chezdeluxe
Doctor of Teleocity
Just answer “City police Sergeant O‘Reilly speaking”
If it’s someone you know they’ll laugh. Otherwise……
If it’s someone you know they’ll laugh. Otherwise……
Weird Phone Calls
- Thread starter studio1087
- Start date
As a former service business owner myself, I do understand that position, but I was once told by Warren Buffett himself that if a business wants to grow, the first thing you do is answer every phone call.
Case in point, I ended up doing some work for Buffett and Walter Scott because I answered the phone even though the number was out of state. That one phone call lead to a 6 year contract worth $65,000 per year.
Now if you really want to immerse yourself in the most annoying phone spamming in the world, sign up for a medical insurance policy quote with the government exchange.
Last June, I was promoted at work into a different work group and it disenrolled me from the old medical plan while offerring me one of 14 medical plan options to select. The problem was that the system never allowed me to select anything and human resources were not answering any calls for help.
Eventually, I was told that I missed the window to enroll in a plan, but I could file an appeal. After 2 hours on hold, I finally reached the department to handle the appeal and was told to fax the hard copy enrollment and explanation why I didn't enroll during the open window. I did that from the office and was told that it would take 8 weeks for it to be processed. Eight weeks later they told me they never received the request.
I didn't like being without insurance during a pandemic so my Union suggested that I sign up for a short term plan via the government exchange...which I did expecting to hear some quotes.
For the next 3 months (not exaggerating) I received 87 phone calls and texts per day, 7 days per week from every Joe Bob insurance company in America. I had to just turn off my phone at work to keep any sanity.
Even now, I still receive 5-6 calls per day from these clowns 7 months later!! Leave it to government to set up something so freaking poorly run.
Last June, I was promoted at work into a different work group and it disenrolled me from the old medical plan while offerring me one of 14 medical plan options to select. The problem was that the system never allowed me to select anything and human resources were not answering any calls for help.
Eventually, I was told that I missed the window to enroll in a plan, but I could file an appeal. After 2 hours on hold, I finally reached the department to handle the appeal and was told to fax the hard copy enrollment and explanation why I didn't enroll during the open window. I did that from the office and was told that it would take 8 weeks for it to be processed. Eight weeks later they told me they never received the request.
I didn't like being without insurance during a pandemic so my Union suggested that I sign up for a short term plan via the government exchange...which I did expecting to hear some quotes.
For the next 3 months (not exaggerating) I received 87 phone calls and texts per day, 7 days per week from every Joe Bob insurance company in America. I had to just turn off my phone at work to keep any sanity.
Even now, I still receive 5-6 calls per day from these clowns 7 months later!! Leave it to government to set up something so freaking poorly run.
I got calls and text messages from investors a couple of times last year, asking if I would consider selling my home on S. Illinois Avenue in Milwaukee. I sold that house 29 years ago! Who is doing the research for these idiots? I haven’t figured out whether I should be impressed that they tracked me down in Florida.
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The extended vehicle warranty calls..........I haven't received one in almost a year I pressed the buttons and talked to the man I sounded very excited about about the extended warranty...... but when I told them I had a 96 Tacoma they hung up on me how rude.
mr natural
Friend of Leo's
Obscene caller in the 1970s, breathing heavily: Can you guess what I have in my hand right now?
My Ma: Honey, if you only need 1 hand, I ain’t interested.
Obscene caller, no longer breathing heavily: ..... click
Don’t mess with my Ma. She will own you.
My Ma: Honey, if you only need 1 hand, I ain’t interested.
Obscene caller, no longer breathing heavily: ..... click
Don’t mess with my Ma. She will own you.
stxrus
Poster Extraordinaire
I do return every voice mail Call. I can’t answer my phone if I’ve working on a blocked toilet and my phone was on my hip. I’d be buying 2-3 phones a day. My clients understand.
With ear buds you could. I didn't like them much, but they do work and I didn't lose any jobs.
People really are not patient when it comes to hiring service people....not loyal either. If they call a person for help and they don't answer, they just move onto the next person. If you have a large enough volume, that may not matter, but you would be surprised how many jobs you are actually missing out on. After I started making the determined effort to take every call, I averaged 4 more jobs per week. In my industry, that can be anywhere from $1,000 to $6,000 per week that I would have lost.
At the very least, hire a service to answer your calls so that every call does get answered. Then they can screen it out for you while making sure you only receive the good calls....those you stop and answer.
I actually like that the scammers are using fake local numbers. We moved 11 years ago and everyone in the family kept their old numbers. When I see a number from my area code I know it's fake while they think they fooling me with a local number. It's one reason to keep your old cell number after you move.
Tonetele
Poster Extraordinaire
It happens here in Oz. They ( real estate agents) even ask if it's okay for buyers to do a drive by. It's a nuisance and they just want sales and commissions.
