How to Ask Telemarketers to Stop Calling
Don’t hang up straight-away., Be polite., Find out about who is calling., Say you want to be placed on a “do not call” list., Be assertive., Record any further calls., Do not interact with robocalls.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Don’t hang up straight-away.
Often you will be able to tell very quickly if the person calling is a telemarketer, and the temptation will be to just hang up immediately.
If you want to get him to stop calling you, however, it’s important that you answer the call and talk to the caller.
Calls that are unanswered are generally re-scheduled to be repeated later on.
Hanging up without saying anything is sometimes misinterpreted as a child or unaware family member answering.
This can prompt the telemarketer to call you repeatedly until you answer. -
Step 2: Be polite.
It can be incredibly annoying to get frequent telemarketing calls, especially during dinner or at an awkward time, but it’s important that you stay calm and are polite to the caller.
You might be dealing with an unscrupulous company or caller, but remaining polite is the best way to deal with it., When you get a call, allow the caller a few seconds to say why they are calling.
Don’t jump in straightaway saying “put me on the no call list”.
Ask some questions to establish exactly who is calling you.You will need to ask the name of the person calling, the name of his supervisor, and the company they are calling on behalf of.
Note down all of this information as well as the time and date of the call.
Having this information will make it easier to follow up and make a complaint if the calls keep coming.
By law, the caller must tell you whether or not it’s a sale call or if they are calling on behalf of a charity, as well as what they are selling or if they are asking for a donation.
If the caller doesn’t answer your questions directly it could be a scam and you should hang up., Once you have gained all the information about the caller and the company they are calling for, you should go ahead and ask politely and calmly to be placed on the “do not call”.
All telemarketing firms are required by law to have an internal “do not call” list.
To avoid any potential tricks with the wording make sure you explicitly say “Please place me on your internal do not call list”, and then wait to make sure it is understood and acted upon.Often, companies subcontract their outbound work to another company.
If you just ask for X Company (the company the telemarketer is calling on behalf of) to stop calling you, that will stop just one company from calling.
Ask the telemarketer what company employs them.
Ask to be placed on that “do not call” list as well Be sure to find out how long it will take to be added.
Some firms only update these lists quarterly so it could be a few months before you are officially on it.
You can also ask for a copy of the company’s “do not call policy”, which they are required by law to provide for you upon demand, and at no cost to you., Saying you want to be placed on the "do not call" list should prompt the telemarketer to act on this, but he may keep trying to work on you and change your mind.
If this happens, it's important that you are assertive and firm, without being rude or aggressive.
Repeat the request, and make sure you say it firmly.
Say "Please put me on your do not call list," rather than asking more passively "could you put me on your no call list, please?"Framing your request in this way makes it more assertive.
Be sure you speak clearly and don't mumble.
If he continues to ignore your request, you should politely insist and ask to speak to his supervisor.
If you are told no supervisor is available, don't take no for an answer.
You have a right to complain and there should be someone available., After you have told a company not to call you and asked formally to be placed on their internal “do not call” list, they have a legal right to phone you one more time.
If this happens, don’t be annoyed, but do make sure you record the time and date of the call, as well as the name of the caller.
Remind him that you are on the “do not call” list and any further calls in the next twelve months would give you the right to sue.
If you do receive any further sales calls from this company, make sure you record all the pertinent information.You can submit a complaint via the government website: https://www.donotcall.gov/ , If you get a robocall with a recorded message, you shouldn’t try to interact with them in any way.
The message might say something like “press 6 to be put through to an operator” and you might think this is a chance to be ask to be added to a “do no call” list.
In reality, pressing a button will likely just lead to you receiving more robocalls and sales calls.Hang up immediately, and consider contacting your phone company to see if they can block the number.
Be aware that the phone company may charge you for this.
Telemarketers change caller ID information frequently, so if you successfully block one number you might still get the same calls from different numbers. -
Step 3: Find out about who is calling.
