telemarketeers

in my life before uni, i worked once in a big office, with a computer and a nice desk area. it was spacious, i could leave toys hanging all over my monitor, and i look like an office woman. except, i was earning probably half the salary that those real office workers get, because i essentially was a telemarkeer.

 
in our line, we have computers because they contain our scripts. alot of telemarketers also follow these scripts very deadly, me included, because there comes a point where you go “oh fuck it. i can only paraphrase and sound THAT interested anyways.” but it’s a job, and sometimes, i wouldn’t drop a job for anything.

 
coming here changed alot of perspectives on telemarketing for me. it’s EVERYWHERE, literally. maybe it’s because i don’t qualify for offers in singapore, but some of the offers here are just as crazy as when i received a call asking if i want a club membership… at the age of 12 back home.

 
bear in mind, for most of the time i have been here, i was 21+, unemployed, a uni student, and an international student too. so alot of things, i don’t qualify for. i guess the problem here then, lies in that most companies do not actually read the profiles, or filter it. they just call and hope they bang the right one. 

 

so yesterday, i was getting ready for work, with lots of time to spare. some dude called wilson called, supposedly from a mobile company that represents the major networks: telstra, vodaphone and optus. they have a special offer for me, which included a free cameraphone (that point was emphasized 20 times over) and a suggested monthly contract worth 49 dollars, complete with 49 free sms-es.

 

amidst his talking, i stopped him. “look, i am sorry, but i have to go to work. can you please just call me back later?“ 

 

“sure. but just to let you know…” and he started rambling again off his script about how special it is, which i presume he took it from the “not interested” part of the script.

 

“listen, i really have to go. i am late for work now.”

 

“Well, but do u know… our offer is the same as the one you would get in writing…”

 

“please, i really have to go. just call me later or something.”

 

“do you mind if i have your mobile number?”

 

“sure..”

 

then i ran. but lo and behold, bus has left. i was infuriated, but i can’t totally blame him i guess. people have told me time and again, just ignore them. people do that all the times anyways. but i honestly can’t slam down the phone now, considering how i myself felt when i was treated that way back when i was working. so angry as i was, i didn’t quite blame him.

 

i was just upset at how he didn’t care to take hints from consumers. we might be interested, but if you don’t listen, it doesn’t work out. 

 

he called earlier, and then started going, “hi miss lih? (yes he got my name wrong) remember i called you yesterday, and you said to call u in 5 mins. well you didn’t pick up the phone…”

 

“i SAID i was LATE FOR WORK. obviously i can’t PICK UP THE CALL AT WORK. i am ASLEEP by the way, and you just WOKE ME. so at this rate, these ‘calls’ between us isn’t working out, so let’s just say i am not interested anymore. thanks.”

 

“can i know why you are not interested?”

 

“erm.. you noticed that i was late for work and you woke me up?”

 

“well give me a time to call you. 2 hours from now? 4 hours?”

 

“no, i am WORKING.”

 

“well, an hour?”

 

“look, i am not interested. in an hour, i would still be sleeping.”

 

“another day?”

 

“i have the same schedule day in, day out. let’s just call this off thanks. i am really tired. i am trying to get some sleep.”

 

“ok bye.”

 

but it didn’t work out. that fool has woken me up for now. so i started browsing some sites, and school called to say my results are out and we are to pick it up from the director of the college. well at least, i am supposed to. no it’s not a bad thing. they just usually discuss it with us, to tell us which direction to go from there and so on. i am getting mine on thursday.

 

so an hour on…

 

“hi, this is wilson… wilson, the guy who just called you an hour ago?”

 

“erm…”

 

“so are you awake now, and we can talk, or are you still sleeping.”

 

“wilson.”

 

“yes?”

 

“you have to listen to your customers sometimes. i said yesterday i was late for work, and you still continued talking…”

 

now, i was seething, i was pissed as hell because he was NOT LISTENING as a customer grabber. that, in my opinion, is not how you do business. that’s just not how you treat customers at all. but what pissed me off… was how he reacted.

 

HE LAUGHED AT ME. omfg.

 

if nothing else annoyed me, it was the fact that he laughed at me telling him how retarded he was. maybe he had a great sense of humour. but 4 hours of sleep + an annoying bug of a telemarketeer = angry panda.

 

“is it really all that funny? i mean, i got woken up by you. and i said i am not interested anymore, so why are you calling?”

 

“well, you see, you have to suggest some time for me to call you so these things don’t happen.” 

 

“well, you see, i did. i said, i am NOT INTERESTED. so when a customer says that, you don’t call AGAIN. look, i work in the telemarketing line before, and in customer service. i know you have to go by a script. but you have to listen to customers to know what they want. and right now, i am NOT INTERESTED.”

 

“well, when can i call you again?” 

 

“when i say i am not interested, wilson, i meant don’t call me again. ever. please don’t call me again. i said i am not interested. i don’t want to hear you again. i don’t want to pick up the phone, to hear ‘hi, i am wilson’ ever again. i am not interested, i was, but i am not now. i don’t want to EVER EVER EVER hear you again.“

 

“ok, i am sorry bye.”

 

and now, i am still pissed off.

 

i don’t know if it’s a guy’s thing or a telemarketeer thing. but this male telemarketeer sure don’t listen. 

technorati tags: telemarketers, angry, nuisance, phonecalls, spam, promotions, annoying telemarketers