What is it with charity cold-callers?

Just had a cold call.

"Hello, can I speak to Mr BB please?"

Me: "Can I ask who's calling, please?"

Them: "I'm from the National XX charity"

Me (super-smooth polite) "Oh, I'm really sorry, we agree that we only support two charities, we're not interested, sorry".

Them: "Oh, we don't want to take away from any other charities, but I do need to speak to Mr BB".

Me: "I'm his wife, and as I said, we only support two charities, I'm sorry, we're not interested."

Them: "Yes, but we're -"

Me: "I'm sorry, we're not interested, thank you, bye-bye" (she was still trying to waffle at me at this point, and I was in the middle of doing something when they phoned, so I lost patience and hung up).

Is there a "set programme"? Do they just keep going on autopilot? Are they set to "ignore"? Why can't they just accept that I don't want to throw my hard-earned cash over to them (for a good reason, I feel) just on the basis of a phone call? Did they just want to get past hard-nosed b*tch and talk to the nice friendly man?

Grrrrrr.....

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Comments

  • We had one at 3.25am this morning.....
  • BB - which one of you IS the hard-nosed b#tch? image
  • BB - my response to any cold call is simple - "I don't respond to any cold call and as we are on the telephone preference list you shouldn't be calling at all so please delete my number - goodbye."

    I just don't get into conversation and I don't feel bad about it either.  Cold calling is a form of bullying in my mind.  They get you when you are totally unprepared. image

  • My wife deals with all cold callers brilliantly, she lets them start talking and then puts the phone on the side and goes off and makes a cup of tea, comes back and you will be amazed how many are still going through there prepared scripts almost five minutes later, she'll pick up the phone say something like "sorry can you say that again" put the phone down again and go away for another for another five mins, don't think there has ever been anyone still there after that.
  • LOL flat footed - thats better than my approach and its costing them money too.  Perfect. image

  • I LOVE that one Flatfooted....... image
  • I really just want to tell these people to p1$$ orf!

    It's not that I'm mean but I give regularly to the local hospice, buy a poppy, put the odd coin in a collecting tin etc.  Now if I wanted to donate to something else then I would, but it's my money and I'll decide what to do with it.  What makes it worse is that the cold-callers don't just want a couple of quid do they?  No, they want my bank details and an ongoing commitment until such tiem as I get round to cancelling the direct debit.  Sorry guys, i know you're only doing your job, and maybe you believe passionately in rare frogs, or whatever, but you're busines is not welcome here!

    Bah humbug - anyone else looking forward to Christmas? 

  • PMSL @ Flat Footed, that's actually really good.

    The way I get rid of them is, if they won't get off the phone after I've told them 'no' once, to blow a whistle down the phone.  It never fails.

  • LOL Vixx!!

    I try to be nice to charity people, especially as I often find myself asking other people for money for charity. Most of them are fine when you explain you already support other charities. This was just a bit annoying.

    And don't get me started on mailshots including books of raffle tickets that they ask you to sell... or worse, buy yourself...

    Soupy, we are on the TPS, but we seem to be getting more and more calls like this just lately image

  • Millster wrote (see)

    I really just want to tell these people to p1$$ orf!

    It's not that I'm mean but I give regularly to the local hospice, buy a poppy, put the odd coin in a collecting tin etc.  Now if I wanted to donate to something else then I would, but it's my money and I'll decide what to do with it.  What makes it worse is that the cold-callers don't just want a couple of quid do they?  No, they want my bank details and an ongoing commitment until such tiem as I get round to cancelling the direct debit.  Sorry guys, i know you're only doing your job, and maybe you believe passionately in rare frogs, or whatever, but you're busines is not welcome here!

    Bah humbug - anyone else looking forward to Christmas? 

    Quite so, Millster! I went into the kitchen after and stropped: "It's my b****y hard-earned cash, I'll decide what to do with it and when!!". (Sorry, had a bad day, I'm not usually into flash-rage).

    There are so many charities we could support, so several years ago we decided to keep our efforts to one local and one national charity. We support our local hospice (Vixx, you'll know we could hardly NOT...;)) and Asthma UK. I've worked at our local hospice and I know how important that is, and who knows, one day someone I know and love may need it. And I very definitely have asthma and several friends who are much more severe than I am, and I know how important AUK's work is for people like them and children with asthma too.  But this charity today has no emotional, local or other connection to me...if I'm going to support something, it's with good reason, not just cos some person in a call centre rings me up. Pah.

