don't get me wrong...

[sweetcheecks]

i LOVE meeting people from other countries, and who speak other languages. i love accents and learning bits of their home culture and language. i don't generally encounter problems with people from other countries, or who speak other languages besides english as their first language. But when a company representative is phoning me (in the USA,

Comments

[colinportnuff]

I have a simpler response. "What is this regarding?" If they don't answer immediately and directly with something relevant to you, just say "not interested" and hang up. Save yourself all that frustration. 99% of those calls are telemarketing for phone, banking or credit card processing companies, and are of no interest to your organization.

[sweetcheecks]

He said he was from the Yellow Pages and was updating our free business listing. I have talked with this company before, it is usually quick and easy (name, address, phone number, and then a contact person for their records).

I hang up on the recorded messages (auto dial with automatic voice messages/tellers) for consolidating loans, pre-approved morgages, business credit cards, et cetera. I will also press "#" to speak to an agent if I have the time and tell them to remove this number from their call list. It is a teen center and we do not need their product/service, and we are not "authorized" to make decisions (often a fib for my benefit), they can call the Association Office of the YMCA of Greater Seattle, and no I do not have the number for them.

[colinportnuff]

Usually that is the way they upsell advertising. So I still wouldn't feel bad saying "not interested" and hanging up. But most people are not as abrupt as I am.

Unfortunately, Karma comes back and bites me now that I use a computer to talk and people hang up on me!

[bplarson]

phone sales in general are annoying, especially when the people have been so poorly trained.

But just to be a nitpicker, English is not one of our official languages. The U.S. has no official language; though of course English is the de facto official language.