Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 23:40:20 -0400 (EDT)

From: T2C@webtv.net (Thomas DelliCarpini)

To: nepp@intelliworks.net

to you:
i am a telemarketer, have been for about five months, and if it's okay, i'd like to share some of my insights with you.

when i first started, i wouldn't even tell my friends where i worked, because i was so ashamed. if they found out, i'd turn it into a big joke about how i call people in their homes across the country and ask them for money, and that i was so good at it that i was just going to go into business for myself! now though, after having been there for a while, i have learned a few things.

1) this is the absolute best training that i will ever have in customer service. I have less than minute to tell someone who i am, why i'm calling, where i 'm calling from, what my goal is and how they are a part of that goal, and let that person know that i am honest and sincere and fully believe in what i do. whew! that's tough, lemme tell ya

2) yes, there are very mean people out there who have no problems telling me to f@#$ off, and that's not the worst of the things i've heard! i've blushed more than once.

3) yes, there are very mean telemarketers out there. i personally pride myself on being courteous, considerate, and helpful. if the person i'm calling doesn't feel well, i don't even bother with my shpiel, i tell them to feel better and fix it so they do not get bothered again. if they say "take me off your list," i go even further to offer the addresses they can write to to be taken off of every commercial and nonprofit list there is. i understand that some people just don't want to be bothered, and i respect that.

i guess i'm writing this to say that i understand and respect what you're doing, and if you are successful, i'll applaud you, even though i'll be out of a job.

not all telemarketers care, they just want the sales to make the money, and it's sad that people can be so unethical. i am currently looking for a job higher up the telemarketing chain of command, like training, (i'd LOVE that!) so rest assured that i will educate new employees to respect other people's wishes, and to ALWAYS do so politely.

could you just please not call us jerks? i think i'm a very nice person, and everyone has to make a living, you know?

Thanks Thomas
  I don't mean to be cruel to telemarketers, and I have noting against the
ones that call when information is requested, But cold calling has got to
go.
  I try to be polite when dealing with telemarketers I realize it is just
another person trying to make a living on the other end of the phone. I
mearly ask who they work for who they represent and ask to be removed from
there list  and that my personal information not be sold for other lists.
I don't believe in being rude or nasty with telemarketers, But I do believe
in boycotting the businesses that hire them for cold calling. There are too
many other ways to market than by interrupting peoples dinners trying to
sell vinyl siding to people that don't want it.
  Would you send me the addresses to be taken off these lists. I appreciate
your letter and I'm sorry if my crusade is successful it probably will put
you out of a job. I believe your training in salesmanship has to be
excellent and a good salesman will always find lucrative employment.

  Thanks again for the input I am glad to hear from telemarketers  there is
a need to hear both sides in order to be fair.
   May I use your letter as a telemarketers point of view on my site.
Thank You
Bill Gnepper

you may ABSOLUTELY use my letter as a telemarketer's point of view! if i
may point out, we do call for things other than vinyl siding. this
morning alone, in one hour, i raised $220 dollars for students against
driving drunk, and there were about 20 of us calling! it does help.
i will definitely get the addresses for you tomorrow, and send them. i
believe you can also find them on the net. one is called the telephone
preference list, and i don't remember the other off-hand, but i'll get
them. the only thing i'm not sure about is the list may be for my
company only. it says to be taken off all national nonprofit calling
lists, though, so maybe not. anyway, i'll send it tomorrow. and thank
you for not being an ogre!
just out of curiosity, what state are you in? i'm in PA.
 

I have added a feedback page to my site and your letter is the first entry,
the link to the Feedback page is in the E-mail section just click on
Feedback.
Thank you for your opinion I welcome your point of veiw and comments from
any other telemarketers.
I am from Fremont, OH
Thank You
Bill Gnepper

mr. gnepper,
     i'm really sorry to have taken so long with the addresses. you'll
be happy to know that we had a computer breakdown at work, which put us
out of commission for about two days. i spent that time doing much
needed things, like laundry and dishes! we also had a yard sale, and
that took up  a lot of time.  actually, this is the first that i've sat
down at this thing for about 5 days.
     this first address is for all nonprofit organizations. it only
applies to national nonprofits that use the service. it is not legally
required for them to use it, and it is voluntary.
write to:
     telephone fundraisers association
     1001 california ave.
     po box 99311
     pittsburgh, pa
     15233-9998
this request must be renewed every three years, and takes about 3-4
months to go into effect.  when a person writes, they should include
their name, address, and phone number on a card. if a couple wishes to
be entered, they need to enter BOTH names, not just mr. and mrs.

