By Anonymous - 28/04/2013 13:57 - China - Shanghai

Today, for the third time this week, a telemarketer called me. Seriously annoyed, I told him in German that I don't speak English, in an attempt to get rid of him. He then started delivering his product pitch in German. FML
I agree, your life sucks 55 879
You deserved it 12 545

Same thing different taste

Top comments

OhDearBetrayal 25

See that's why it helps to know an indigenous language.

Why didn't you just hang up instantly like a normal person?

Comments

Inciter 33

That's why you shouldn't lie!

There is no need to lie. Just call someone to add the number to the blocked list or do it yourself if your house phone can block numbers. I know cellphones can. I have a huge list. I usually say **** you never call again because idc and then I block the number. No i don't say that, but I should. What braindead people waste their time on calling people who either don't even answer the phone because it is nobody important or just want to say **** you? >.>

Machines and recorded messages, that's who!

29 I'm on that list and I still get calls.

Well the telemarketers are probably not too happy with their jobs, and would take any opportunity to quit when they can. But sitting there getting paid for calling random people just to be hung up on.. hey , free money. Some may even be professionals at it making tons of money.. It's just marketing.

hooligyn123 18

The people who do it a majority of the time are the people who get paid to do so. Its a soul sucking brain dead awful job to boot. I did it for a month, but it paid the rent and I'd still choose that over being homeless any day. Even if it means 10 hours of ass hats who can't just say "Thanks, not interested" and hang up but instead have to scream and tirade at you. Actually since most of those jobs have a quota requirement, its better if your not interested to politely hang up than listen to their spiel anyway.

I worked as a telemarketer for 2 weeks. It was miserable. I cried often. And my job was to call the companies past clients, it's amazing how many people never had their carpet cleaned, yet I could tell them about the strain under their couch.

29, IF we're talking about landline, then 1. Phone provider might not have "blacklist" feature. 2. Phone provider might not even have CallerID service. If there's no blacklist and no CallerID, then the only way to block incoming calls is to unplug the phone.

OP totally deserved this. You can always just tell em 'now is not a good time.'

They do it because they get paid to do it.

27 Given that the FML was posted in English, I doubt he was lying

No, I'm pretty sure an English speaker saying they can't speak English and then posting an FML in English is lie, amigo. But I don't care, the person was annoyed, they had to do what they had to do. Just here to correct people.

I don't understand why people don't just tell them to take their phone number off their list. Listen to them once, and never again. (: If they call you again from the same company after you ask to be taken off, you are allowed to sue them. Although sueing them isn't an answer, it'll keep them away from you at the very least.

my rule for numbers that don't look suspicious and then are telemarketers when you pick up is if there's a delay after you say hello you can probably hang up. and no seeing caller id and ignoring doesn't work because telemarketers started leaving voice mails and everyone hates those

OhDearBetrayal 25

See that's why it helps to know an indigenous language.

*sarcastic* yes, kmow German when you're in China. makes total sense.

So, when I put 62s comment in google translate, I got: "that's true. I think that he is not all cups in the cabinet" Thanks google. Thanks.

420Zombie 17

#78: hahaha that gave me a chuckle. My thought would be maybe it's some German expression that doesn't translate properly to English

78 - It's similar to saying "Er hat einen Vogel", but more polite :)

^He has a bird? Google tranlate is fun.

#78 - I think it means: That's true. I don't think he has all the cups in the cupboard.

"He doesn't have all his cups in the cupboard" is basically the same as "He's got a screw loose", while "Er hat einen Vogel" is pretty much "He's ******* insane". Idiomatic phrases don't always translate too well on Google :/

2- Ya OP should learn something African..."Click.Tooky.took.click.click." That would be perfect!

MartiOan 8

Google translate tells you what he said, but not what he means. The phrase should be interpreted as something like "He's a beer short of a sixpack" (or a sandwich short of a picnic) He's not quite right in the head

lautturi 2

Why resort to all of these tactics to get rid of them? It takes more effort to do that than to just put the phone down. YDI

Or simply ask them to take your number off the calling list. So many options and OP chooses the dumbest of them.

In my experience, I have been called after being on the do not call list; but then I fight fire with fire and answer the phone saying I'm an FBI agent and would like to know where they're located. They hang up every time.

53, are you perfectly sure that this wasn't just someone harassing you for some reason? Because this number seems strangely high for simple telemarketing... could it be that someone had a grudge against you?

Ali_Br_fml 33

@57 & 53, I get like 35-45 calls a day & 15-30 new voicemails on my house phone daily because Verizon lists my number and wants to charge me not to do so. I've tried telling them not to call, that the number is a lucrative hotline and they are being billed by the minute and their phone bill would have a very descriptive charge...but it kinda backfired, & I hung up on some of the men who called. Answering as a suicide hotline and saying I was tracing their call to send someone over got a few idiots to stop, but now I just recorded a super long message saying the number isn't in service & giving a legit suicide hotline number. Now I only have like 15-30 messages from machine voices sometimes the same one 10 times in 4 minutes. The funny thing is that the debt collectors aren't even looking for me. No matter how many times I told them I'm not Andrew Goodall, David Smith, or Charlene Bowen, they don't stop. If my mom didn't occasionally call if I left my cell phone in another room, I'd unhook the annoying thing. Verizon says it's cheaper to have all 3 services than just 2, so I'm paying to be harassed. Is that no soliciting thing a 1 time fee, or monthly? And how much is it? Sigh, I may just unplug the darn thing since I don't use it...

420Zombie 17

Lol thanks for the speech 63

StalkerChick 13

Or try to sell the telemarketer something. That usually works.

Have your phone service block telemarketers. My family did that, and they dot call us anymore

PoopNuggetLeader 4

73, Not really. China is Russian neighbor, so I wouldn't be surprised if the guy on the phone could speak it as well.

Why didn't you just hang up instantly like a normal person?

OP said it was already the third time this week - guess they got bored of the response. Plus I think these workers know how to keep you talking.

No I prefer leaving the phone on the desk and let the guy keep talking, while you carry on with your life. I did that once because this telemarketer talked so fast and wouldn't let me interrupt.

Wait OP lives in Shanghai? Does this mean they speak German, Mandarin, and English? I am jealous.

The local language in Shanghai is Wu, so OP may even speak four languages. Just a fun fact.

solosohigh 15

just hang up on them. every time I am nice and politely say I'm not interested, they hang up on me.

hooligyn123 18

It's true. Usually they have quotas to meet. win-win situation for all.

I just don't answer. You can tell by the area code who it is.

Not necessarily. There's this thing that can make it look like the number is coming from where ever the user wants it to. My fiancé was investigating it for the bank he works for. It looks at the number it's calling and makes itself look like it's coming from the same area code.