sneaks my precioussssssss!!!!

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

Annoying – only begins the barrage of words I can think of to describe sales persons. But perhaps my biggest annoyance is when they ask you who you are using to service a particular operating system or platform, say thank you and then call back a couple of days later asking about the pricing of their competitors. It is not my responsibility to give you information to compete with. Nor to provide them with information so they can steal business from someons I am doing business with. They’re just like hobbits – thieves – filthy little thieves.

Persevere

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

Kevin:

I agree with you that there a many areas in business where ethics have taken a back seat and it is sad. As with so many other aspects of life, you’ve got to choose to rise above the dubious behavior, or chuck your principles for the almighty buck. Hopefully, you work for a company that does not force you down the undesirable path in this respect. The good news is that the formula for an ethical approach is relatively simple. If you look the word ‘business’ up in your Thesaurus, you’ll find many interesting synonyms. Two stand out for me, ‘business’ and ‘exchange’. Those prospects that bridle and feel that you are annoying to them in your attempts at contact are conveniently dismissing the fact that their livlihoods are dependent on their company’s doing business …. ‘exchange’, ‘dialogue’. They, of course, are not the ones charged with reaching out to their business’s prospective clients, however, if this were not taking place, they would not be pocketing a paycheck! Like it or not, commerce is dependent on contact, exchange and dialogue. The key is PERTINENT contact, exchange and dialogue. If the client you are talking to expresses a genuine need that you, and your business’s offers, can help meet, then you’ve got the makings of a mutually beneficial interaction. This is where your talent and ability will make the difference. Further, this establishes a trust relationship that can lead to future business and great word-of-mouth for you and your company. Conversely, if the expressed need is not there … say thanks and move on. There are plenty of potential clients out there looking for what you have to offer. Part of the distasteful and unethical behavior is when companies insist that their sales reps try to fit that square peg in to the round hole. If we all make the effort to be counted among the few that place personal and professional ethics above the quest for sales at any cost, we will eventually be the majority.

From Both Sides….

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

Having been in both Systems engineering and currently in sales I would have to say the most annoying thing is sales people not knowing what they are talking about. Most of them only know what point products they are being paid to sell that day and could care less if it solves the problems you are facing. It’s almost like the idea of looking at the big picture of IT has been forgotten…..

Pushy salesmen

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

I absolutely hate it when salesmen are being too pushy. I have been in stores where the salesmen tried to push me into purchasing something that I was thinking of. They grab your arm as they make their points, promise you anything, talk as if they are not listening to you at all, keep adding special bonuses if only you will buy this item or this service. They do it to the point that you are uncomfortable being with them. It is almost as if you can feel the performance. I always get up and leave. If they are that pushy then I reason that the item or service is not all they say it is and I am out of there. Seems to work for some of them, just not for me.

Many years ago when I was first married my wife and I went furniture shopping. New town, I was in the service, knew none of the stores at all. First store, pushy salesman to the point where we both got annoyed so we walked out. Next store we walked in, the salesman came up, offered us a cup of coffee, explained how the store was set up and then said if you need anything let me know and left us to wander around. He did keep tabs on where we were but did not bother us. We found some things we liked, he came up, we asked the questions and he gave us the answers and then showed us a couple of other things that were similar and then left us alone, We ended up buying an apartment full of furniture from him then. Later we furnished our first house and then out second house from him. Always low key, always paid attention to what we said and worked with us. Good prices, good products, and good salesman. In the years we dealt with them we ran into a lot of other people who bought from them for the same reason. The owner made sure that all his salespeople worked like that and made a fortune and stayed in business. The other store has been through several owners who came in, made a killing off the pushy salespeople but nobody came back for more from them.

Voicemail after voicemail after voicemail

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

Boy this is a sore topic. To put it bluntly, I no longer answer my work telephone thanks to the constant barrage of sales calls. I have to let callers leave voice mails, then return phone calls at my convenience. If I pick up the phone, it WILL be a sales call – especially if I am stressed, on my way to a meeting or lunch, or otherwise occupied. Death, taxes, and sales calls at especially inconvenient times – the three guarantees in life.

