As obnoxious as they are, I still feel sorry for the people

[janradder]

Whenever someone brings up the topic of telemarketers, almost invariably, someone brings up how they like to hassle the callers -- string them along as if they're really interested, argue with them, waste their time, tell them what horrible people they (the telemarketers) are, and so on. Granted, those calls are pretty annoying, especially when you get them on a regular basis, but I just can't get into giving those people a hard time because, years ago, I used to be one of those people calling you up during dinner and asking if you were interested in vinyl siding, insulation, or thermal replacement window.

It's not fun work, by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, telemarketing is one of the worst jobs I've ever had -- I mean, you're bothering people in their homes or places of work on the off chance they might be interested in what you're selling. After about the third or fourth call, you just want to kill yourself. And it's not like the pay is decent. Usually it's at or about minimum wage or just slightly better, which is crap.

But aside from thinking about how the person on the other end of that phone used to be me and what a sucky job it is, hassling them for calling you is sort of like hassling the kid behind the concession stand for not giving you a free cup because he could get fired for it. Or giving the store clerk a hard time because whatever you just bought has tax so in stead of the ten dollars you thought it was going to be, it's ten dollars and eighty cents. Perhaps that telemarketer might be doing the calling, but it's not like it was his or her idea and it's not as if the person's getting rich while doing it. They're just doing they're job, like every other employee in a crap job, and more than likely because it's the only one they could get.

Comments

[vee-ecks.livejournal.com]

I also did some of that as a kid, and yeah, it sucked, but so did the place, and my best friend was a floor manager. Which is why I got to spend a few months fucking around and calling my friends and porn lines around the US and getting paid for it. The last job I did there, and virtually the only one where I actually made calls all day, was for some uber-conservative running against Packwood, a get out the vote and vote for our guy thing. I spent all day actively offending people in the guy's name.

I just hang up on telemarketers, immediately, if I ever take the call, these days. If they're kewl, they'll appreciate the honesty, and if they're the kind of eager beavers who will try to keep me on the phone as long as possible after I say "No," fuck 'em.

[sarahgoss.livejournal.com]

I feel the same way. It's annoying to get the calls, yes, but I always feel horrible for the people having to make the calls. My husband used to do telemarketing and he didn't want us to be on the Do Not Call List because he felt bad putting someone out of work (albeit, really really crappy work). Of course, now with the Robo Calls, it's becoming a bit of a moot point.

[fengi.livejournal.com]

I have to disagree somewhat. I'm not rude to poll takers and I just hang up on the charity calls (though some like the Policeman's Benefit Society are scams).

Telemarketing, however, was oft exploitative even when it involved legit products. I dated someone who worked in data for calling center which did polling and before she quit she was gathering stats for marketing. Those most vulnerable to pitches are least able to afford it - the old, the isolated, the easily intimidated, the mentally unaware, etc. It's part of why she quit.

Post do not call list, telemarketing is increasingly predatory (or flat illegal in defying the list). The Car Warranty calls now driving people crazy are attempting to scare folks into a policy designed never to pay out. More than ever it targets groups who can't or don't use the do not call list, again the most vulnerable.

I've worked in jobs and activism which involve telemarketing target groups and I lack sympathy. One might take the job in naive desperation, but it's not hard to figure out the job involves trolling for easy marks, especially now. It may suck to get paid minimum wage for a job which takes advantage of people who are as bad if not worse off, but if one chooses that path, it kind of should suck. It's the sort of job one should do badly then quit.

[sacwentie.livejournal.com]

A good goal for you might be to not hassle _any_ of the people who call your house!