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You might recall that a while back I posted a note about aggressive and abusive telephone sales of advertising for bear features in these free 'news' rags. I ended up calling the police because the calls were getting obscene.
I thought it had all died down...but now the same people under the guise of a 'new' publication has started to try to intimidate me into advertising with them.
It's utterly disgraceful how they belittle and intimidate you. I was shaking from head to toe when I put the receiver down...and now I am near to tears....and I am no pussy-cat. It was scary. I tried to tell him several times that I did not wish to buy advertising...and that I wished to end the conversation...but he just kept on and on till I slammed down the receiver. Last time I did that they started calling me every 10 or 15 minutes till finally they made obscene phonecalls which I reported to the police.
Do any of you UK ladies know if there is anyone other than the police that I can report them to because this type of aggressive selling is abhorent? I am sure there is an office that this can be reported to but off the top of my head I can't think straight. Or has anyone of you experienced this recently?
I want to get to the bottom of this and stop it happening.
Thanks Erin...I think it's one of these sales call centres...last time it was someone purporting to be the 'Milton Keynes Journal'....this time it the 'Northamptonshire Journal' ....whoever they are they are scum....
Jenny, that is awful and scary. The police must be able to do something ???
Sophie Z'OursOh, dear! I whish I could help, but really, I have no idea...
Can your phone give you the phone number of the person who is calling you? If not, maybe you could by one.
Then, you could play an odd game... no idea if this is clever, just a suggestion.
Lets say some ennoying people call you a first time. You keep their phone number in memory. Then when they phone back, change your voice and just say: "Here is the mortuary of Hospital ****, how can I help you?" or something like that.
Beary hugs,
Sophie.
Past Time BearsHow on earth do these idiots think anybody is going to advertise with someone who is so obnoxious??!! I think maybe you should get an unlisted phone number . . . can you do that over there?
Acid Attic BearsSorry to hear about these horrible phone calls, Jenny. I wish I could help. 
:hug: :hug: :hug:
Canna Bear PaintJenny, talk to your phone company and see if you can do one of two things. First, see if you can get a caller ID system. Once you can recognize it's them when they call, you can ignore the call. Turn off the ringer if they start calling every 15 minutes. They have to stop eventually.
My other suggestion would be to see if you can block specific phone numbers. The only thing better than ignoring the call would be to not receive it in the first place. (In the US) on my phone system, there is a combination I can dial after receiving a call to trace the call. Once I have the number, I can block it through the phone company. I would not hesitate to use that option if some loser called me like the one that's bothering you.
Good luck!
Kelly
Sophie...you made my day....it's a fab idea but I would laugh too much to carry it through!!!!!!!
The thing is, these call centres don't show any number up when they ring you. It's always blank...and if you try to find them they don't exist...as the company that sells their advertising doesn't operate out of their premises....it's an outsider selling on behalf of the publication.
So you can't block their number...and I can't stop 'em calling me as I put my number on my website, cards etc...if I don't do that I won't get anyone phoning about bears.
All I know is that this sales technique sucks and should be illegal....it probably already is!!
Posts: 8,574I'm sorry Jenny- how annoying! 
My hubby taught me, over the years and it took quite a few years at that, it is our constitutional right NOT to answer the phone. Now I let the machine get it, and if it is someone I want tyo speak with I can. But I just go about my own business if it isn't.
It was really hard for me to learn this....I thought i was being rude not to answer the phone.
In the states they give us an option: It is called the "NO-CALL list, and there are stiff penalties if your name is on it and a telemarketer bothers you.
Finally, I am so totally confused as to why they would be abusive to you and then expect you to fork over your hard earned pounds, dollars ha'pennies, ?,
What are they thinking? Or is it just an excuse to harass you?
Honestly, the one thing I think we can all agree on is the simple fact that they can't be REAL TEDDY people and behave this way.
I love the suggestions that have been offered here, you aren't obligated to place yourself in an abusive situation and when they see you wont they will go somewhere else.....
Good luck!
:hug:
Wisdom BearsHi Jenny, I can sympathise with you . I had theNorthamptonshire Journal people on to-day , and you are so right ,in all my life I have never been spoken to like that. I ended up putting down the phone . They then phoned me back and I threatened them with the police and the phone went down very quickly. Real pests they are. Hugs Rita xxx
DoodlebearsJenny I had the same calls a while ago and they were such a a pain. I thought if they give me pain I will return the gift.....sooooooooooooooo I recorded a long high pitched sound, looped it so it just kept playing and when they called I just switched on the deathly noise and covered my ears....the calls stopped!
Hugs Jane 
That's fab Jane...nice one!!!! At least I know I'm not the only one!!!!!
Pandy Potter BearsI have heard of people doing what Jane did. As soon as you know its them you could do that. They won't be able to use their phone until you cut them off. Its awful. I think it might tell you in the yellow pages what to do as regards to BT. Vile people
LuxembearsJenny, Whoever they are, they are bullies and scum bags and were probably dropped on thier heads as infants.
I love Sophies idea. It could give you a sense of revenge through humor. You could also make up a forgiegn language and start speaking jibberish when they call.
I also like Kelly and Melanie's idea. That is harassment! Glad you called the police and I hope that will put an end to it for you. :hug:
Upstate New YorkTry Kelly's suggestions. If they aren't possible, right after they start in, say "can you hold on a minute?" Then you just put the phone down and walk away, and stay away. An hour ought to do it. My husband has done that ... carried phone into the bathroom and flushed.
