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Outsourced Support, Now Outsourced Telemarketing? 125

Posted by Cliff from the you-can't-escape dept.
Sir_Dill asks: "I was a little skeptical of the whole chicken-littlish sky is falling attitude about outsourcing to India, that is until it hit home. Over the last couple of days I have started to receive at least two calls a night from an unknown telemarketing company. First it was discovercard and tonight its a mortgage company called Parsec (whose webpage doesn't work in Firefox). Each time they ask for the person whose name is associated with my phone number in Google (an entirely different story altogether). When I inform them that they have the wrong number, they read the same script each time and each time I ask them to take me off their lists. Its getting old and I am feeling a little helpless in regards to this...and the worst part is...it is not an offer I can't refuse...it is one I can't understand. Has anyone else experienced this? How did you handle it and does the National Do Not Call list even apply?"
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Outsourced Support, Now Outsourced Telemarketing? More

Outsourced Support, Now Outsourced Telemarketing?

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  • Outsourcing runs rampant in U.S. corporations (Score:3, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 03, 2005 @01:27PM (#11563720)
    MCI [mci.com] has outsourced most of its U.S. residential sales, customer service and repair service to Client Logic [clientlogic.com], RMH [rmh.com] and another company I forget right now. Their call centers primarily operate out of three [nanaimo.bc.ca] Canadian [surrey.bc.ca] locations [sarnia.on.ca] and Manila [wikipedia.org], where the telemarketers are. Business customers, for the moment, still enjoy the privilege of speaking to actual MCI employees right here in the U.S.A.

    If you're a residential MCI customer, and wind up speaking to someone who's in the U.S., you are extremely fortunate. Only high spending residential customers are routed to U.S. representatives.

    • Client Logic also has centres around the Maritimes (Atlantic Canada) in places like Moncton, Saint John, and I think Miramichi has one too.

      RMH had one in Fredericton but I believe they layed off their 200+ staff and moved it to Asia. I think my friend who worked their said they were selling for AT&T as well.

      • Client Logic also has centres around the Maritimes (Atlantic Canada) in places like Moncton, Saint John, and I think Miramichi has one too.

        That's probably understandable - with problems in the fishing industry, there's lots of people out of work out there (which means a large base of established workers to pick from). Technically, it doesn't really matter where you stick a call center, so long as you can bring in a few T1's (or whatever it is you're using). Espessially now using VoIP, you can literally h
        • "That's probably understandable - with problems in the fishing industry"

          Looking at my spam box, it is clear that phishing is, however, a growth industry. What better for the out of work Newfie cod fisherman to make a new living catching unsuspecting Citibank customers?

        • Heh, the real reason most call centers fro US companies are located in Canada is the dialect. With a minor exception in Newfoundland, us Canadians speak a dialect that is clearly understandable to any english speaker. This isn't the same in many places in the US, such as Texas (to be mildly steriotypical). It is easier and less expensive to put one call center in Canada than regional ones all over the US. For example, Dell is in the process of opening a huge new call center in Edmonton, Alberta that wil
      • Their is also a ClientLogic in Huntington, WV. They did Technical Support for BellSouth DSL, Iomega, and Prodigy when I worked there five years ago.
    • Typically from Asia: Thailand, India and so on.

      Thanks to the efforts of our local telco mostly-monopoly [telstra.com], it's actually cheaper at the wholesale level to call from overseas, just like from here in Perth it's much cheaper to fly to Bali than Sydney. I once worked for a bloke who would make a call to a Sydney number from his mobile, then hang up. Sydney would recognise the calling number, and pass the information to a site in Japan, which would ring him back. He would then dial the number he really wanted and
      • So it was the economists that did it! Here in the US, we got it wrong. Regan got a posse together, we rounded up all the regulatory busybodies we could find and we hung'em high. Now our phone companies either go broke, swindle investors [sometimes both] or jack up service fees at will and our airlines are all going bust. Maybe we can get dubya convinced that bin Laden is an economist.
      • Economists have a lot to answer for.

        Horse shit. Government regulators have a lot to answer for.

