How do I politely end a cold call I've received?

Question

I've kept my phone numbers out of the public domain now, as I really do not like being cold called by businesses or charities.

I have found that I used to try and be polite, but then the person calling me would try to get a foot in the door by persisting with a sales pitch. It's like they have a plan of pitch depending upon which responses of rejection they receive.

If some poor unfortunate manages to call one of my numbers I usually retort with an abrupt "How did you get this number?"

Usually they stumble around and say it's a random phone generator thingameybob...

I then reply with an abrupt "Take me off your calling list" and hang up. In Australia, businesses are obliged to take you off their lists if you request this. In fact there's a website where you can list your number to be taken off these types of lists (I haven't found them to be 100% foolproof).

So my question is:

How can I manage to end these calls without being rude? It's really not pleasant being so rude to people and I do feel a bit sorry for the person on the other end, as that would affect their day.

Answer 1

One of my roommates, when I was younger, worked in a call center... Believe it or not, the people calling you hate doing it more than you hate being called. He didn't last long working there, but came home pretty beaten down at the end of the day.

From what he said, the very best thing to do is to simply not answer the phone. The auto dialer just moves to the next number and he didn't have to do anything.

The next best option is to hang up immediately, don't bother to let them go through the spiel and tell them you're not interested, they just have to move to a secondary script and try to draw you in. They don't do it out of spite, they do it because the calls are often monitored ​for quality control. If you just hang up, the auto dialer moves to the next number and the person at the call center couldn't really care less.

Try to keep in mind that the people working at these call centers usually don't make much money, they're likely young kids just trying to make their rent. Don't give them a hard time just because they landed in a terrible job.

Answer 2

The cold caller is working through a list, not trying to establish a relationship with you (other than getting your money). In that situation, "no thank you, I'm not interested -- please put me on your 'do not call' list" and hanging up is not rude. Yelling at or otherwise abusing the caller would be rude, but a polite "no" is perfectly reasonable.

Consider it this way: the caller, or person knocking on your door, is interrupting you, a stranger. It's not an equal situation. What might come across as rude (or at least brusque) to a friend, family member, or coworker isn't necessarily rude to the person who just interrupted you. People who solicit for a living know that most people aren't interested and should not take it personally.

My mobile number is unpublished and yet I've been getting an increasing number of junk calls in recent years (from auto-dialers, I assume). Unless I'm expecting a call, I now send calls from numbers I don't recognize to voicemail. This is sometimes unsatisfying (sometimes I miss something I would have preferred to answer), but the cold calls sure are frustrating.

Answer 3

It's like they have a plan of pitch depending upon which responses of rejection they receive.

Yes. They usually have a script to follow.

In the late '90s, the Dutch privacy artist EGBG (real name Martijn Engelbregt) created a counterscript, which you can use to derail the caller from their script by asking questions yourself.

The completed forms are (still) supposed to be sent to EGBG, who had received about 15,000 of them by 2006.

This counterscript does two things for you. First, it is a good example of the kind of scripts telemarketers may use.
Additionally, and this is your goal, it may derail the caller from their script enough to have them give up, without having been rude — you're just having a pleasant conversation, asking questions just like the telemarketer had planned on doing. I remember from (Dutch) newspapers at the time that some telemarketing companies even had devised counter-counterscripts, because their workers found it difficult to get back on track.

In the creator's own words:

The Direct Marketing sector regards the telephone as one of its most successful tools. Consumers experience telemarketing from a completely different point of view: more than 92% perceive commercial telephone calls as a violation of privacy.
Telemarketers make use of a telescript - a guideline for a telephone conversation. This script creates an imbalance in the conversation between the marketer and the consumer. It is this imbalance, most of all, that makes telemarketing successful. The EGBG Counterscript attempts to redress that balance.

Answer 4

Hang up.

If you're on the no-callers list, they have no right to be calling you. They haven't shown the politeness or the legal sense to check into the rules on whether they are allowed calling you or not, therefore, there's no reason you have to treat them particularly politely. You don't have to be nasty, but if they're being illegal, you don't have to tolerate them.*

Relationships are two directional, and since they aren't treating me as important and frankly my relationship with them isn't all that important, I have no objection to being just a bit brusque.

That being said...

I enjoy getting a good joke out of cold callers. A famous one for telephone salesmen is,

Does this telephone work underwater?

or

How much does a call to Mars cost per minute?

etc.

Pretty soon the solicitor gets the point that they are really not welcome, they hang up, and you get a good laugh.

---

^{*Please note that I do not know exactly what the no-caller rules are like in your area; I'm writing from a Canada / USA perspective.}

Answer 5

I actually had a problem with this a couple days ago (and obviously in the past). I was busy at the time and muffed it, but I tried to get in the usual spiel I have for such people which boils down to this: Let them know that their product/service is not necessary for you.

In this recent case, the caller was asking for donations for a veterans group. I attempted to say the following:

I appreciate the opportunity, but I've already made donations to similar groups within the past year. I'm not interested in donating at the present time. Thank you for your time.

This is almost always true. I'd be more inclined to donate if I hadn't already donated to that subset of group, but if I have, I'm probably not interested.

If it's a for-profit business group, things can be different. I'm less likely to be nice than I would be to a charitable organization. I like to tell them that I simply don't need what they're selling. For instance, if a telemarketing cold caller were to call me selling a magazine subscription, I could say either

I already have a magazine subscription regarding that topic. I'm not interested.

or

I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in that subject.