this second address is for all commercial business calling, i.e. long
distance phone service, credit card protection, homeowners'
associations, etc.  again, enter all the same information, and this
request should be renewed every five years. it also takes a few months
to go into effect.
write to:
     telephone preference list
     direct marketing association
     po box 9014
     farmingdale, ny
     11735-9014
this also only applies to national businesses that use the service .
   PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THIS MEANS IF YOUR LOCAL QWICKIE-MART DOWN THE
ROAD HAS DECIDED TO  ALSO SELL COOLING UNITS TO EVERYONE FROM ABRAHAM
ADAMS TO ZELDA ZAMINSKI, IF YOU WRITE TO THIS ADDRESS, THEY WILL STILL
CALL YOU BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT NATIONAL.

ALSO, IF YOUR LOCAL RED CROSS CHAPTER  (OR WHOEVER) IS HAVING A BLOOD
DRIVE  (OR WHATEVER), WRITING TO THE FIRST ADDRESS WILL NOT STOP THEM,
THEY ARE LOCAL!  (and everyone should give blood anyway!)

     lastly, the reason for all the information to be sent is this:
telemarketing companies are not always ethical. (the one I work for is,
of course, but not all.)  your name could be gotten from ANYwhere.
remember that cruise you tried to win at the Wild Wicker Emporium?
well, some sleazeball just bought your name and phone number from the
greasy-haired guy that ran the place, and named you a new demographic.
     by sending ALL information, you  make sure you are wiped from any
list using the service, who used any or all of your info to be calling
you in the first place.

     as a telemarketer, i would be remiss if i didn't say  something in
our defense.  first, hear us out. maybe we really do have something to
say that you're interested in. if we don't, and you say no, and we keep
talking, remember, that's our job. if i'm trying to sell you THE BEST
HOME IMPROVEMENT KIT IN THE WORLD! and you don't want it, the last thing
i want to do is try to talk you into it, because you don't want it. but,
it's my job to try.  however, the second time you say, thanks honey, but
no thanks, or look lady i said no, or even  F#@%  OFF OR I'LL HUNT YOU
DOWN AND KILL YOU! i'm immediately going to thank you kindly and move
on. so don't worry, i'm not into wasting my time OR yours.
     also, if you are interested, but aren't sure, ask questions. any
telemarketer who has business doing what he's doing will have all the
answers, (or his supervisor will), and an 800 number for you to call. of
course we would like you to take the sale/sign up/sign over/ pledge
thousands/etc right on the spot, because then we get the commission, but
we'll be more than happy to call you back at a later date after you've
had time to check into  it.
      my last thing (finally!) is about fundraising. yes. we do get paid
for  it. yes, a portion of what you donate ends up in my paycheck. but
let me explain that. we have already been hired and paid. (our company,
i mean)  if you donate a dollar or a thousand ( which has been done), we
do not recieve any more or any less. and maybe all of your money doesn't
go directly to the cause, but it does go to the people who make the
cause happen, and without them, lots of children would die without
wishes fulfilled and some igonorant drunk  teenager would crash into
another car and kill someone and someone with multiple sclerosis would
go without the care he needs. you get my point.  thank you.

Thanks Thomas
    I appreciate the addresses and I think its pretty cool that someone who
was offended by my use of the word Jerks in reference to telemarketers would
use the term Sleaze ball.
    I knew about entering contests and sweepstakes is one of the fastest
ways to get your personal information scattered all over on these marketing
lists. I used to enter a lot of them, I think that's why I got totally
bombarded by telemarketers to the point that I created my own web site to
battle them. Needless to say I no longer enter contests and very seldom fill
out forms for anything, I don't even like to register my software. I'm
getting my telemarketer problem down to a tolerable level, but I am also
flooded with junk mail for witch I am soon to publish a I HATE JUNK MAIL
page.
   I may try to incorporate this letter into my feedback page to. I'm amazed
to see such an open mind from a telemarketer, but I would be willing to bet
that you get pestered by them to.
   I don't really have any thing against the non profit good causes like Red
cross and Wishing Well and the like, its the commercial ones that need to be
boycotted. I also believe that it should be illegal for telemarketers to
block there phone numbers.
Thank You
Bill Gnepper

actually, my name is casey, and i'm tom's girlfriend. this is his web
tv, so his name goes out on everything i send.
i too, despise junk mail, for the one and only simple fact that it's a
big ole waste of those precious resources called trees, and that just
downright pisses me off, you know?

no, when telemarketers call, i don't feel bothered at all, i guess
because i'm one of THEM. in fact, since i consider myself very good at
telemarketing, i enjoy hearing how others do it.