Keep us posted! Don't cry Jenny ... :hug:
Posts: 1,153Jenny...call your phone company! Also do you have the equivalent to a State Attorney Generals Office.?
You don't even need to call them...all you have to do is threaten to call them and all the nonsense stops! Period!!!!
I learned that from an attorney friend of ours. I have had to use the threat twice in 20 years and I can tell you it really works. Mine was due to buying something on TV and then travel clubs were charged to my visa card, that I never even knew about.
The most recent was some kind of a little cooker I thought would be nice for our camper. It was called a 501 or something like that...the next thing I know, I looked at my paypal account and had been charged for 5 months...15.00 a month. I called the 800 number listed by the charge and they told me I oked it...I told them I DID NOT and they better refund the monies they took out. When I asked to speak to a supervisor, non was available...I became irate and finally this man comes on and tells me he is only authorized to put 1 month back ...I told him, 'this conversation is over, you either refund all the charges or my next call is going to be to the Georgia States Attorney General's office...he got very upset and told me all the charges would be refunded. It works!!
Your local phone company should be able to stop that also!!
:hug:
nancy
Cleathero CreationsI had a phone call trying to get me to change my phone provider, I was in the same boat as you, they were getting abusive with me and phoning all to regularly.
I phoned my telephone company as I had gotten their business name and told them what was happening.
They gave me a onsumer number to call and when I called them they contacted the company and they got fined. It wans't their first offence.
Maybe you have someting similar to that in the UK?
Canna Bear PaintI knew of a fellow that had a unique way of dealing with junk calls. He would tell them he was *extremely* interested in their top-of-the-line product and thank them *so* much for calling. Once he got the salesperson very revved up on the idea of making a sale, he would tell them someone was calling on the other line, and to please hang on! He'd put them on hold and leave them there for 30 minutes or so. He'd check back with them then, make sure they were still there, tell them how very excited he was about their product and to please not hang up, he just had to finish his business on the other line... then he'd put the salesperon on hold another 30 minutes. He would repeat that process indefinitely, or at least until the other guy hung up. Apparently, once the salesperson realized they were being made a fool of, they never would call back.
Kelly
Jenny,
I'm sorry this happened to you. It shouldn't have. I have no advice, but I hope you resolve this and they stop calling you. :hug:
Please keep us updated.
Upstate New YorkI've heard of this before also ... but one fella I know really does it. Once the caller is identified as either sales or solicitation ... he says "Let me tell you before you begin that I am very busy. I will listen, but I must have your billing address. For me to hear you out, I will be billing you at $75 per hour."
He says usually there is silence, then a click.
Thanks for all your suggestions everyone...they are brilliant!! I always find it so hard to think on my feet when they are so aggressive...I immediately say 'no thanks' but they do keep on and on...I like the idea of leaving them cooking on the other end for ages...I am going to do that one.
My sister is fab at dealing with the kind of folks that phone to sell something...and start off by saying, 'Hi...how are you today?' she always says...'Oooh...don't ask......' and goes in to graphic detail about the most disgusting and embarrasing thing she can think of, she's a nurse and doesn't hold back on the descriptive banter...once she pretended she had food poisoning and described the effects of it to him in detail...and then she told another one about her terrible menstrual cycle...they soon got off the phone.
These guys are different though...they are aggressive and nasty...I can't joke around ...they are intimidating.
I am going to try the time wasting tactic though!!
Sophie Z'OursHello Jenny,
It's Malko, Sophie's boyfriend.
A good trick is to play the fax-answering machine. When you pick up the phone, don't say anything for the first few seconds. If it's a friend or relative, he'll speak first and you'll be able to recognize the voice.
If it's an unknown voice or the personn does not speak, say something like "Hello this is Jenny's fax machine, I'm on-line waiting for a fax, please recall later." And then hang up.
My own fax machine does this, and it quickly discourage unwanted phone callers 
.
Hope this will help you get rid of these .... .
Friendly,
Malko.
Thanks Malko and Sophie for thinking of me....I know I'm not the only one!!!
I will try these things for sure!!!!!
Jare Hares & BearsJenny -
I know how horrid people can be over the phone. I was going to post this on TT anyway as a seperate thread, but after reading yours I decided to put it here.
It was in an e-mail in titled "Fast Thinking". Enjoy!
The phone rang as I was setting down to my anticipated evening meal, and as I answered it I was greeted with "Is this Karl Brummer". Not sounding anything like my name, I asked " who is calling? " The telemarketer said he was with The Rubber band Powered Freezer company or something like that.
Then I asked him if he knew Karl personally and why was he calling this number.
I then said off to the side, "get really good pictures of the body and all the blood", then turned back to the phone and advised the caller that he had entered a murder scene and must stay on the line because we had already traced this call and he would be receiving a summons to appear in the local courthouse to testify in a murder case.
I then questioned the caller at great length as to his name, address, phone number at home, at work, who he worked for, how he knew the dead guy and could he prove where he had been about one hour before he made this call. The telemarketer was getting very concerned and his answers were gi ven in a shaky voice.
I then told him we had located his position and the police were entering the building to take him into custody, at that point I heard the phone fall and the scurrying of his running away.
My wife asked me as I returned to our table why I had tears streaming down my face and so help me, I couldn't tell her for about fifteen minutes. My meal was cold, but after what I had pulled, it was the best meal in a long, long time.
We have caller ID. So if it shows up unknown number or no information at all, we just don't answer it. If they really need to get ahold of us they can leave a message on teh machine. The people that we don't mind getting calls from have our cell phone numbers. Family and friends know to call those numbers. Maybe that will help.
