Commodore Remix

Got really p***ed off over the last few months with the amount of calls I'm getting with people trying to sell me double glazing. I even went as far as telling a firm in a glorious hissy fit that "I had some f***ing double glazing so don't bother calling me ever again". They went on to call me another 5 times in the next 2 months before the penny finally dropped with them and they eventually left me alone.

Hasn't stopped some other enterprising cold callers though who have plagued and spammed my phone line to the point of it becoming tedious and particularly annoying. Finally had enough last Friday night so attempted to get my phone number changed. Eventually got it sorted last night but not before a spectacular display of incompetence by NTL and their oh-so-helpful customer service operatives.

It all started Friday evening where I gave my simple request for a change due to "malicious and nuisance calls". NTL said no problem and said for me to dial 175 24 hours after my request when the work would be complete to transfer my service. 24 hours later and the call was made only to hear a dead line tone burbling out of the receiver. No more time to call NTL back Saturday, shop was closed Sunday so when Monday came around, the "game" picked up from where it left off.

Another call to NTL who replied "sorry sir, you've been given the wrong number, it's actually 1579". Rung 1579, got a stupid robot woman asking me for a password. In all the time I've had NTL with TV and the phone, I have never been asked for a password so this was a complete mystery to me. The internet, on the other hand, is a completely different nest of vipers, or something.

Rung NTL back, politely recounted my dilemma, they said "sorry sir, you've been given the wrong number, it's actually 1234". Ok, 1234 it is then. Rung it then proceeded to have one of the longest laughing fits I have ever had because NTL, in their infinite wisdom, had given me the number to one of the oldest institutions running. Can you guess what it is? None other than the speaking clock.

After a break to calm down a bit (more from laughing too hard than anything else), call no.4 to NTL was started. Told them of the continual wrong numbers given. They said "oh, the 1579 number is the right one but you need to call a mobile to get the new number displayed on the mobile". Utterly baffling and ludicrous but understandable given who were dealing with here. As the final cherry-on-the-cake, the woman operator added, with a touch of irony, "tricks of the trade, unfortunately". Oh well, that's alright then. When I send you my bill for these pointless calls I have had to make, I'm sure you will have a chortle just like I'm supposed to.

However, it's a good thing I've got one of those talk unlimited phone packages that means I can talk up to an hour without further charge. Without that, I probably wouldn't have seen the funny side of this until much later.

Nothing changes the fact they are still incredibly incompetent at organising things. Seem to scrape by actually running things (as I type, my 750k broadband chugging along quite nicely) but organising is a whole new ball game for the highly skilled bollock jugglers that NTL choose to unleash to assist us mere mortals.

Bless 'em.

Next number you get, ring the Telephone Preference Service (or fill in the form online). If you do, then it's illegal for them to ring you.

Chris

Chris Abbott wrote:Next number you get, ring the Telephone Preference Service (or fill in the form online). If you do, then it's illegal for them to ring you.

Chris

Right. I'll remember to sign up if it happens again.

It's been a while since I got as annoyed about something. I acted first then thought it through about alternatives to ward off the cold callers. I think, on reflection, I'm more relieved that the "speaking clock" bit happened as I was getting very wound up up to that point. After that happened, I couldn't help but see the funny side.

The preference line takes a month to kick in and only lasts 3 .... you gota remember to keep ringing, this is where BT ripped me off, i pay £12 a month to not recieve these calls..... but they still come thru, granted, its nowhere nr as bad as it was (like 10 a day), but upon ringing BT, they tell me that they cannot stop foreign numbers ringing in to Uk lines.

This is where it gets wierd..... because all our records are going to India along with the call centres, and from there, sold on to foreign companies... so what good is it.... at one point I was considering ripping out the phone and only using the line for the net.

That was until i started getting the calls on my mobile too - which i now leave switched off for the most part - the indignity then is having to pay to retrieve your verbal spam !! Should i switch off my answer machine ? Perhaps miss that vital call ?

I grant tha landline is better, but its not "clean" as such.... i fear what it may be like these days a year on if i cancel this £12 service.

2 words sping to mind......

Harassment and Extortion

Making advertising calls without permission is illegal in Germany, but you get the calls anyway: German companies employ call-centres in foreign countries so they can't be sued. What especially annoys me: If I tell them to remove me from their lists, I get: "Sorry Sir, but we're just one call centre, our client employs dozens - so you won't get any more calls from us, but from all the other call centres - good bye *click*."

The most unapologetic response ever was when Natascha said to the caller:

- "Please stop calling us, we're not interested."
- "But we're offering lottery participance for FREE!"
- "Don't you get it? We're not interested, your calls are annoying us."
- "Well, why did you pick up the receiver, then? We're not forcing you to pick up the receiver."

Tsk, what kind of planet are those people living on?

I don't get any unwanted calls (except the one of my ex GF, but that's another story...)

Simply, i asked the telephone company to NOT publish my name and number in the phone guide.

And yes, we have a strong law protecting privacy.
If we ask to be removed from any database, they must comply.
If they don't, a nice place in jail waits for them and some money back for the offended part.

DHS, i AM Ex-Directory.... its amazing how they get a hold of the infomation.

My funniest one was about a month back, its was a call from New Dheli.... they were selling a phone service cheaper than BT ... the irony here is that i dont use BT anyway, i just rent the line from them, i already have a system thats cheaper than the one they were trying to sell anyway - but thats a side issue.....

He just started rabbiting on - so i figured HEY, IVE GOT THE TIME !.... so i let him continue.... after some 15 minutes of sell, he asked if I was interested, I said no, he said why, I said i already had a system cheaper than theirs, he said, so are you interested, and im thinking "hmmm thick kid, ok, can have fun here"......

So i started to rattle on about the way Uk jobs are being taken abroad, towhit he replied.... "are you racist ? - do you hate indians".. and im like, HEH No, but i hate whats happening..... Hes like You Are Your Racist !! - I said, Im racist because i want the best for my nation and wont buy your product because i already have a better deal ?

Why are we talking I saidm why dont you get it ? Im not interested, Oh he said, but youre still talking to me, I said - YOU CALLED ME.... I HAVE TIME, AND ITS COSTING YYYOUUUU MONEY, Not me......

So, he said... Are you interested, can i saign you up ? - LMAO - (he proceeded to tell me about his life..... then started asking me about mine....

When he said, whats your job, i said - I used to work in a call centre.... - Oh he said, what happened..... I said, they closed us down to move the work abroad....... I lost my job

** click **

Hello, hello ? .... hello ? LOL