Most of the time, I find I can be truthful by saying that my need is already satisfied, but if I'm not comfortable with lying - and sometimes I am - I'll simply say

I'm not interested in [your product]. Thank you.

Any of the above statements are succeeded by a brief pause to let them say something. If they say something like "Okay, thank you", then I'll end the call. If they continue the pitch, I'll hang up with a "Sorry, not interested". This is what I failed to do a couple days ago. Vylix suggested adding "I'm hanging up now" in this second case, which is more final and possibly a little nicer than just hanging up.

Basically, in cases of cold calling, I end up doing the following:

• Letting them know that I don't need what they're selling and will not need it in the future (in case they try to put me on a mailing list or something).
• Thanking them for their time, if they aren't too annoying. I find that this can be final without being rude. I especially try to be nicer to folks from charitable or non-profit organizations. Yes, cold calling is generally rude, but some callers have good intentions. Others don't.
• Ending the conversation. I messed up that call a couple days ago because I let them keep talking. That was A Very Bad Move. Cold calling (and telemarketing) is a case where it may be important to have the last word.

Answer 6

I let them finish their opening, and when they pause to listen to me I say

Please add this number to your do not call list.

There is nothing rude about this request, you've listened to their opening without interruption, and this is the most polite and sure way to signal your complete lack of interest. Almost any other response will result in them continuing the call to break down whatever barrier you throw up - but this one actually ends the call.

Answer 7

There's no need to be "polite" to someone who is calling you despite your being on a "do not call" list, which is basically illegal. There's no need to worry about their day, since if they are caught, they (or at least their company) could be subject to heavy fines. On the other hand, there is no need to go out of your way to be impolite.

As soon as I've heard what they are about, I say, "we're not interested." and hang up. That gives them the "courtesy" of hearing your posture, and an unmistakable sign of such.

Answer 8

I find that if declining and saying you have to go/aren't interested simply doesn't work, there are many ways to give hints.

"I'd like to let you go so you have more time to talk to other people who would be a lot more interested than me in your product. Perhaps your company may wish to take me off your list so I don't waste anyone's time in the future."

This is a bit passive aggressive, and it uses the mental trick of pretending you're doing someone else a favor, so it's not for everyone. But also, it doesn't HURT anyone.

Answer 9

Your caller will be on a script. In order to get to your preferred script end (end call) there is one sure way:

Caller: Hello I'm able to offer you an incredible deal on [whatever]!
You: I'm sorry I don't do [whatever].
Caller: But it is an incredible [whatever] deal and only available for a short period of time!
You: I'm sorry I don't do [whatever].

You will have to say it twice. It does not matter if they call you on your mobile and [whatever] is a mobile phone. It is perfectly polite. And it does not give anything away. Be sure these callers live on information and you do not want to feed them.

One general tip:
Absolutely refer from using the word 'yes' in these conversations. The more aggressive callers will send you their package automatically if they've captured that word from you - in whatever context.

Answer 10

I ask for a website so I can read up on the details/options on the service/product/organization. If they don't give me one, I let them know that I consider products/services/organizations when I can research them in detail.

If I don't have the time to review the site right then and there, I'll thank them for their call and the website, and this will typically end the 'connected' nature of the call.

If I choose to visit it right then and there (if I have the time), I provide feedback if I feel like it:

• The website:
  • Is poorly designed, and reflects badly on the product being offered
  • Doesn't have the information I'm looking for, and I don't like buying things that don't have a clear product description, support agreement, privacy policy, etc.
  • Has a lot of info, I would have to read through it and look into this later
  • Has the information I need, thanks
• Online reviews
  • The product/service gets a lot of bad reviews online, which turns me off
  • The organization doesn't provide transparency per Charity Navigator
  • The product/service/organization gets good reviews online
• The product/service:
  • Meets my needs, but not at the price being offered
  • Meets some of my needs, but I'm really looking for additional specific items
  • Doesn't meet my needs
  • Meets my needs

I'll then ask them to convey the shortcomings back up to their supervisors, and let them know that they did a great job in calling and providing me information, but that the product/service/organization fell short for me.

After all that, if it's not something you want, I guess you'll have to figure out another way to say that.

Answer 11

I've had this problem for years and have tried all that has been suggested. The Do-Not-Call list is not effective for all calling companies but is pretty good and should be the place to start.

After cajoling, begging and cussing out a particular brand of credit card rate scammers I gave up and started playing the part of the interested dupe. I'll talk to them while I go about gathering my cards together, then flop about trying to decide on which cards have the worst rate (interest rate on Amex?) changing my mind a few times, and argue with someone in the next room about which should be paid off first. This radio play goes on for a minute or two before they decide I am not going to get it together in time for them to make any progress. They have hung up when some timer of theirs calls time out on me. I've had calls from similar companies but none call back once they've had an earful of my world.

It works out that they are indifferent about ruining my time and cannot, or won't take the time to remove my number. At times I have had them call over and over in an hour apparently to show me they do not care. This method gives them a record that they have called and have no reason to try again. I cannot ask for more.

A friend has also recommended answering the phone with, "Orange?" instead of "Hello?" when you suspect an auto-call. These apparently use the word they hear to decide on which recording to follow up with, English or Mandarin etc. Orange having no rhyme is meant to fox the otherwise crafty system.

They have a terrible job and I have no sympathy with them nor qualms about treating them terribly. They should quit or innovate to something tolerable.