Crafty Telephone Selling

[spiritgirl59]

Get this friends.......

Some bloke just phoned me trying to be clever.

First of all he acted as if he was a customer and wanted my OH's mobile number urgently .......alarm bells started ringing so I said he'd not taken his mobile to work with him and I would take a message and get it to my OH on his behalf.

He then told me my OH's firm had a link on his website which was "broken" and because of this he needed to let my OH know that "many prospective customers" had been clicking on the link and been unable to contact my OH, and instead had been referred back to the webmaster, and hence we were losing business!!.

When he told me the name of his website I said we hadn't advertised there anyhow and had no intention of doing so, so we weren't bothered if the link was broken ... to which he said that if we paid for advertising with them it would avoid having to use the broken link which is a free link and not as reliable!

I'm not an I.T. whiz kid but I think this takes the biscuit.

Crafty bar steward - I told him to bog off - have you ever heard such cr*p?

Anyone else had any really crafty salespeople ring them?

[fuzzybobble]

I had someone trying to sell me double glazing. I told them I already had double glazing as it was in the house when I moved here. He said it probably didn't comply with EU safety regulations and I should have it replaced by theirs. Needless to say he got told to stick his windows in the dark hole where the sweetcorn hangs out.

I also keep getting calls from Onebill about changing over to them from BT as they can save me lots of money. I explained that my broadband contract requires me to have a BT line and besides I enjoy paying through the nose for a substandard service. For once a telesales rep was totally speechless.

[renegotiation]

Originally Posted by spiritgirl59

Anyone else had any really crafty salespeople ring them?

I used to get peeved off big time being rung up by DCA's and other undesirables. The worst call I ever had was ringing up some lowlife company trying to get a loan a few years back. I gave the guy my details and was then transferred to some other guy trying to sell me health insurance! He burst into a speech of terms and conditions and then asked 'Do you understand everything?' I said 'No I don't. What are you talking about?' He then tried bullying me and asked for my bank details. When he finally realised I wasn't going to fall for it he had the nerve to abuse me before hanging up! So, I rang up for a loan and ended up getting abused for not buying health insurance... Wow.

[fuzzybobble]

PC World once lost a £1000 sale on a Laptop by spending 15 mins trying to pressure sale me into their basically useless accidental damage insurance. In the end I got up and walked out. Ended up buying the same laptop for £100 less from a local computer shop. I have never set foot in PC World again.

[Brassed off]

Unfortunately Fuzz, you will find that in this day and age salesman are just that - after all, it's their job and they're on commission The majority of them are not interested in what you want, they just want to get out of you what they can to boost their coffers.

I'm not suggesting for one minute that all salespersons (!) are the same, however, as I have to see them and listen to them everyday, I am slightly prejudiced and I used to be one

However, I am a big PC World fan after visiting my local PC World to have some memory put in an old laptop I have been given. The guy didn't try and sell me anything at all. He just advised me that no matter how old the laptop, it can be "tweaked" to accommodate everything the 'net has to offer - he was one of the techie guys though

If I'm ever given the "hard sell", I just walk away. Let's face it, salespersons will get more business for their company if they are honest and being themselves instead of spouting all this scripted sales patter that they're are taught - it may work on some but not on me I can spot them a mile away

[yourbank]

I once use the line "I'm sorry but my flatmate has died. Is there anything I can pass on to his next of kin?". They didn't want to continue the call, wonder why

[postggj]

interesting about pc world, part of currys

last year i was buying a lap top and tv

it came to about a thousend pounds.
then my credit rating was shot so i was paying by my hard earned savings.
i asked if they could throw in a lap top bag for free, worth about £30
they would not budge so walked out

[fuzzybobble]

Always haggle if you're paying with hard cash. It works most times. If not go somewhere that will. Customer is king. Without customers, they'd be stuffed. It's about time they realised this. In the last few years they seem to forget.

Best customer service I get seems to be Maplin. I went to buy some components for the laser system i'm building and needed some adjustable current regulators. Went to the counter with the catalogue number and part number. The guy said sorry, they're discontinued. He then spent half an hour with me altering my circuit diagram and came up with alternative parts that would do the same job, just connected up a bit differently.

They may not be the cheapest to buy electronic components from, but they are the best when it comes to old fashioned customer service and the staff knowing all about the things they sell.

[postggj]

makes a change for staff that know about the products they are selling

[Brassed off]

Maplins?

I thought that was something off "Hi Di Hi"

[fuzzybobble]

Ho de Ho...... bing bing bong...Hello campers......

[Brassed off]

I take it you managed to get to the pub then Fuzz?

Bo *in danger of going way off topic*

[locutus]

Back towards topic BO , I remember my partner decided phone a DCA... he started asking all the questions and my partner is one of these that will repeat a question before answering it (one of those little quirks she has that normally buggs the hell out of me but not today!!) I heard her say "What is my home phone number? Oh its 01.....)I just said "STOP!! They don't have that, how can it be a security question?" to which she stopped (fortunatly!) Crafty buggers trying to get a means to contact us day in day out for unproven debts!

[fuzzybobble]

That's a bit like Frederickson International tactics.

A few days ago they send me a letter demanding money for something that 3x CCA requests have produced nothing for.

On the letter I noticed they had a website where you could set up and account to pay the. (as if I would do that)

I alway check out DCA webites, as sometimes it gives you useful info, like directors and managers email addresses. (Not that I'd sign them up for any porno sites or anything like that.)

I noticed on the back of their letter, it said, "You can manage your account online. A hassle free way of setting up a payment arrangement without having to speak to one of our agents."

When you go and sign up, they require name, adress, account number, set up a password to access your account......And wait for it.......Your home number, mobile number, and employers number.

So where exactly does the "hassle free" and "without having to speak to or agents" come into it? You just know they'll hound you every second of the day and night with that one.

So I signed up.

Phone numbers were all £1-50 a min chatlines

My offer of payment each month was £0-00

No doubt I'll be getting a letter from them in a few days saying my offer is unacceptable and dispite repeated calls, I have failed to contact them with an offer of payment.

[spiritgirl59]

Originally Posted by fuzzybobble

That's a bit like Frederickson International tactics.

So I signed up.

Phone numbers were all £1-50 a min chatlines

My offer of payment each month was £0-00

No doubt I'll be getting a letter from them in a few days saying my offer is unacc