Opportunity missed - curses!

[David Tuson]

I have been waiting for weeks for the technician to phone and tell me there are problems with my computer. Well, it happened yesterday evening BUT my wife had just put dinner out so I had to hang up. I was so looking forward to leading them on a wild goose chase. I suppose I could have left the phone of the hook while we ate dinner!

:smartass:

[Mary Anne]

One got me yesterday just at dinnertime, and I said (after the usual pleasantries) --- "Please put this number on your company's 'Do Not Call List' " and ------ he GAVE UP -- "yes, madam," he said, politely, and we both hung up !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOOOHOOOOOOOO! (well, at least until the next time ...)


Mary Anne

[Thomasin]

A foreign gentleman called me last week on the subject of my computer. 'What computer?' I asked. He disappeared forthwith, and without another word.

[v.wells]

A foreign gentleman called me last week on the subject of my computer. 'What computer?' I asked. He disappeared forthwith, and without another word.

Brilliant Thomasin!:)

[busyglen]

I haven't had that type of call yet, but didn't realise they'd got to this area. That was quick thinking Thomasin. :)

[AnnB]

Wonder if I spoke to the same chap as Thomasin........he must think he is very unlucky to be picking all the people with no computers :innocent:

Best wishes
Ann

[busyglen]

At least I will know what to say! I wonder how many other people are quick thinking and say the same thing? :)

[spison]

:willy_nilly: I've tried everything but they keep ringing back!
I did the hold on, listen politely trick and then say I had a Mac...
Then I did the heated rant...Look I know this is a spam go away trick...
Then I left the phone off the hook for as long as I could trick...
Then I tried the polite listen followed by the "Why do you think I have a computer?" response.
And last week they rang again so I tried heated rant again and told them every trick I'd tried and get me onto the DON'T CALL list!
I'm waiting to see what will happen next but I do find that they are hesitant (and hopefully a little confused) when you don't say words but just say "Hmm" with varying intonations.
Jane

[David Tuson]

My brother-in-law in Blackburn asked them which computer, the Commodore 64, the MS-DOS machine, Windows 95, Windows XP, Windows 7, MAC, the one running LINUX, or his mainframe IBM. Deathly silence and then the caller hung up obviously totally confused.

[sonjabuk]

I have had several of these calls - sometimes I hang up, other times have argued with them to no avail

But the best response was by a cyber friend whose call went along the lines of...

Okay let me just start it up .....umm okay you want me to press what button....umm can't see it.....nope still can't see it (referring to the little 'windows' icon)....nope I dont have one.....no I have a button with a half eaten apple!!.....caller hung up on her!!

[pippycat]

They all get the same response from me:

"I'm not interested but I know my husband will be"
Usually its 'good, can I speak with him'?
"Of course you can" say I, "just dial 999 ask for the police because he's at work right now"

...no idea why they hang up on me!!

[susan-y]

I've had the calls as well and ignore them!
I did get a nice leetter in the snail mail yesterday informing me I had won $15,000.00 American! I just had to send them $20.00 to get my money! Wonder how much they make on that scam?
http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Others/mail-093.gif


Sue

[David Tuson]

It is nice to see that you live up to your description - "Loves to help with queries"


They all get the same response from me:

"I'm not interested but I know my husband will be"
Usually its 'good, can I speak with him'?
"Of course you can" say I, "just dial 999 ask for the police because he's at work right now"

...no idea why they hang up on me!!

[AnnB]

At least I will know what to say! I wonder how many other people are quick thinking and say the same thing? :)

Not really quick thinking Glen, we've had so many of the darned calls and I've tried all sorts of resposes, the 'what computer?' reply seems to keep them away longer :whistling:

Truth be told, nothing is going to stop them once they've got 'found' you!

Best wishes
Ann

[mfwebb]

They all get the same response from me:

"I'm not interested but I know my husband will be"
Usually its 'good, can I speak with him'?
"Of course you can" say I, "just dial 999 ask for the police because he's at work right now"

...no idea why they hang up on me!!

