I’m calling about your social security benefits

“I’m calling about your car’s extended warranty. Do you still have a Mazda 6?”

“Who do you want to speak with?”

“The owner of the Mazda 6.”

“You called me. You should know who the owner of the Mazda 6 is.”

“The phone numbers are generated by a computer.”

“Well then how do you know whether or not I own a Mazda 6?”

Click (the person on the other end of the phone hangs up)

How many times has that happened to you? It happens to me a lot. Not as much as it used to. But still enough where I feel annoyed by it.

“Hello. I’m calling from the social security benefits department on a recorded line. Can you hear me ok?”

“Can you hear me ok?”

“The reason for my call is…..”

“The reason for your call is….?”

Click.

Or how about this one:

“Hi, I’m calling from senior aide helper on a recorded line. Can you hear me ok?”

‘Who do you wish to speak with?”

“The reason for my call today is….”

“Oh, that’s very interesting. “

(Short pause on the other end)

Click

I cannot stand all these ridiculous phone calls that I receive. I block them. But then I receive calls from similar numbers (with just one number being off) and I have to block all of those numbers too. I probably have more blocked numbers in my phone than I do actual contacts (LOL). Sometimes I don’t answer the calls (if I’m too busy or just don’t feel like it). But when I do answer, I always make sure to be sarcastic. And the recordings I believe, pick up on key words and that’s what triggers how it replies to you. That’s just my guess. I don’t know how accurate it is.

It's also fun when it’s a real person on the other end of the line. I know they’re reading from a script. When they pause after I’ve asked a question, I say, “Stop trying to look for the answer in the script that’s in front of you, because I doubt you’ll find the information there.” They usually hang up on me after I say that.

I know those people are just trying to make a living. They chose that field to work in. And everyone needs income because we all have bills to pay, correct? But I wonder how they feel when they get the same calls on their phones. I wonder if they ever ask themselves why they chose that as their career.

I’m not judging them. Really, I’m not. They’re going to work and taking home a paycheck. At least it’s something. But those ridiculous phone calls. They need to stop.

I can’t tell you how many times I used to “press 1 to be removed.” Sometimes all it did was generate more calls.

I’m not knocking the people who work for those companies. I’m knocking the companies.

Hopefully one day those types of calls will stop. Right now, honestly, I don’t even know which calls to answer and which ones to let go to voicemail.

If those people would switch and work for legit companies with real customer service departments, then those annoying telemarketer companies could be put out of business. And then we wouldn’t have to worry about receiving bogus calls at all hours. I’ve gotten calls as early as 4am. And I’ve gotten calls as late as 11pm. I’m assuming because they’re in a different time zone than I am in. But still. It’s ridiculous and it’s gotten out of hand.

The calls are a little frightening at times. And dangerous. They could be a source for identity theft. They could record your voice, and they do – they even tell you they do when they say the call is being recorded. The calls are such scams. I don’t trust any of these calls. Even if they appear to be from a reputable company. Even if I receive a call from what appears to be a utility company, I always tell them I’ll call them back and then I go online to check my account and THEN I’ll call them back to let them know what happened.

If anyone who reads this works for those companies, believe me when I say I have nothing against you. Like I said, it’s the companies themselves.

Hopefully things will change one day.