  • BB - you two are both so darn NICE, I can't tell..... image

    We are on the TPS too,but we are still getting these calls.....

    The best was the hubby of one of my clients.  Phone call mid-way through me training client, he wanders through, picks up the phone, listens for a minute, tells them he isn't interested politely.

    They obviously are not to be swayed, so he tells them again, still politely.

    So, whn they carry on AGAIN, in his politest voice he says ''Would you mind awfully if you just fack orf?''

    He then puts the phone down and goes back to what he was doing......

  • BB - unfortunately I stopped supporting the hospice when they couldn't be arsed to acknowledge the 'small' amount of money that was still raised at the end of my redundant Chicago 2007 campaign, when I offered to give everyone their money back because of the race being stopped.  Everyone said that I could still give the money to the charity instead.

    Never got a thank you or nuffink...... image

  • Vixx76 wrote (see)

    BB - unfortunately I stopped supporting the hospice when they couldn't be arsed to acknowledge the 'small' amount of money that was still raised at the end of my redundant Chicago 2007 campaign, when I offered to give everyone their money back because of the race being stopped.  Everyone said that I could still give the money to the charity instead.

    Never got a thank you or nuffink...... image

    And that's rather sh*te. AUK sent me a nice susstificate for the FLM last year.
  • And I also didn't get any acknowledgement from another, rather large and well-known charity for raising 500.00 at last year's GNR.....
  • AUK sound nice - if I could raise 1500.00 I'd run London for them......

    Don't think I can get that much tho......

  • Easiest way to get rid is to say you work for another charity.  As in "I'd really like to support your cause but I work for *insert name of rival charity*"

    What I find more annoying is the telecoms companies who pretend to be your supplier and want to discuss your contract.  I had one yesterday

    Them: Hello is that Vicki **
    Me: Speaking
    Them: We're calling on behalf of T-Mobile regarding your T-Mobile contract
    Me: So you're not T-Mobile
    Them: We're calling on their behalf
    Me: So you're not T-Mobile then
    Them: We're outsourced and dealing with your T-Mobile contract
    Me: So you're either T-Mobile or you're not, which is it?
    Them: We're working on their behalf
    Me: So you're not T-Mobile then
    Them: Um
    Me: Are you going to lie to me and say you are T-Mobile to get my business?
    Them: We're actually outsourced by T-Mobile
    Me: So which T-Mobile call centre are you based at
    Them: We're not actually based at a T-Mobile call centre
    Me: So we're getting somewhere then, you're not T-Mobile
    Them: We'd like to discuss your T-Mobile contract
    Me: Fat chance of that, you could be anybody
    Them: Um
    Me: I'm not interested mate - feel free to continue if you think you can get my business

    Far more irritating that the chuggers :/

  • That's good stuff Vicki, I can imagine how frustrated the gimp from T-Mobile must have been!
  • yeah, I hope it's been recorded and used as a training call - thing is the git wasn't from T-Mobile he was from some random muppet-company, and have since found out today that T-Mobile sold on a load of customers details to other companies: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8364421.stm

    grrr image

  • Someone called here the other day and told Mr BB they were from Sky, which is fine, as we do have Sky. Prattled on for a bit about the warranty on the Sky box (which is indeed coming to an end, and it seems reasonable to extend). "If you're interested, Mr BB, I'll just need to take some details from you..."

    "Hang on," says Mr BB, "You're not from Sky, are you?"

    "um..."

    "If you were from Sky, you'd have my details already. Next time, try not to make the very first thing you say a complete lie, huh?"

  • Wondered where they had details that my contract was nearly up when i was getting these calls. Data protection my arse
  • GertieGertie ✭✭✭

    T-mobile didn't sell it on themselves.  It seems that a (soon to be ex) member of staff did it.

    Their  IT department needs shooting for letting it happen though.

  • The warranty ppl who call "on behalf of" Sky are dodgy scousers. No offence to any scousers image.

    Mr MD challenged them and they had a real go back at him. Not nice ppl.

    I get annoyed when out shopping being acosted by charidee sellers. They can be aggressive too. Not a week goes by when going to Morrisons without someone wanting money. It makes me feel guilty walking by, saying no.

  • Some time ago the wife admitted a British Gas meter reading man into the house who begn to regale her with some guff about an alert on their panel indicating that we were paying £100 a year too much and he would see what he could do to sort it out for us.