        Whenever you see wacky pricing like this, it is never a function of pure free-market economics or corporate greed. It is ALWAYS a result of government mucking things up again with taxes, tariffs, onerous rent-seeking regulations, monopoly franchises, or other abuses of free enterprise.

        Of course, economically illiterate leftists howl about how it's the fault of Big Business. Or "economists." But it's not

    • I been getting these foreign telemarketers the past 2 weeks as well! The first 10 times the lady sounded maybe African? But the last one was definitely Indian....every single one of them was for a "College Student" Visa... They call at all hours too! I get them on Saturdays....in fact, I was woke up at 8am this morning by one! >:(

  • If they are calling you anyways... (Score:3, Funny)

    by turtled ( 845180 ) on Thursday February 03, 2005 @01:32PM (#11563793)
    You should ask them to repeat the informtaion. Give them some hassling, ask them a bunch of questions... act like you are interested (if you have time and aren't already frustrated). Ask them if they know what fungus is on your feet. Keep them on the phone, then just hang up. You get a quick laugh... I don't have telemarketers calling (yet). I have had Vonage for 6 months and haven't really given out my number.
    • Once upon a time, a telemarketer called me.
      I asked to speak to a manager.
      The manager came on and asked what was up.
      I explained that I was doing my part to change the business model.
      Then I hung up.

      I don't think i changed the business model, but it was fun.

      Next I will try to sell the telemarketer my old P233MMX that's sitting in the basement. (It's only US$3,200! A real bargiain! Tech support at only US$47.95/min for the first 3 min, US$97.95/min thereafter! etc. . .)
      • I used to answer all calls in a heavy contrived accent, as if the telemarketer (usually) caller had just gotten a business with an immigrant running it (usually I used like an indo/pak accent). Confused heck out of anyone who didn't know me, and they would remove the phone number then automatically if they were trying to push something targeted to homeowners. My friends knew it was me so they'd go "hey, it's me" whatever so I could talk. Worked a charm it did.
    • I've actually listened to a guy's spiel and then when he was through complimented him on his speaking abilities and lied and told him I was the manager of a call burea in the NC area and asked if he'd like to move.

      It was fun - wasted about 20 minutes of the guys time - found out how low of an income they were making etc.
    • I actually use to help people train for call control for a call center. One thing I always mentioned was that it was good practice to attempt to take over a telemarketers call. Once you could do it on a normal basis, not only ould they stop calling, but you had what it took to calm almost anyone down and get them back on task.

      That worked until I found a trainee that use to do telemarketting. One call, he actually finished the script the telemarketer was reading off and specifically said what page the perso
    • My favorite was when TimeWarner called me up to try to sell me voip. I worked in a datacenter at the time, so I'm not a network genius by any means, but I knew enough to give the poor telemarketer five minutes worth of a detailed explanation of why, based on the poor performace (tiling) of their digital cable channels and their RoadRunner service, and their obvious inability or unwillingness to provide the infrastructure needed to provide the services they were more than happy to take my money for (bigger,
  • Is this a big loophole?

    I mean if companies are outsourcing anyway....

    You set up shop anywhere other then the US, and then make your calls. Lots of telemarketing can be done without having to obey the National Do Not Call List.

    That's scary!

    • DNC applies to company being represented (Score:4, Informative)

      by crimethinker ( 721591 ) on Thursday February 03, 2005 @02:58PM (#11564837)
      The do not call list applies whether they have their own employees making the calls, "independent sales representatives," or they contract out to another shop, even one overseas. If the HQ is here, DNC applies.

      Sue the companies whose services are being sold. After all, they are paying someone else to hassle you, and so they are ultimately responsible.

      I haven't had a discover card for almost 9 years now, and I don't miss it one bit. Crappy customer service, accepted almost nowhere compared to Visa and BastardCard, and higher interest rates, too.

      -paul

      • The problem comes when you run into a corp who's incorporated in Bermuda or some other third-world tax haven. It shields them from more than just taxes.
      • I've had great customer service with Discover, much better than the typical provider if you have a chargeback problem or anything else. They were also one of the first to introduce online payment and other innovations like one-use card numbers.

