Most stupid cold caller ever...

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E

E Storey

  • #1
    I just have to give "jamie" from RNR SEO an award! :mad:

    I was really impressed at being woken up by his cold calling at 2.07 am to point out some keywords I had missed off my website, I really appreciated him ringing rather than e-mailing, because he wasn't sure of my e-mail address (even though it is on every single page of my site), all in all, given my love of cold callers in general, and being listed on the telephone preference service this is one local Edinburgh company I will not be using!

    What on earth was going through his mind cold calling at that time ... coke?

    Would it be unethical to give out his mobile number and ask people to contact him offering goods/services, prefereably at 2.07 am?
     
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    C

    chrisbuckley

  • #9
    The only reason I suggest it is because this is not the only guy who will ever call you.

    Next it could be telemarketers from India or a beeping fax machine that rings you every night because someone programmed something wrong.

    I keep a separate line for business (just a mobile) and I turn it off at night.

    I hope you're not using your home phone number as a publically advertised business line??!
     
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    E

    E Storey

  • #12
    Tommo said:
    I have just one - never ever had any problems.

    I'm actually quite happy to receive a call at 4am from a customer.
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    funny thing was, I remember thinking if it was a new customer I would DEFFINATELY decline to work for them ... If they did that on an enquiry imagine how often they would be rining you once you actually worked for them!
     
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    JDX_John

    JDX_John

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    Mar 26, 2009
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  • #14
    telemax said:
    I recommend a separate business line if you work from home.
    Click to expand...

    E Storey said:
    mhmmmm...

    2 people recommending I have seperate numbers, in order to prevent what is clearly a nuisence cold caller are ... a telemarketer and a web site designer.
    Click to expand...

    It's not only common sense to have a separate business number so you can answer the phone appropriately, it is quite likely breaking the T&Cs of your phone provider to use a home phone service for business purposes. If this is the case and they find out, they can forcibly change your contract at significant cost.

    And I don't sell anything to do with phones :)
     
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    captaincloser

    captaincloser

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  • #15
    Admitedly a bad experience for the OP to have had the call at 2am but why compound the irritation by starting a thread on a business forum ?

    What are you trying to achieve or say...that you got called by a nutter ? Welcome to the world...

    My dad once got a call supposedly from the gas people at 3am asking him to check the pipes and taps as they thought they had connected the gas to the water supply:)
     
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    Banned

  • #19
    Mitch3473 said:
    Definately have 2 separate phone lines.It is more proffesional.And better for tax purposes..............
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    How, how, how, how, how, hoooow?

    No matter what the tax issues are you will never save money by having two phone lines.

    Not sure it looks more professional either, the potential customer doesn't know if it's a private line, business line or used for both. Just make sure you answer it as if every call is a business call. Lets face it they are more likely to realise you work from home than have just one phone line!
     
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    Mitch3473

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  • #21
    Banned said:
    How, how, how, how, how, hoooow?

    No matter what the tax issues are you will never save money by having two phone lines.

    Not sure it looks more professional either, the potential customer doesn't know if it's a private line, business line or used for both. Just make sure you answer it as if every call is a business call. Lets face it they are more likely to realise you work from home than have just one phone line!
    Click to expand...

    Of course it's more proffesional.One phone for work,business head and voice on" Good afternoon........how may I help you".One phone for home,"Hi mum,how's it going" "OK dad,see in there at 8"
    The other option is..
    " Good afternoon..........how may I help you"
    "Son,it's me,your dad.Now stop being a **** and get a business phone"
     
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    Montaigne

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  • #23
    That was very funny. What a stupid sales person.

    It reminds me of a mate who used to work in Sales support for BT. He got in one morning to find an answering machine message from one of the sales rep's from about 3am on the weekend.

    The guy had gone out, got absolutely hammered, been locked out of his flat then thought he'd rung his girlfriend from his mobile and actually rang the main office. He left a very drunk message complaining about her locking him out and just open the damn door etc :)
     
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    Montaigne

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  • #25
    Oh I don't care when customers call me. I couldn't care less if it was 2am on a Sunday morning or 9pm on a Wednesday. If they want to give me money then their calls are welcome even when I'm on holiday.

    If I don't want to answer the phone there is nobody forcing me to answer it if I choose not to do so.
     
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    kulture

    kulture

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  • #26
    Use one line, get VoIP, have the landline for home and the VoIP number for business, or the other way around. Set the phone to use a different ring tone depending on which number is called.

    As for the sales call, why would it come from a mobile? Defenitaly sounds like someone wanting to cause trouble for the company.
     
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    Banned

  • #27
    Mitch3473 said:
    Of course it's more proffesional.One phone for work,business head and voice on" Good afternoon........how may I help you".One phone for home,"Hi mum,how's it going" "OK dad,see in there at 8"
    The other option is..
    " Good afternoon..........how may I help you"
    "Son,it's me,your dad.Now stop being a **** and get a business phone"
    Click to expand...

    You appear to be confused, that is an example of an unprofessional business person, no number of phones will change that. I would imagine family and friends would be aware you run a business from home and not surprised to hear it answered "xyz good morning".