Salespeople who leave me voicemail(s) asking me to call them back are at the top of my pet peeve list. No, I won’t call them back so they can spend forty-five minutes trying to sell me something. And frankly, if I don’t call them back, they should be so kind as to take a hint and stop harassing me. I have been receiving voice mails from IBM for FIVE YEARS requesting I phone them back to hear about one product or another. The messages always deleted, and yet they continue to pile up. And no, telling them bluntly to stop calling does not help; the calls cease for a few weeks or months and then invariably start up again. Yes, I know logically that the solution is to pitch a fit next time they call, demand a supervisor, carry on a tirade, send some strongly worded emails, get off the calling lists once and for all, etc. etc. But why should I have to expend this level of energy – something I don’t often have much to spare in my very busy days – to put an end to this stuff?

What makes this especially ridiculous is that in my role as a systems administrator I have very little buying power – I’ll be honest; I am nobody in the financial food chain at my company. But that doesn’t stop sales people when I tell them that; instead, their next immediate question is who does have purchasing power at my organization, expecting me to hand over that person’s name and contact info so they can bug them. I am then placed in the position of having to tell someone “Sorry, but I don’t feel comfortable giving that out” and then having to terminate the conversation.

I’m all in favor of sales. My company wouldn’t survive if it didn’t have a marketing group. But there’s a difference between appropriate sales tactics and those which just harry and annoy people to the point they are turned off by a company due to overly aggressive sales strategies.

Don’t call me, I’ll call you

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

As another poster mentioned, I also detest the repeated calls / voicemails. As such, all inbound calls are pre-screened (please state your name) – so I can hear it before I decide to take the call.

Why sales people (or anyone) thinks that it is ok to make repeated, unsolicited calls to MY business and interrupt MY day is beyond contempt. Do not try to excuse this with ‘It’s their job’.

If I need something, I research it and call for information – I do NOT do business with people/companies that cold call me.

For the vendors that we do use, what we ask is straight forward – reasonable pricing and good service. Don’t try and rape me on the shipping charges to make up for artificially low pricing, provide accurate shipping info with tracking info when the product is shipped. Basically, be forthright – don’t lie or hedge. If you do, you lose my business. Keep in mind, that unless you are selling something special, there are dozens around to take your place.

Sound a bit rough? Well, you did ask and most ‘sales weasels’ are just plain annoying.

Bad Phone Connection

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

I recently dealt with a company that had a bad internal phone system. This only added to the problem, I use several different phones outside of my companies to make sure that it was their problem, and not mine. I informed their salesperson of the problem, the response was, “Not my problem?.

To this day they still have problems. I just don?t deal with them anymore. I?ll pay a few dollars more for things, with fewer headaches.

Worst things salespeople have done: lie

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

[b]The[/b] reasonable way (there is only one!) for sales departments to approach their target audiences: trade publications, whether print or online. Pay for advertising, and let me decide when to see or hear your pitch, if ever. DO NOT interrupt my schedule. If you have ANYTHING I want or need, [b]I[/b] will contact [b]you — AT MY CONVENIENCE!!![/b]

TPS

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

Personally I hate cold callers and it would nice if more of them checked with the Telephone Preference Service before calling.

That’s a free service over here in the UK for businesses and individulas which allows you to opt out of telemarketing calls.

By law they can be prosecuted if they persist in calling someone who has indicated they don’t wish to be called.

It’s certainly reduced the number of calls i get. 🙂

http://www.optoutuk.co.uk/index.asp

Salesperson’s worst action

In reply to Annoying Salespeople

Signing me up for an item when I said “NO”

This used to be a favorite for long distance service. Another thing is when you say ” NOT INTERESTED” they continue to attempt to sell you. I usually just hang up on them.

[Author]

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