[net.consumers] Unsolicited calls... another perspective

christensen@apollo.uucp (Wendy Christensen) (11/04/85)

Someone said (about "telephone mailing list" calls):
> ...people are talking over the phone all night and their voices have
> to start hurting after a while.  Waste their time AND make them talk,
> now that's punishment.

> (Mike Clifford @ AT&T Bell Laboratories) replied:
> ...The other thing to keep in mind is that they are people, too, and are
>  probably in alot worse situation then you if they are working that sort 
> of a job and putting up with all flavors of jerks.  Just tell them you're
> not interested right at the top and hang up.

I agree with Mike. People on the net tend to have a disturbing lack of empathy
or even basic understanding of those less fortunate in employment than
themselves. [This has also shown up in various proposed schemes to "punish"
MacDonald's clerks who ask a customer if he wants anything else.] Have any of
you who so gleefully propose such "punishments" ever worked in a boiler room
or as a fast food clerk for a living? I don't mean for a little extra pocket
money or fun while in school - I mean to pay your food and rent. I worked for
quite a while in a boiler room selling (or rather, trying to sell) newspapaer
subscriptions. I, like the others there, worked for minimum wage. It is the
most incredibly boring, demoralizing, physically exhausting and thankless
work imaginable. The boiler room bosses abuse you ("Smile and dial, smile and
dial," ad nauseam), the callers abuse you, the other employees abuse you --
everyone is miserable. In my case, many people I called held me personally
responsible for the editorial opinions of the newspaper I was trying to sell.
Although this sounds ludicrous and laughable, I assure you that after a few
hundred calls, it is most unfunny. Working as a cleaning lady was heaven, in
comparison. 

So, although I agree that these unsolicited calls are usually annoying and
unwelcome, please try to have a little feeling for the human being on the
other end of the line. Don't go out of your way to "punish" him or her -- it is
not clever or cute to hurt someone unnecessarily, and it doesn't say much about
you as a human being, either. If you aren't interested, say so politely and
hang up. 

w. christensen

doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee) (11/06/85)

> People on the net tend to have a disturbing lack of empathy
> or even basic understanding of those less fortunate in employment than
> themselves.
> ... Have any of you who so gleefully propose such "punishments" ever
> worked in a boiler room...?

No, and I wouldn't, either.  I have more common decency than that.

> So, although I agree that these unsolicited calls are usually annoying and
> unwelcome, please try to have a little feeling for the human being on the
> other end of the line.

And while we're at it, let's have a little feeling for the Mafia "hit
man".  Even though his unsolicited calls are annoying and unwelcome, he
is just an average Joe trying to earn a living with limited skills.
-- 
Doug Pardee -- CalComp -- {calcom1,savax,seismo,decvax,ihnp4}!terak!doug

chris@andor.UUCP (chris) (11/08/85)

I always find that simply saying "Thank you, but I'm not interested" politely
but firmly gets rid of every unwanted telephone solicitation very quickly.
I don't *like* these phone calls, but I see no reason to be rude to the
solicitor unless they are really pushy or call back again.
-- 

Christine Robertson  {linus, ihnp4, decvax}!utzoo!andor!chris

If my boss thought he might be held liable for my opinions, he'd probably
laugh himself sick.