Job Discussion Forums

scorchio · Joined: 14 Jun 2006 Posts: 36 Location: Sydney

Does anyone else get a ridiculous amount of telemarketing on their landline? We only set ours up about a week ago and ever since we get at least 5 per day (plus the ones that we don't know about when we are out). We just speak english at them and they hang up, but it is very irritating.

Would love to just pull the phone out of the wall, but family and friends use it as a cheaper way to contact us!

Is there some kind of a 'no call' register that we can put ourselves on? (I can only wish).

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Yep. On weekends usually. My strategy (other than speaking English and have them hang up) involves just setting the phone down on the table and going about my regular routine around the house. Usually their spiel takes a good while before they pause long enough to even get in a word edgewise so I assume they must be talking to no one for at least 5 minutes before they figure out that they've been dumped.

(Even better is to put them on "hold" with a simple "chotto matte kudasai" and just leave them hanging there as you go walk the dog or something.

Doesn't really bug me so much as it did back home for some reason.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

My J wife says there is no system that keeps sales people from calling, but if you just tell them that you don't understand Japanese and not to call again, that should do.

Nihongo ga wakarimasen, dakara mo denwa wo de shinai de kudasai.

6810 · Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 309

had the same landline for over two years and the only time we got telemarketed was because my wife filled out a questionnaire post card. They lasted for around three months and we haven't had any since...

scorchio · Joined: 14 Jun 2006 Posts: 36 Location: Sydney

Turns out that our large amount of 'telemarketing' was in fact people trying to reserve hotel rooms. For some reason some hotel's number (read: our number, one digit different from theirs) is all over the net. We have just unplugged the phone while we try to get our number changed.

Bozo Yoroshiku · Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:06 am Post subject: Re: annoying phone marketing

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

We have gotten these computer automated telemarketing as well as the human kind. That's why we have an answering machine. Wink

Perpetual Traveller · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 651 Location: In the Kak, Japan

Bozo Yoroshiku · Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 5:37 pm Post subject: Re: annoying phone marketing