Phone Pests

Our phone number is ex-directory. It has to be, really, when one is a teacher and married to a vet, for neither of us wish to broadcast our number in a directory where parents and clients can find it and call it and hassle us. It can, and does happen. So we stay ex-directory.

It is very annoying, then, when you find yourself being bombarded with cold-calls of an evening.
'How did you get this number?' is my usual response to these calls, as I never, EVER, allow them to get even part way into their sales spiel. 'It is ex-directory.'

'Oh, it's just a random number dial,' the cold-caller usually says, and I don't believe them one bit.

Anyway, for the last week or so, we've been getting annoying calls from AOL. In fact, we are getting so annoyed that we are considering changing our internet service provider, if not now, then as soon as we move house.

Three times last night I went to answer the phone and it cut dead on me. You know, because these call centres multi-dial a number and then speak to whoever picks up first, cutting off all other victims who don't get to their phone quick enough.

On the third call, I answered and it was AOL. This was the third conversation I've had with them in four days, and Heather has spoken to them too. They always ask to speak to Andy, as he is the account holder.

'He isn't available,' I said, because Andy had just walked in from work and was eating his dinner.
'Well, when will he be available?' said the person from the overseas call centre.
'Never,' I said. 'We want you to stop calling. I've already asked you to remove this number from your dialling list. I am asking you again, to remove this number from your dialling list.'
'I can't do that until I speak to the account holder,' said the person.
'Yes you can,' I said. 'Because you are intruding on our evening. Please remove the number.'

And do you know what this person said next???

She said, 'If you were to give me a time I can speak to the account holder, we would stop calling you.'

WELL! I was LIVID!!

'That is so rude,' I said, because the tone of her voice was incredibly narky. I mean, who's the customer here? Who's paying their internet access bill every month by direct debit?

After telling them again not to ring, and after being told that the AOL contract had ended and that was the reason she had called, which was a load of rubbish because other wise I wouldn't be able to write this, would I, I hung up.

Andy and I then spent a very amusing evening coming up with a list of ways to deal with cold-callers. I can't go into them now, as I've just had a call from our estate agent saying some more people want to come and look at the house (the faffers are STILL faffing) so I need to do a housework binge, but I'll be back in another post with our list, to entertain and amuse.

On the upside of the day, I have completed the NaNoWriMo project with three days to spare! If you have been reading 'Poulet Nous', then thank you for sticking with it. All comments gratefully received before I start the editing process.