"ARE YOU FILIPINA?" were the words I heard when I answered the phone.
Me: Well, yes. Sort of. My Mom's from the Philippines.
Telemarketer: (giggles) Well, that's great. So you are Filipina.
Me: (not wanting to go through my entire family tree, but my Dad's not Filipino. He's Chinese from the Caribbean. That makes me not 100% Filipina. Plus, I was born in Toronto and have lived most of my life in Montreal. I consider myself Canadian. Well, Filipina-Chinese-Canadian, I guess!) Umm...Who am I speaking with?
Telemarketer: Oh, yes. I'm sorry. I'm (I didn't catch her name) and I'm with (insert name of overseas phone company).
The lady continues on in Tagalog (my Mom's first language).
Me: Oh! Sorry, I don't speak Tagalog! I understand it, but I don't speak it.
Telemarketer: (speaking in half Tagalog and half English) Do you make many long distance phone calls, Mam? We'd like to offer you a great deal. You can call the Philippines for only 3 cents a minute! That is a great deal! You're in Canada, right Mam? You can make phone calls anywhere in Canada for only 2 cents a minute.
Me: Thank you so much. However, I'm not interested right now.
The conversation dragged on for another few minutes, despite me saying "I'm not interested" several times. I totally understand that being a telemarketer is her job. Where on earth did she get my phone number? How on earth did she know I had a Filipina background?
I realize people have jobs to do, but please, please, PLEASE don't call me. If I want your services, I'll call you. Oh, and stop calling to tell me that I have "won a dream vacation". I don't have any issues with my credit cards. I don't have any outstanding loans to worry about. I don't know where you are getting my phone number and information, but please stop calling me.
I'm not the type of person to rudely hang up on others. Unfortunately for me, I'll sit there and listen to you on the phone while politely telling you that I'm not interested and please stop calling. Please don't make me resort to hanging up. I would hate to do that, so please stop being so persistent...and sometimes pushy!
Just to let you know, if you call my house and I don't answer, I'm A) Out, B) Unavailable at the moment, or C) Screening my phone calls!!!
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9 comments:
that's annoying. just go online or call the toll free number and get yoruself on the no call list and hopefully you'll get fewer telemarketers calling. it worked for us, we used to get calls all the time but now we don't get as many.
Hotmommy is right...it's not a cure all, but it does help. When I get one, I've decided to listen politely at first, and then tell them I'm not interested. If they keep going, I'm not the one who is being rude, they are. I'll just say, interrupting them, "I said I'm not interested. I'm hanging up now. Have a nice day." Then I hang up. Oh, and if I remember, I ask them to please take me off of their list. They're supposed to do that if you ask.
That is weird that she knew you are part Filipina, though.
hi c - i have no problems whatsoever with hanging up on people!!!! that's why i screen my calls!
i've been the recipient of those filipino long distance things...where they try to get you to buy their plan or whatever. i usually tell them i don't speak tagalog, and yes, they are going a mile a minute yapping away in taglish. then, i say, no thanks and hang up like the rude bitch that i can be sometimes. ha ha.
word ver:
miroppen
HM:
Thanks for that! I put our number on the No Call List today! Let's hope it works!
J:
Isn't it weird how they knew I was part Filipina?! WEIRD! By the way, they called AGAIN tonight around supper time. This time, I just said "I'm sorry. I'm not interested, but have a great day" right away.
I know some people who hang up as soon as they hear it's a telemarketer. These people tell me I'm too nice to politely listen. One person told me that by letting them talk, knowing that I'm not going to use their service that they're trying to sell is taking valuable time from the telemarketer and that by doing so, I'm making them lose money. I guess that's one way to look at it! Whatever justification one needs to hang up on someone. I guess everyone handles things differently! LOL!
I have no qualms hanging up immediately if I know it's an automated voice service like the one with the cruise ship horn blowing and the "You have won a dream vacation" thing. I know those are automated so I just hang up right away. I have problems just hanging up on actual people though. I feel so awful just thinking about being rude. LoL!
Canine:
My question is: How on earth did they know I am Filipina?!?! Where did they get my number from? Soooo weird! I was trying to think if I called the Philippines. I did, but I used a phone card. I was trying to figure out if someone gave my info out or something, because I cannot think of any possible way a phone company in the Philippines would know that I am part Filipina!
hi c- sometimes the telemarketers have lists that target certain ethnic groups. altho' i don't know how they could've known you are Filipina since your maiden name could be Caucasian/Chinese/Korean and your married last name is definitely non-Asian. lucky guess maybe?
at our house, bert and i used to get double phone calls. the phone would ring, then hang up. then less than a minute later, it rings again...then hangs up. we never answered it and the telemarketers never left us a message on our machine either. we figured, if it's important, they would leave a message - our friends and family do. if not, then it's a damned telemarketer.
perhaps those are outsourced jobs?filipinos who do telemarketing or customer service...i can tell by their accents. they are either Filipino or Indian (from India).
i don't give a shit about hurting their feelings by hanging up on them. i feel like doing them a big favor. they've wasted my time and i am wasting theirs by conversing with them.
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dednesse
CC:
You're right about them wasting our time and us wasting their time by conversing with them. My MIL said I was too kind. She just hangs up as soon as she hears it's a telemarketer. No pleasantries or "No thanks, I'm not interested."
Oh, they called AGAIN today. AGAIN!!! I said no thank you, I'm not interested and the woman just kept talking!!! I said no thanks again and then ended the phone call. Talk about persistent! I already said NO and she kept talking.
I've been laying low, lurking in the background.
Enjoy all the pics of little one, especially the orange bonnet pics.
Those pesky telemarketers are right up my alley.
I don't have a land line....only a cell phone, and I have gotten a few calls on it recently.
I never answer calls unless I recognize the number. They can leave a message if it's important,and most telemarketers never leave a message.
But some telemarketers seem to want to call back more than once?
I always google the phone number that they call from and get the scoop on what others have said about calls from that number, then it's pretty easy to figure out that they are a telemarketer.
So, the next time the phone rings and I recognize the telemarketers number, I answer with "Hello MF'r......you're just the SOB I wanted to talk to".
They usually hang up before I can finish cursing them out, but I had this one fellow who was laughing hysterically abd told me I made his day???????
I called him every name in the book???The more I cursed him the more he laughed and kept repeating I was making his day?????The more he laughed....the more I cursed, and the louder I got.
Plus people were looking at me strangely in the restaurant. Not to mention the strange looks I got from my date?????
I look forward to cursing the bastards out, but I'll try to tone it down in public from now on!!!
Have a nice day!!!