        They might not be the best pick if you carry a balance, but if you pay off your bills they frequently offer as much as 5% back in cash or more in gift certificates. A pretty good deal really.
    • Not like the do-not-call list is worth shit anyway. It hasn't even slowed down the calls we get, and so far, no amount of complaining and filling out those stupid forms has gotten anything done about it. It's mostly comming from Georgia and Florida area codes, with a few comming from southern Michigan. I don't think we've gotten any international phonespam yet, but I guess it's just a matter of time.
      • That is interesting. I have had the telemarketers fall all over themselves (all 4 of them who have called since the DNC went into place) to apologize, and they are so sorry that my name got on their database, and they are sure it won't ever happen again, etc.

        I reported the first two, but the last two wouldn't give me enough information -- so they got away with it -- that's my only complaint -- the telemarketer can just hang up, and unless you have caller id, or are willing to pay your phone company to tra

  • National Do-Not-Call list (Score:5, Informative)

    by LouCifer ( 771618 ) on Thursday February 03, 2005 @01:38PM (#11563878)
    What do you mean "..does the National Do Not Call list even apply?"

    Of course it does. If the company they're calling for does business inside the U.S. then they're in violation of the DNC list, regardless of where the actual calls are coming from - the company placing the calls are an extension of the comapny they're representing.

    Immediately file a complaint at https://www.donotcall.gov/Complain/ComplainCheck.a spx [donotcall.gov] for each and every call you've received from this place.

    AFAIK, you don't have to warn them or ask them to remove you from the list - its not your responsibility to tell them you're on the list. Its their responsibility to check the list against the numbers they're dialing. They fail to do so, then its their problem they get hit with the fines.

    I've had to do this with at least three companies. I lodged complaints all of three times apiece. I've not got a single call from them again. IIRC, the fine is $500 each call.
    • Is that site actually working the last 2 times I tried it, it froze after I entered my number. Oh well I've deactivated that line now, no point.

    • Re:National Do-Not-Call list (Score:4, Insightful)

      by tacocat ( 527354 ) <tallison1&twmi,rr,com> on Thursday February 03, 2005 @02:41PM (#11564643)

      I'm a company.

      I hire a company in some other country to manage my Marketing or at least a portion of it.

      They hire a spam/telemarketing company that is also outside of the US.

      Since I'm not my contractors subcontract keeper I'm in the clear. I have plausible deniability of the behaviour of the third company and as such, am not liable under the DNC rules

      Wake Up America!

    • AFAIK, you don't have to warn them or ask them to remove you from the list - its not your responsibility to tell them you're on the list. Its their responsibility to check the list against the numbers they're dialing. They fail to do so, then its their problem they get hit with the fines.

      Actually, that's not exactly true.

      If the company has a "pre-existing relationship" with you, they're allowed to call you regardless of whether you're registered (until you tell them to remove your number from their list)

      • If the company has a "pre-existing relationship" with you, they're allowed to call you regardless of whether you're registered (until you tell them to remove your number from their list).

        Correct, but that's not the case with the OP and this company.

        To expand on what you've touched on:

        A company with whom you've had a "pre-existing relationship" may only call you for upto 18 months after the relationship has ended. Even then, if you tell them not to call you again, they cannot call you regardless. To quot
    • Actually the fine for violating the DNC is up to $11,000 per incident. But there is no private right of action so its up to the bureucrats to enforce it at their whim.

  • page (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    http://www.parsecinteract.com/index.asp [parsecinteract.com]

  • Just tell them you died. (Score:5, Funny)

    by toygeek ( 473120 ) on Thursday February 03, 2005 @01:41PM (#11563917) Journal
    When they ask for whoever it is they want, just say "I'm sorry that person passed away last week... "
    • Probably won't work. Unless the call center person has an option on his screen that says, "Callee dead, remove from database," nothing will change.

      There's a common fallacy people use when dealing with call centers. Because they hear a human voice on the other end, they assume they're talking to an actual human being. The human on the phone is just acting as a carbon-based interface unit. Actual decisions are made by a not very bright computer system that's programmed to maximize exposure to the people the

  • Real live people? (Score:2, Informative)

    by technolalia ( 806467 )
    You get real live people on the other end of the phone?
    Wow - I've started getting (here in the UK) recorded messages, in an American accent, apparently from Florida. Swamps your tape if the answerphone picks up.
    I'm on the UKs cold call opt-out list, but presumeably foreign companies aren't under any obligation by that.