Do not ever answer Yes to any question like that from an unknown number,
There is a scam around where the caller asks a yes or no question. If you answer yes, the scammer dubs your voice into a bogus agreement of some sort, with your voiced agreement being legal grounds to take your home, or your money, etc.
Kandinskyesque
Tele-Holic
I had a spate of calls at the latter end of 2021 where I told they wanted to know some details about an accident I had that wasn't my fault.
Usually by someone with a very Scottish sounding first name (Duncan, Frazer, Finlay, Donald etc) but with a very apparent Bangalore accent.
After about half a dozen of these calls, I told them:
"Yes, I've had an accident and it wasn't my fault, it was my son's fault. He made fajitas last night and used out of date chicken. The accident occurred shortly afterwards and I also had to endure the pain and suffering from the indignity of having my accident in front of the vicar who had popped by for a cup of tea! Can you help me to initiated legal proceedings against my son?"
Strangely nobody has called me back since.
Usually by someone with a very Scottish sounding first name (Duncan, Frazer, Finlay, Donald etc) but with a very apparent Bangalore accent.
After about half a dozen of these calls, I told them:
"Yes, I've had an accident and it wasn't my fault, it was my son's fault. He made fajitas last night and used out of date chicken. The accident occurred shortly afterwards and I also had to endure the pain and suffering from the indignity of having my accident in front of the vicar who had popped by for a cup of tea! Can you help me to initiated legal proceedings against my son?"
Strangely nobody has called me back since.
tap4154
Doctor of Teleocity
No, I thought of exactly the same thing. Whenever I get it I just hang up.
stxrus
Poster Extraordinaire
I’m not going to try to talk on the phone when I’m on a job unless it’s 100% necessary. That may be 3-4 times a year.
As far as needing jobs I don’t get - I have more than enough and I’ve got many clients that will wait until I can get to them over going with one of the other services. I’ll pass customers over to the competition and they decide what to do
Not even Doctors or lawyers use services anymore around here
Not trying to fight with you, but I just think you are losing a lot of business with that approach. Think about the calls you do take...then realize that you were not likely the first person that they called, but rather just the one that answered the phone. Those other companies lost business because they didn't take the calls, and I believe you are doing the same.
Like I said before, if you have the volume then maybe you can afford to lose customers, but customer loyalty is a relic from the past and what you have now can turn on you very quickly. I had customers that went back 12 years switch to a new company in the area because they offerred a 35% discount. It was all that it took, a cheap quote and they were gone. Some day you will find "loyal" customers that replace you simply because you didn't answer the phone.
I am geniunely glad to hear that business is going well for you, I am quite envious actually since having to shut down my business 4 years ago due to some very dishonest actions taken by others (long story). I am just sitting here thinking about your situation like it was an episode of "Kitchen Nightmares" and hearing what I believe is a big mistake that hurts your business. It is just opinion though and doesn't mean much, run with it or don't. Maybe test the theory for a week and see what happens? See if you gain more business.
Either way, I wish you continued success
stxrus
Poster Extraordinaire
I don’t need any more business. Our island has about 50,000 people living here. Not counting snowbirds we’re looking at a population of 48,000 full time residents.
I get about 85% of all blocked drains calls and almost all calls for drain/septic tank locating.
As a one man band company it’s me that does everything.
Not to brag but I can do 6 one hour jobs a week and still make over $50,000 a year. I haven’t worked a 40 hour week since June 2006. I found a niche that needed to be covered and it took off.
I was planning to retire in 2017 and had a buyer for the company (for serious retirement money) but Maria happened and his wife said they were going back stateside. I’m still looking for a buyer but if that fails I’m planning on shutting down at the end of this year.
I’ll still keep my tele but will, Gibson willing, have a SG, LP Special (1974) and a new LP Standard Gold Top with P90s
I was in a niche myself at the time, earned 6 figures per year working 3-6 days per month. It really amazes me when I think about how good I had it during those years. It is good to be in the right place at the right time. Just thinking about what I lost boils my blood all over again.
One of the ultimate niche workers I ever met was a guy who was contracted to clean out the blood pits from a large beef processing company. I was just a kid back then working gate security, but this guy rolled in with his suction truck, vac'd out the pit, and drove away with $3,000 for 30 minutes worth of work. Seemed like a great business except for the constant vomitting he would do for those 30 minutes.
Some days he would show up depressed because his wife made him eat a full breakfast and he knew that he was going to see it again. He told me that the smell, the view, or even just the sound of the chnks passing through the hoses were enough to make he vomit almost non-stop.
He did it for 12 years when I met him back in the '80's. He made a killing and only worked 2 hours all month, but I don't think I could get myself motivated to go throw up for 30 minutes to earn a paycheck.
Anyway, I took us down a path unrelated to the forum's purpose...Good luck and I hope you find a buyer, they idea of retiring on top of your game sounds pretty good.
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