That's brilliant.

I've tried all sorts in the past but the last twice they have rung I just say I don't have a computer here and they hang up.

I'm just waiting for the next person to ring and say to me, all friendly "How are you today?"

Then I can say "Im so pleased you asked, I've got this bad shoulder -- been giving me pain for days etc etc . . . " and see how long it is before they hang up.

All the best,
Malcolm Webb
Lincoln UK

[limeyrr]

I had an Indian fellow phone about my computer problem (about the 5th one). I can tell by the lack of phone number that it's them. I'm fairly good at doing voice imitations, so I pretended to be Indian too. I started stringing this chap on that I'm from the mother country; chatting about things Indian. Had myself in near hysterics. Doesn't he go and bugger it all up by starting to talk in Punjabi. I didn't know what to say, so I mumbled on about India in English. When he tried Punjabi again, I launched in to an English tirade about what he could do with his computer help.

Too bad I didn't speak Punjabi, I could have kept chatting with this guy forever and he wouldn't have known the difference. Strangely, he didn't once ask about my computer once I got chatting about India with him.

Next time I'll pass him to my wife and she can talk to them in French. See how they like it.

[Philippa_Harvey]

I had yet another of these calls during the week. Decided to be very chatty and friendly and said "Oh I'm so glad it's you. I've been told that if you did call I must make a recording and then hand it to the police for tracing. Can you please just hold the line while I set it all up - I won't be long?" :devil:

BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!

Don't know if it will have a lasting effect or not, but I did feel soooooo good for a minute or three. Didn't stop to think that it would be impossible to trace a call from a recording, but then neither did the caller!

Philippa

[Barnzzz]

I've found that earnestly telling people that computers, loans, mortgages (and most other things) are against my religion makes these callers go away. I'm probably listed somewhere as a religious nut. :angel:

[Sandra Parker]

I've also had my moments with these charmers. After a particularly trying day last week, I was really in the mood.
When asked about my computer, I said I had one, but he didn't sell it to me, so did he know what to do with this one. He then asked something about windows to which I replied ecstatically that I did have wiindows (paused for a bit) and that they were indeed in desperate need of attention, but he could only come to clean them in the mornings as I nap in the afternoons. He explained that he was referring to windows on my computer, I said that my computer didn't have a window, it had a screen. At that point for some reason, he lost interest and made a most decided burring noise.
I felt so much better after that!
Next time I might discuss viruses, because I know they make people very sick!
Sandra whose spectacled aura enjoyed the conversation as much as she did - most theraputic.

[susan-y]

I met a friend yesterday whose husband was not thinking straight and got "caught". They are moving and he had the computer on clearing up some loose ends and the phone rang. She did not give me the details of who they claimed to be,( she was working when he called her about it) however I believe it was something to do with their provider. Anyway, he clicked on what they suggested and they wiped his computer clean! It was all very quick and he could see the stuff just disappearing line after line. When he asked what was going on and realised what he had done, ( and he knows better) the guy laughed and offered to reinstall it all for $465.00 ...... just needed his credit card. :nonod: He hung up and called the bank first, then the police and so on down the line for everything they had ID on the computer for.
This is a man who knows better, but they caught him at such a time that he was vulnerable and fell for their line. It may have been a coincidence that he was clearing files and history or perhaps they had a "bug" that alerted the caller but it happened. It can happen to anyone. Never, ever believe one of these callers.

Sue

[RobinC]

Next time they phone, say the following: "My name is Perry, not Terry. With a P as in Pterodactyl."

That should confuse them

[David Tuson]

Next time they phone, say the following: "My name is Perry, not Terry. With a P as in Pterodactyl."

That should confuse them

It confused me until I realised it is a silent P - nice one

[JohnN]

It confused me until I realised it is a silent P - nice one

Or as Spike Milligan once said: The P is silent as in 'swimming bath'.

:)