the reason that our phone numbers don't show up on call waiting is not
because we're trying to be sneaky. we work from a large room with 72
seats in it, and a terminal at each seat. we are an outbound calling
center, otherwise, each terminal would have to have it's own phone
number. that would be quite pricey, and completely unnecessary. if you
see no number, then you know it's a telemarketer, so don't answer. if
you know it's a telemarketer and WANT to know where they're calling
from, ask them, right off the bat---they have to tell you.

lastly, another really quick way to get rid of us scumballs (ha ha) when
we call is this. tell us you already have it.
  "hello there mr. jones, i'm calling to offer you the BEST TELEPHONE
DEAL IN THE WORLD from Old Joe's telephone shop down the road and-"
   "thanks, i just got it."
   "oh, you already have JOE'S GREAT SERVICE?"
     "yup."
     "thank you very much and sorry for the call!"

because naturally, if you already have what i'm selling, obviously
you're not going to enroll/sign up/buy/pledge again, so why would i
waste my time on you?

well, i certainly hope that i have been of some service, and i will be
more than happy to answer any other questions!
(i know you didn't really ask any, but i'm one those people who MUST
RESPOND when she recieves an email. in case you hadn't noticed, i enjoy
writing.)
talk later!
casey

Thanks Casey
   Your letters have been very informative and interesting and I try to
answer all my E- mail except for the SPAM but that's another subject to deal
with. I imagine I receive a whole tree as Junk mail every 6 months only to
be sent to the land fill, its an incredible waste. I've been To Alaska (the
most beautiful place on earth) and seen large tracks of land and whole
mountain sides stripped of trees with mud flowing miles out into the ocean.
Our forests are precious and shouldn't be turned into useless junk mail.
Thank You
Bill Gnepper

   Date:
         Wed, 29 Jul 1998 21:28:36 -0400
   From:
         russ@russ-smith.com (russ-smith)
   To:
          nepp@intelliworks.net
 

-Dept. of Commerce has postponed a discussion about consumer access to their
personal information until September 10.  This is part of a series of
informal talks held to discuss consumer privacy in general and how it
relates to Internet commerce.  Attendees have included the credit bureaus,
personal database/list companies, Disney, Dunn & Bradstreet, AT&T, AOL,
American Express, and a long list of others.  Anyone will be able to listen
in via a toll free number.

Much to the surprise of some of the participants I actually tested one of
the privacy policies after a presentation.  During a talk by American
Express they handed out the web site privacy policies.  The policy said to
call an 800 number to get information on telemarketing do-not-call requests.
When I called and asked for the telemarketing do-not-call policy I was told
they didn't have it and that I would have to write in (I eventually did get
the policy after I spoke to a supervisor).  I then called another 800 number
for consumers that had questions about the web site's policy.  The person
said he didn't know what I was talking about.  I took him to the web page
policy and showed him.  He said that was a mistake and the number should not
have been on there.

++++++++++++++++

"They hung up when I picked up the phone." ---  Is this happening with
increasing frequency in your home?  This could be due to what is know as a
"predictive dialer."  This is essentially a computer system used by most
telemarketers.  The computer has a list of numbers to call.  The computer
dials the number, listens for "hello," and then sends the call to a live
telemarketer.  If the person does not say hello well enough for the computer
to understand them or there is no telemarketer available, then it hangs up.
Aggressive telemarketing managers will set this "abandonment rate" very high
if they want to work their telemarketers hard.  It is like the I Love Lucy
show where she works in the candy factory.  The chocolates come faster and
faster until she can't keep up any more.

Federal Communications Commissions rules require telemarketers to provide
solicitor identification.  Consumer.Net has asked the FCC to look at this
issue.  Charity and survey calls are exempt from these laws.

++++++++++++++++

AT&T telemarketing complaint -  The formal complaint filed by Consume.Net
against AT&T telemarketing continues.  A meeting is scheduled at the Federal
Communications Commission in early August.  AT&T has submitted more than 75
pages of denials, objections, and a motion to dismiss.  One South Carolina
consumer submitted a sworn statement for the initial complaint, a second
statement after AT&T called again on July 3.  Now he reports that AT&T has
called four more times just this week!  Consumer.Net is asking the FCC to
shut down telemarketing operations that don't meet minimum standards.  The
FCC may also be able to use this law to shut down long distance "slammers"
quickly.

+++++++++++++++++
 

Russ Smith
http://consumer.net
 
 

  E-Mail ME:  nepp@intelliworks.net