    I really don't know what can be done about these damnable tele-spammers. Any suggestions?

    John

    • Re:Real live people? (Score:5, Funny)

      by toygeek ( 473120 ) on Thursday February 03, 2005 @01:47PM (#11564004) Journal
      I've started getting (here in the UK) recorded messages, in an American accent, apparently from Florida.

      Thats silly. Americans don't have accents!

    • What plagues my answering machine are messages that start out with "Please hold for a very important message".

      It's gotten so bad that we literally don't answer the phone any more.
    • I'm aware of at least one telemarketing attempt that was using VoIP for originations and would hang up if it thought a person answered the phone. It -WANTED- to leave a message on an answering machine, and it had special routines to listen for what would likely be the "tone" to indicate it was time to start broadcasting the message.

      So maybe it was trying to fill up your answering machine.
  • Call them up.
    Send them email.
    Send them postal mail because these days not many people exepect a letter in the mail.
    or if necessary ...
    Do at your own risk. I am not responisble for possible damages or hilarity that might ensue.
    Google bomb 'em. See litigious bastards [google.com].
    Google is showing a measly 172 hits of "PARSEC Interact" [google.com] and it wouldn't take much effort to tie parsec interact to "annoying telemarketer" or "creepy telemarketing company". A couple people with their own domains & some perl script should

  • Parsec's reply on Do Not Call lists: (Score:4, Informative)

    by stuckatwork ( 622157 ) on Thursday February 03, 2005 @01:45PM (#11563965)
    From their FAQ:

    "6. How do you handle Do Not Call Legislation? PARSEC Interact has implemented a rigorous program that ensures full DNC compliance.

    "As required by law, we ensure that all of our clients are properly registered for the states in which their programs are scheduled to run. This is required before the program can run. The process of registering is relatively painless, and we will walk you through every step.

    "Once the list is procured, we scrub not only against the National DNC Registry, but also against state and local DNC lists that are pertinent to the campaign.

    "All of our telemarketing agents are trained on how to handle customers who request to be put on the DNC Registry. They are also trained on which practices are acceptable, and which are not acceptable.

    We take DNC compliance very seriously, and we are proud of the proactive steps we have taken to ensure compliance. For detailed information on how PARSEC handles DNC compliance, ask your PARSEC representative about our DNC Compliance Guidelines."



    So, shouldn't you be able to make a claim against them?

    https://www.donotcall.gov/Complain/ComplainCheck.a spx [donotcall.gov]

  • Just hang up without expliantion (Score:3, Interesting)

    by acidrain ( 35064 ) on Thursday February 03, 2005 @01:45PM (#11563972)
    It is their job it to try and keep you on the phone as long as possible, but you are wasting both their time and yours by following social norms and trying to wait long enough to jam a "no thanks, goodbye" in there.

    Just hang up on them the moment you realize what is going on. You both will be better off.

    • Re:Just hang up without expliantion (Score:5, Insightful)

      by j-turkey ( 187775 ) on Thursday February 03, 2005 @01:59PM (#11564158) Homepage
      Just hang up on them the moment you realize what is going on. You both will be better off.

      Actually, to make a difference, I'd go the other way around. When they ask for you, or the homeowner, or whomever, ask them to hold on while you find that person. Put the phone down, and walk away to do something else. If they hold for 10 minutes or more, you'll get a good laugh out of it.

      This may tie up your phone line, but you're wasting their time (better than them wasting your time). Advertisers have to pay them, and you're decreasing their sales effectiveness. If enough people do this, telemarketing may be perceived as less effective.

      Alternatively, politely and calmly ask them for their name, and the name of their firm (rather than being aggressive or letting them know what your intentions are). Then file a DNC complaint ASAP.


      • ask them to hold on while you find that person. Put the phone down, and walk away to do something else.

