This time the caller announces that he or she is speaking from a "Wellness" centre.
The word alone is enough to make my hackles rise, since, as far as I am aware there is no such word.
This is followed by "what do you do to keep well every day"?
The following rapid volley of questions about my life-style so annoyed me that I put the phone down.
Five minutes later it rang again and a different voice started the whole procedure again, this time I said "How is that your business?" and once again I put the phone down.
Is there to be no end to these intrusive, time-consuming pests? I really thought they had exhausted their repertoire, but clearly there is more to come.
At the age of 81 I really cannot see how my state of health, life-style, daily habits/hobbies could possibly be of any interest to anyone, but it seems I was wrong.
There really should be some way of identifying these vultures before picking up the receiver, the phone should flash red or a siren should sound. Failing that I'd like a button to press which would instantly strike them dumb before they had a chance to raise my blood pressure.
Grrrr!
Really annoying it certainly is. They usually start by asking if I am 'Mrs...' I never answer that question. Instead I ask 'who are you'? Their answer usually tells me all I need to know in order to decide to say 'goodbye' and put the phone down immediately.
ReplyDeleteI do that too but unfortunately it doesn't prevent their calling again a few hours later.
ReplyDeleteWe really need a deterrent.
BT appears to be totally helpless so it is going to have to be someone from our own harrassed ranks.
One lady of my acquaintance kep a whistle by the phone...when sufficiently agitated she blew it down the line, very loudly. Seemed to the trick!
DeleteI have thought about doing just that Jean, but suspect I would be the one who wound up deaf.
ReplyDeleteIt seems there is really nothing to do except hang up every time. What a bore.
I don't know if you have seen that rather delightful film Hotel Merrigold. It all starts with a lady being harassed by a phonecompany that has no sense of anything and decides to teach them a lesson. Maybe you should visit your local Wellnescentre with a fierce look in you eyes, making them want to run faster than usual??? It really is a nuisance, Ray, and I feel bad about it because some of them actually earn their living on these calls. I usually offer them a blessing ,free of charge, and hang up.
ReplyDeleteFace-to-face Fairtrader? Never.
DeleteThat would mean they really exist and I'd rather they remained cyber aliens.
As for blessing them !!!! Not at all what I have in mind.
alright, alright, you don't have to. But they do exist, poor souls, face to face might just do the trick when they realize that their victims actually exists as well!!! In our shoppingcentre and at railway stations they park a group of loud, young and cocky hipsters that beckon you to come closer and change your mobile operator. THEY are actually a bit too real....come to think of it, I never tried the blessings on them, maybe I should...
ReplyDeleteFrom a safe distance maybe.
ReplyDeleteYes, they won't let go once they get a hold.....
DeleteWe have a BT phone system which allows you to block numbers, which only works if they give you a number to come up on caller display. Since I started letting the answer machine pick up anything that looks vaguely sales orientated I have felt a lot happier. All the best.
ReplyDeleteHi Freda, my callers are always 'number withheld' so there is no way of tracing them.
ReplyDeleteI had one this evening saying they were from an accident insurance company. Of course I put the phone down on them but I had got up in the middle of my evening meal to answer the call.
They really are much more than just a nuisance.