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Step 4: Say you want to be placed on a “do not call” list.
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Step 5: Be assertive.
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Step 6: Record any further calls.
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Step 7: Do not interact with robocalls.
Detailed Guide
Often you will be able to tell very quickly if the person calling is a telemarketer, and the temptation will be to just hang up immediately.
If you want to get him to stop calling you, however, it’s important that you answer the call and talk to the caller.
Calls that are unanswered are generally re-scheduled to be repeated later on.
Hanging up without saying anything is sometimes misinterpreted as a child or unaware family member answering.
This can prompt the telemarketer to call you repeatedly until you answer.
It can be incredibly annoying to get frequent telemarketing calls, especially during dinner or at an awkward time, but it’s important that you stay calm and are polite to the caller.
You might be dealing with an unscrupulous company or caller, but remaining polite is the best way to deal with it., When you get a call, allow the caller a few seconds to say why they are calling.
Don’t jump in straightaway saying “put me on the no call list”.
Ask some questions to establish exactly who is calling you.You will need to ask the name of the person calling, the name of his supervisor, and the company they are calling on behalf of.
Note down all of this information as well as the time and date of the call.
Having this information will make it easier to follow up and make a complaint if the calls keep coming.
By law, the caller must tell you whether or not it’s a sale call or if they are calling on behalf of a charity, as well as what they are selling or if they are asking for a donation.
If the caller doesn’t answer your questions directly it could be a scam and you should hang up., Once you have gained all the information about the caller and the company they are calling for, you should go ahead and ask politely and calmly to be placed on the “do not call”.
All telemarketing firms are required by law to have an internal “do not call” list.
To avoid any potential tricks with the wording make sure you explicitly say “Please place me on your internal do not call list”, and then wait to make sure it is understood and acted upon.Often, companies subcontract their outbound work to another company.
If you just ask for X Company (the company the telemarketer is calling on behalf of) to stop calling you, that will stop just one company from calling.
Ask the telemarketer what company employs them.
Ask to be placed on that “do not call” list as well Be sure to find out how long it will take to be added.
Some firms only update these lists quarterly so it could be a few months before you are officially on it.
You can also ask for a copy of the company’s “do not call policy”, which they are required by law to provide for you upon demand, and at no cost to you., Saying you want to be placed on the "do not call" list should prompt the telemarketer to act on this, but he may keep trying to work on you and change your mind.
If this happens, it's important that you are assertive and firm, without being rude or aggressive.
Repeat the request, and make sure you say it firmly.
Say "Please put me on your do not call list," rather than asking more passively "could you put me on your no call list, please?"Framing your request in this way makes it more assertive.
Be sure you speak clearly and don't mumble.
If he continues to ignore your request, you should politely insist and ask to speak to his supervisor.
If you are told no supervisor is available, don't take no for an answer.
You have a right to complain and there should be someone available., After you have told a company not to call you and asked formally to be placed on their internal “do not call” list, they have a legal right to phone you one more time.
If this happens, don’t be annoyed, but do make sure you record the time and date of the call, as well as the name of the caller.
Remind him that you are on the “do not call” list and any further calls in the next twelve months would give you the right to sue.
If you do receive any further sales calls from this company, make sure you record all the pertinent information.You can submit a complaint via the government website: https://www.donotcall.gov/ , If you get a robocall with a recorded message, you shouldn’t try to interact with them in any way.
The message might say something like “press 6 to be put through to an operator” and you might think this is a chance to be ask to be added to a “do no call” list.
In reality, pressing a button will likely just lead to you receiving more robocalls and sales calls.Hang up immediately, and consider contacting your phone company to see if they can block the number.
Be aware that the phone company may charge you for this.
Telemarketers change caller ID information frequently, so if you successfully block one number you might still get the same calls from different numbers.
About the Author
Ruth Wright
Ruth Wright specializes in consulting and has been creating helpful content for over 3 years. Ruth is committed to helping readers learn new skills and improve their lives.
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