        Interesting thought... Has someone come up with a device that checks incoming calls against a list of people known to you, and if it is an unknown number, automatically either sends them directly to the answering machine or tells them that because they are not known, they will have to wait through a 20 second wait period before their call is put through?

        • Has someone come up with a device that checks incoming calls against a list of people known to you, and if it is an unknown number, automatically either sends them directly to the answering machine[...]

          http://www.pagerealm.com/tc2k/ - the TeleCrapper 2000 was linked to on Slashdot a long while back by the creator (in a comment to a 'what hardware do you hack?' article, I believe).

          It's been awhile since I've looked at the actual site, but I think it was hardware related, and he was looking for people to d


          • Personally, I would kill for a cheap or OSS solution that could read the Caller ID and immediately pick up on the answering machine. If I had any coding ability at all I'd do it myself.

            Have you looked at asterisk [asterisk.org]?

            • Just did... and it looks to be about as simple to a non-advanced Linux person as MythTV. :p

              And the little Googling I did turned up a Windows version that uses coLinux and is geared toward VoIP, which isn't really what I'm looking for.

              Does prove that SourceForge isn't the end-all, be-all of OSS, though. thanks. :)

              Anybody out there know of any howtos or anything for Asterisk?

        • Has someone come up with a device that checks incoming calls against a list of people known to you, and if it is an unknown number, automatically either sends them directly to the answering machine or tells them that because they are not known, they will have to wait through a 20 second wait period before their call is put through?

          I dunno, but this is exactly the kind of thing that a F/OSS PBX (like Asterisk, for example) could be set up to do. You could also write some code so it captures the last wor

        • Shortly after looking at the TeleCrapper site after linking it, I found this (TeleCrapper uses it):

          CallAudit Voice 6.0 [mtnsys.com]

          On the features page:

          Send calls from selected callers directly to voice mail

          The program can send calls from specific callers directly to voice mail. This allows the user to avoid having to answer callers they do not wish to speak to, but still retaining the option for a custom greeting message for the caller and the opportunity for the caller to leave a message. You can also have all

      • Actually, to make a difference, I'd go the other way around. When they ask for you, or the homeowner, or whomever, ask them to hold on while you find that person. Put the phone down, and walk away to do something else. If they hold for 10 minutes or more, you'll get a good laugh out of it.

        This doesn't make a difference. Telemarketing companies aren't stupid; they know that the front-line marketers, the ones that actually make the calls, need to get a certain number of hooks each day to stay profitable.

        • As I said in my original post:

          Alternatively, politely and calmly ask them for their name, and the name of their firm (rather than being aggressive or letting them know what your intentions are). Then file a DNC complaint ASAP.

          You do, however, make a compelling point. That being said, I still think that one could hook a sales person (in your system) by saying "sure, I'm interested" and then "hold on, while I get a pen to write down the information". If they're as smart as you claim, they'll eventuall

        • Just because people dislike telemarketing companies doesn't mean they're run by people without sense.

          BTW, a really good point. Now that I stop and think about it, it seems pretty common on Slashdot, and I'm glad you called me on that. I think it's symptomatic of projecting negative attributes to people I/they don't like (or want to dislike). Anyway -- cheers.

      • Alternatively, politely and calmly ask them for their name, and the name of their firm (rather than being aggressive or letting them know what your intentions are). Then file a DNC complaint ASAP.

        I'm on the US DNC and I got a call one time that my Caller ID said was unavailable. The gent with the Indian accept (being in tech it's an accent I'm all too familiar with) said that he was calling from Citibank. "Citibank?" says I, "How can you be calling from Citibank when my caller ID says India?"
        Stunned sil
    • Firstly, it's worth reminding them if you are on a do not call list. In the UK it's the TPS (telephone preference service). Usually they apologise and hang up. I've never actually gone as far as reporting any companies but we don't get that many calls.

      But the thing to remember is that tele-marketers work from a set script that is structured to make it difficult to refuse (do you want cheaper ?) or hang up without being rude.

      To get them off the script I like to answer their question with completely illogic
  • Being a young person I have no problems with things like this because I simply stick to a cellphone. People will tell me it causes cancer but then again what does these days?
    • I have gotten one or two sales calls on my cell phone. I had made the mistake of giving it as a way to get hold of me for something or another I was buying or having done.

