Yesterday I received my 2nd phone call in the past year from the Police Benevolent Association. The first call was almost a year ago and at that time, I was willing to listen to the spiel. However we had just bought the cabin and funds for the friendly police were not allocated in their direction. I tired to nicely explain that, but was cut off with a hangup.....in the middle of me talking! Usually you don't associate such rude behavior with the police and I've never actually had a telemarketer hang up on me in the middle of my sentence. I usually hang up on them in the middle of theirs! So I was miffed. They called again yesterday. This time I made no excuses but wasn't rude and sure enough I was cut off mid sentence. I then called the FCC and filed a complaint. We are on the Do Not Call registry! Maybe that doesn't apply to charities, I don't know. Now does anyone think I will EVER give any money to the PBA now? Of course not! What do they hope to gain by being so rude? Does the PBA know it's being so badly represented? I tried to find some kind of NYPBA web site or phone number but came up empty.
My kids have some novel approaches to dealing with them including asking them for their number so that they can call them back tomorow during dinner. Or ( I love the last one):
In the middle of the caller's memorized sales pitch, interrupt with, "What causes a hiccup?" - When someone asks whether a spouse is at home, "Yes, but I never allow him/her to talk to strangers.
- You want to sell me insurance? I've been trying to get insurance for years, but nobody will sell me any!
- To a salesperson hawking a rug-cleaning service, whisper, "Do you get goat's blood out? How about identifiable fibers and that DNA stuff?"
- Another response to rug-cleaners or any person offering home services ... (Break into tears and say), "Is this some kind of joke? My house burned down last night! We lost everything!"
- To a phone company solicitor, "That sounds great! Wait, can you hold for a minute?" (Leave the phone off the hook until he hangs up.)
- Use your touch-tone phone to annoy the caller by playing, "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
- Keep an air horn handy and use it.
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