Make Cold Callers Pay

[Northumbrian]

Fed up with those annoying cold calls? Tired of running through that usual routine of "no thank you"? Then the answer could be setting up your own premium rate line and then charging those callers for the privilege of ringing you.

A Leeds man set up his own 0871 number which cost him £10 plus VAT and now he receives 7p from ever 10p call. The idea is to provide the premium number whenever you are required to submit a phone number online. Soon enough Mr Beaumont had made £300 from his turn-the-tables scheme.

Even if you find the cold calls begin to peter out, then that's still with that £10 to clear them out, and you should have made your money back 100 fold in that time.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23869462

I love it!

I must admit that when I been sufficiently bored, I've had some amusement with cold callers. I start by pretending to be really enthusiatic and would say "Thats really interesting ... I think my wife would like to speak to you about that ... just give me two seconds and I'll get her...". I then leave the phone off the hook and go back to watching TV or marking homework or whatever I was doing! Mean and nasty I know.

Incidently, if you are bothered about cold-callers, being ex-directory definitely helps. What does bother me about these people is when they deliberately target old people. My grandad, who is 87, has been conned into buying things over the telephone several times before.

[wolfie]

I love it!

I must admit that when I been sufficiently bored, I've had some amusement with cold callers. I start by pretending to be really enthusiatic and would say "Thats really interesting ... I think my wife would like to speak to you about that ... just give me two seconds and I'll get her...". I then leave the phone off the hook and go back to watching TV or marking homework or whatever I was doing! Mean and nasty I know.

Incidently, if you are bothered about cold-callers, being ex-directory definitely helps. What does bother me about these people is when they deliberately target old people. My grandad, who is 87, has been conned into buying things over the telephone several times before.

Had the same probbie with my Grandad who was utterly convinced he had won a car/holiday/cash..He was calling 0898 numbers incessantly..
What a cruel con!..

As for cold callers..I am driven mad by PPI and ''have you had an accident'' calls on my mobile..I am quite a private person and only a few people have my mobile number...The only people who are not my personal friends is my car insurance...

I am furious with them....for selling my mobile phone number on to these vultures....

[Rook]

I did warm-calling for a week (calling existing customers and offerring them more of our wares - commemorative coins). They were mostly old people as well, and more than once I was told "my husband died" so please stop calling . . Horrible job and as I say, I only lasted the week - I got in trouble for over-emphasising the fact they could return the goods in X days if not satisified . .