    Unless of course there is some sort of pseudo kudos is saying "that's my business number" or "that's my private number" (just don't mention they are both in the back bedroom, then you will look a right numpty!)

    However, what I'm really interested in is how a second phone line will save money via tax?
     
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    FreelanceSoftwareDeveloper

    FreelanceSoftwareDeveloper

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  • #29
    kulture said:
    Use one line, get VoIP, have the landline for home and the VoIP number for business, or the other way around. Set the phone to use a different ring tone depending on which number is called.

    As for the sales call, why would it come from a mobile? Defenitaly sounds like someone wanting to cause trouble for the company.
    Click to expand...

    The guy online shows a mobile number on his site. That would give some indication too if the person making the call was indeed the owner as the name given would suggest.
     
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    H

    HelloCutie

  • #30
    Why two lines??
    Have i missed the point or are you advising him to go out his way to do this/do that because some melon called at 2.07am!

    Surely its not the OP that need do anything!!!

    Who's to say the melon wouldn't call on the business not home line had that been up on his site/somewhere?

    Just sounds like one really wierd person to even think "its 2.07am, lets get to work and start calling...businesses should be open about now!"

    Like he said, COKE!!! i think the bubbles went right up his nose to his little brain cell and popped!!
     
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    Mitch3473

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  • #31
    Banned said:
    You appear to be confused, that is an example of an unprofessional business person, no number of phones will change that. I would imagine family and friends would be aware you run a business from home and not surprised to hear it answered "xyz good morning".

    Unless of course there is some sort of pseudo kudos is saying "that's my business number" or "that's my private number" (just don't mention they are both in the back bedroom, then you will look a right numpty!)

    However, what I'm really interested in is how a second phone line will save money via tax?
    Click to expand...

    Not confused and not unproffesional.If you think having a separate business phone for business calls is unproffesional or,have your 8 yr old answer the phone to an important client....good one,carry on.Tax allowance on a business phone....long distance private call on the business phone,(for eg.) not rocket science just common sense really.
     
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    Banned

  • #32
    Mitch3473 said:
    Not confused and not unproffesional.If you think having a separate business phone for business calls is unproffesional or,have your 8 yr old answer the phone to an important client....good one,carry on.Tax allowance on a business phone....long distance private call on the business phone,(for eg.) not rocket science just common sense really.
    Click to expand...

    Explain again about professionalism :p

    Also explain how many phones calls you need to make before you are saving money by having a second phone line, it must be many thousands of pounds worth.
     
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    captaincloser

    captaincloser

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  • #36
    Surely time for you to install a pesonal line ?

    I imagine your number is all over the internet from your site and therefore no surprise at all that you are a target for random callers and dialling machines at all hours of the day and night.

    Privacy often comes at a cost. The rest is simply the cost of being in business.

    Very surprised that anyone on here would not realise this.
     
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    E

    E Storey

  • #37
    Banned said:
    You appear to be confused, that is an example of an unprofessional business person, no number of phones will change that. I would imagine family and friends would be aware you run a business from home and not surprised to hear it answered "xyz good morning".

    Unless of course there is some sort of pseudo kudos is saying "that's my business number" or "that's my private number" (just don't mention they are both in the back bedroom, then you will look a right numpty!)

    However, what I'm really interested in is how a second phone line will save money via tax?
    Click to expand...

    I don't think having one line is unprofessional, It depends on how you answer it, and even children can be taught to take a message politely (i don't have kids). Being a small time sole trader is ok, it doesn't make me any less competent than a large firm, and there is an aspect of being available to take calls out of hours (within reason) that customers like. What is unprofessional is "phoning someone at 2.07am".

    Even if it was my office line, I'd note the time the call was made and think the guy was nuts. The fact that the "office line" can be heard throughout the house at night is just something that any B2B sales person would think of if they had any understanding of the sector (bookkeeping) they were targeting.
     
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    businessfunding

  • #38
    E Storey said:
    I don't think having one line is unprofessional, It depends on how you answer it, and even children can be taught to take a message politely (i don't have kids). Being a small time sole trader is ok, it doesn't make me any less competent than a large firm, and there is an aspect of being available to take calls out of hours (within reason) that customers like. What is unprofessional is "phoning someone at 2.07am".

    Even if it was my office line, I'd note the time the call was made and think the guy was nuts. The fact that the "office line" can be heard throughout the house at night is just something that any B2B sales person would think of if they had any understanding of the sector (bookkeeping) they were targeting.
    Click to expand...

    Could this actually be officially the most boring thread ever:|
     
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    arcon5

  • #40
    Mitch3473 said:
    Of course it's more proffesional.One phone for work,business head and voice on" Good afternoon........how may I help you".One phone for home,"Hi mum,how's it going" "OK dad,see in there at 8"
    The other option is..
    " Good afternoon..........how may I help you"
    "Son,it's me,your dad.Now stop being a **** and get a business phone"
    Click to expand...

    Tell me.... how many times in the year have you answered the phone with the greeting 'Hi mum' :eek:

    But I do agree though a seperate line for business is advantageous!
     
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