"I have a call for you... (1 Viewer)

[Tom Rhea]

...but all operators are busy at this time. Please hold for the next available operator."

Picked up the phone last night and that's exactly what the computer voice said. I assume it was some sort of telemarketing gimmick, but I can't figure out who would actually wait. I just hung up. What are these people thinking?

 

[SteveA]

Most telemarketers use computers to dial many number simultaneously. Once a live person answers, the line is connected to an available salesperson. Sounds like that telemarketer must have been short-staffed.

 

[Kevin P]

That happens sometimes, as they have a finite number of "operators" but a computer system that'll dial dozens of numbers at a time. When someone answers, the computer rings an available operator (this is why you hear silence when you first pick up). If all the operators are busy, usually the computer just hangs up and tries you later, but I guess this one actually had the nerve to call you and then put you on hold.

Pick up a TeleZapper and plug it into your line. It'll stop those autodialing telemarketers cold. Autodialers as used by telemarketers ought to be illegal IMHO.

KJP

 

[Glenn Overholt]

I got one of those last year, but dummy me, I stayed on and found out that it was some compnay that thought that I owed them money. I didn't, but I did get a few more calls, so as soon as I heard the same message I just hung up.

Glenn

 

[MikeAlletto]

I had something like this happen to me, but I was never home. My answering machine would pick it up. The message would be someone saying "hello? hello? Uhh...hello? Hello?"

hahaha. It was very annoying though because it happened for about a month, everyday, at the same time. So for one week I just turned off my answering machine so it wouldn't pick up while I was not home. Never got anymore calls.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

You got hit by what is called a "predictive dialer" Telemarketing companies hate to have idle operators. They don't like paying someone who isn't actually on the phone with a customer. Predictive dialers solve their "problem" They call you and put you on hold until a operator is available to "assist" you. Most of the time simply hanging up your phone will not disconnect the call. The line will stay open for several minutes, and if you pick it up again you're apt to hear hold music or actually have the telemarketer on the line. (The connection will drop in a few minutes, or if the operator picks up and you're not there.)

The idea is simple: Your time has no value. You can wait on hold. Their time is worth something.

I used to work as a sales engineer for a company that made phone equipment. My boss, God bless him, refused to bid on the predictive dialer section of any call center request for proposal that we received. If the customer wanted one of those, they were going to have to find another vendor for that part of the job. This sometimes disqualified us from bidding on entire job, and we'd take the hit. He hated predicitive dialers and refused to have anything even remotely to do with them, even if it cost his company money. You don't see that kind of guts, or adherence to personal standards of ethics too much any more.

Regards,

Joe

 

[DaveF]

Tom Rhea - sign up for NY State "Do not call list." I did this last Fall, and I no longer receive *any* telemarketer calls. I do still receive an occaisional call from non-sales survey companies, and "customer service" calls from my bank.
I think this is the right link:
https://www.nynocall.com/resident.html

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Joseph, I think that if you hang up on any automated call they have to disconnect in about 15 seconds. Someone got into a jam once when they couldn't dial out to 911.

Glenn

 

[Travis Hedger]

As soon as I hear "Please hold for an important message" after I say hello I simply hang up. If they really wanted to talk to me a live person would have made the call, not a computer.