    It was at this point I returned from a run and asked the British Gas man what the hell he was doing in my house as we dont get our gas from British Gas... at which point it became appaent he wasnt there to read the meter but was trying to get us to change suppliers.

    I asked him to leave.. he carried on trying to persuade us of the benefits  of his company....

    I pointed out that he had gained access by deception whilst my wife was on her own, I still wasnt sure who he was, I was getting angry and not a little scared by a man who was refusing to leave my house so the choice was he exit under his own steam via the door, or he exit at greater velocity through the window.

    He left  - I rang British Gas and said if they couldnt confirm he was a employee of theirs within the next 5 mintes I was calling he Police.

    They called back and confirmed that their salesmen were in the area. I sent a letter of complaint and got a grovelly letter.

    Scared the wife a bit when she realized she had let a complete stranger into the house who really could have been anyone....

  • We keep having this local builder phoning us about our garage roof.  We established that he doesn't do repairs of garage roofs, he only replaces them totally with some flashy system. We've told him 3 times we only want a repair not a fancy replacement, so if he can't do repairs we're not interested, but he keeps calling back to have the same conversation!
  • basil  b the sky box people are indeed dodgy they blagged my mrs a few years back with the same sales pitch  she thought it was a one of payment but the next year they take the payment again with out so much as a phone call i cancelled the payment with bank then the cheecky feckers did it again this year! bank has repaid money but still p**sd me off
  • Back to charities... you do have the option, of course, of complaining directly to the charity and, if you want to, to the little-known Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB for short). Yes, it's a self-regulatory system, but it's relatively young and trying to make a mark, so it can be worth complaining if you feel the need. It's recently changed its policy so that it will look into complaints against charities that haven't signed up to it. There's a huge debate constantly going on in the charity world about the ethics of different types of fundraising. The bottom line is that chuggers and telephone fundraising actually work, though lots of us may be cynical about them. If they didn't work, those methods would die out. However, the Institute of Fundraising has put together codes of practice to which its members must adhere, including a code on face-to-face activity (http://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/Resources/Institute of Fundraising/Codes/Face-to-Face Activity October 2008.pdf) and one on telephone fundraising (http://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/Resources/Institute of Fundraising/Codes/Telephone Fundraising November 2008.pdf).
    Interestingly, the head of a major telephone fundraising agency recently told a conference he thought it might be ok to telephone people who had previously said they didn't want to be called just to ask if they'd changed their minds. It caused a storm in the charity world, he was rightly condemned and had to back down (http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/Channels/Fundraising/Article/949332/Pell---Bales-U-turn-phone-calls-lapsed-supporters/). As this article says, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations mean calling anyone who has said they dont' want to be called is illegal.
    One last point: most charities do good work and obey the law, guidance, codes of practice and common sense.
  • http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/t.gif


    Q: What is it with charity cold-callers?

    A: Commission (but sssshhhhh....don't tell anyone)

    This is word of mouth, so I couldn't swear to it, but it doesn't surprise me. 

    The majority of 'Chuggers' don't actually work/volunteer for the charity, but for an agency which the charity commissions to get doners to sign up to them.

    Ever noticed that it's not a one off payment, but a direct debit or a yearly payment? Thats because a large proportion of the first payments goes to the agency as their fee for getting you on board.

    So if you've ever signed up for this and then cancelled after a few months all you've done is pay someones wages. 

    If you want to give to charity - give direct.  Not to someone who approaches you on the street or over the phone.

     EDIT: I'm would never try to slam the majority of charities as they do some great work, and I know that they have to use some of the funds to employ admin staff, but I disagree with outside agencies that get their slice before anything goes to the charity.

  • It's actually no secret at all that chuggers and telephone fundraisers get commission. What few know is that chuggers are obliged to tell you this up front and are not observing the relevant codes of practice if they do not. The simple fact is, as I've already said, is that it works enough for charities to keep on employing the agencies. The fact is that the highest proportion of charity income by far still comes from individual giving - not from the state, nor from legacies, nor from the corporates. That's why chuggers want you.
  • try cancelling your sky subscription - you get 20 minutes of them trying to sell you:

    1. do you like movies - A more expensive sky subscription 
    2. do you like footie - ditto
    3. what channels do the kids watch (guilt trip one that)
    4. how much do you pay for broadband; how much do you download a month
    5. what about a combined package telly/phone/internet
    See if you can stay calmimage
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