Tuesday Pet Peeve.

I'm on a role here today with the memes.  Tuesday is a great meme day.  I haven't gone to the shops yet as it's raining quite hard still, so It's another meme.  I haven't done this one before.  It's hosted here:  Tuesday Pet Peeve

This is what the website says: A pet peeve simply means a particular personal vexation.  Something you find yourself often annoyed by.  That's why the term "pet" is used, because its personal.  It's something that affects you but not necessarily everyone else.

The rules are simple.  There are many things that drive us crazy and often times we have no recourse.  Pet Peeve Tuesday is your chance to let out your pet peeves.  Who knows, someone else might share your peeve?!

Venting is good for the soul!

My pet peeve this week is the number of unsolicited sales / promotional phone calls that we receive.  I have registered with the Company that are supposed to get your number taken off of these lists, but we still keep getting the calls.

I can't believe it, the phone just rang......really!  You've guessed it.... "Can I speak to Mrs Gle....nns...um please".  (They can never get my name right and that winds me up too.  Another pet peeve!)  My reply, "Who are you?"  This one hung up without another word.

Anyway back to the peeve.  We get loads of these phone calls every day.  Usually at least 3, sometimes half a dozen or more.  They are selling everything from windows, doors, conservatories to mortgages and insurance.  Funny that, as I thought you couldn't get a mortgage at the moment for love nor money.  You name it they are selling it.  Then there's the loan companies, the phone companies, the utility companies, they all want you to go with them and they all have fantastic special offers!

They all start of the same way "Can I speak to "X"?  I usually say "Who are you and what Company are you from?"  They then launch straight into their spiel....."Oh hello, how are you today".......  Hang on a minute, didn't I just ask you who you were?  Are you deaf or stupid?  I also hate it that they try and chat to you like they are your friend.  They are not interested in how I am, so why ask.  One day, I might just tell them exactly how I am.  How long have you got?

I do have other more cruel ways of dealing with them, depending on how the mood takes me.  I say, "Oh hang on I'll just get her for you" and then just leave the phone hanging; they usually get the message eventually!  Another way is to let them go all through their sales pitch and then say "Who did you say you were, can you repeat that for me, there are some points I'm not sure about".

I know the people on the end of the phone are just trying to make a living, but if I have registered that I don't wish to receive these calls then they should abide by that.  Some days I have the same call several times.  Sometimes it's even the same person, I recognise their voice.  I point this out to them and guess what they still phone back later.  What a waste of money.  Some of these guys are very rude too.

My usual response is actually to hang up without speaking, saves time all round.  I have windows, doors etc and I don't want a loan or a mortgage.  If I did I would not be going to a Company who have cold called me.  I would be doing my own research.  When will these people get the message?

A friend of Simons told him the other day that his response is to say " I just need to put you on hold for a minute while I fetch "X", and this call will be recorded for security purposes"!  I love it.

Just got another call from a Company who phoned yesterday, TCM loans.  It was the same lady as yesterday!  I am sure she has phoned other times too.  She asks "Are you Mrs Glenummm".  Me: "Who are you?"  Her: "Oh, hello how are you today?"  I hang up.  How am I today?  I am thoroughly peeved!

That's 2 calls so far today in very quick succession, I know there will be more. This seems to be their favourite time of day along with early evening. We even get calls on our internet phone and we have never given the number of that to anyone as we don't use it.  I don't even remember the number of it!  We never answer it.

So the moral of my Pet Peeve? 

Don't call me, I'll call you!