Annoying Jewish Telemarketers

DaasYochid: “Some of you may not believe this, but in real life, I’m a pretty nice guy. So it wasn’t easy, but I trained myself to simply say, “Sorry, but now is not a good time” and hang up even while the telemarketer starts to make his/her pitch.”

So you were the one who hung up on me!

I am mystified by the feelings of some people (starting with my spouse) that one cannot simply hang up on an unsolicited caller. A phone call is an interruption in the callee’s home or business. It is rude and, generally, unwanted.

And for those of you who want to give a polite answer to a rude interruption, try this: I am sorry, but I do not give personal information to strangers over the phone, and I do not give money in response to strangers calling on the phone.

Of if you want to be a wiseguy, say: I can’t talk now, but if you give me your number, I’ll call you back when it’s convenient for me. And they never give a phone number, because they do not want to be annoyed.

My father Z”L had a standard answer for telephone solicitors: “sorry this year’s budget has already been set, if you mail me something we’ll consider it for next fiscal year.” Almost nobody ever sent information. This way of saying no, let the caller down gently.

Mammele – While I hear your point, I do think that politeness is more important. As a telemarketer, it really upset me on the rare occasions when someone hung up on me. I have to say that this was very rare – probably because I was calling Frum people for Frum mosdos.

If someone is giving a long speech, I can hear interrupting them politely to tell them that you can’t give, but it should be done politely as opposed to just mumbling something and hanging up ubruptly.

If you think about the fact that this person could be your neighbor or friend, then you would act differently than if you think of them as a nameless annoying telemarketer.

To LilmodUlilamaid: I know that unsolicited callers are “just doing their job,” but their job is to invade my home, and I don’t like it. And if they receive a commission for getting me to buy/donate, they are conducting business, and I am on the “do not call” list, so they have absolutely no right to call me.

And speaking of “Chinese” auctions, I have no idea where the term comes from, but I suspect it has an anti-Chinese twist to it. And speaking of twists, has anyone ever heard a gentile use the term “Jew curl,” referring to hair that is curly or slightly unruly? It did not sound like a compliment to me, and if the objectionable hair is on a gentile’s head, how can it be a “Jew curl”?

Huju………….

It doesn’t matter if the actual caller gets a commission, charities are not subject to the no-call lists in the USA.

Re CTLawyer’s post re telemarketing charities: Yes, charities are exempt. But is a telemarketer who gets a commission making a charitable call, or conducting business? The charity is exempt, but if the caller is an independent contractor (which charities may call their solicitors to cut down on the expenses of being an employer), is she/he not making a business call for her/himself? Is an independent life insurance agent calling to earn a commission for selling me insurance any different, legally, than an independent solicitor calling me to earn a commission for inducing me to make a contribution to a charity?