      Since DNC was passed, we have had only one or two sales calls from rogue companies. Unfortunately, charities and politicians are exempt, and they still call.

      FWIW, I think a cellphone is no guarantee of peace and quiet. I have heard of spam sent to phones via text messaging, and I am sure it's only a matter of time.

      Just one more reaso

  • Make them pay (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Alcamar ( 199075 )
    I've heard of this being done before, it cost you the use of the line, but(especially if they are calling from India), then tell them "Yes, one moment while I get them", and set the phone down and ignore it. Periodically you might even get up and yell at the phone, "They're coming, they'll be right there", just to keep them waiting in anticipation.

  • Message from our partners (Score:2, Interesting)

    by w1mp ( 210200 )
    We had an sbc line for quite a while. It seemed they could call us as telemarketers with 'offers from their partners' since we were sbc's customer. We switched to a digital phone from TW and have had exactly 1 telemarketer call, from the mortgage company that i just purchased a house through (and who sold the loan 3 weeks later, so no more calls from them) and have never been happier.
  • I've been getting calls from somewhere with a recording that says, "this is not a solicitation please call us at ..." Isn't this a form of telemarketing and if I'm on the DNC should I not be getting these calls?
    • I know that when collection agencies call-- this is the phrase they use. They are required by law not to leave a message that says it is to collect a debt-- so they just say it is not a sales call. Not saying it is that for sure-- but that is what they do. (Could be skip tracers- and you live near a debtor's old address or have a similar name too)
    • It is a solicitation -- a solicitation to have you call their number.

      But, who cares. It's called the "DO NOT CALL" list. Opt-out.

      Instead, there should be "OK TO CALL" list. Only those numbers can be used by list callers. This is Opt-in.

      Major side benefit: the "OK TO CALL" registry can be moved from the heavy-duty load-balancing database-crunching infrastructure to a simple lightweight PHP script like those "Comment" pages on simple blogs. Should be able to host the site at FreeHost4Ever.what or simi

  • I almost started work as a telemarketer - then ran from the building screaming!!!(well not screaming, but I did run...) /me needed work, money was short:
    so I decided to see how bad it would be, they promised 1 week of paid training before we hit the phones - and had people on within 3 days.

    I never made a sales call, but listened in on a huge number of them. Wow. It's not that the job is hard, it's that the people on the other end are harsh, and the only good telemarketers are actually quite evil, even in r
  • fuck out sourcing.

  • Hello? (Score:4, Funny)

    by AtariAmarok ( 451306 ) on Thursday February 03, 2005 @02:26PM (#11564472)
    Ringgg!!! Ringgg!
    [drop dinner fork and answer] Me: Hello?
    Outsourced Telemarketer: Xddeedxx dffrt
    Me: What?
    Outsourced Telemarketer: Wuddub xuxvvux zazzxue!
    Me: Oh?
    Outsourced Telemarketer: Dferguh Zuul. Juju fvuv.
    Me: Why, of course! I'll buy a hundred!

  • DNC aoolies to overseas calls too (Score:4, Informative)

    by j-turkey ( 187775 ) on Thursday February 03, 2005 @02:35PM (#11564579) Homepage

    From the National Do Not Call Registry FAQ [ftc.gov]

    33. Are telemarketing calls from overseas covered?

    Yes. Any telemarketers calling U.S. consumers are covered, regardless of where they are calling from. If a company within the U.S. solicits sales through an overseas professional telemarketer, that U.S. company may be liable for any violations by the telemarketer. The FTC can initiate enforcement actions against such companies.

    I guess it would make sense that people doing business in the US are still accountable to US laws and regulations. Get their name and number -- file a complaint. It will do us all a favor.

  • First Word: National

    Not International. This outsourcing is just another way of getting around the rules. Just like CAN-SPAM act. You can't spam from within the US, but if you outsource to someone outside of US Law you can spam yourself blue in the face and nothing can stop short of WMDs

    Obviously these laws aren't working anymore.

    • "of US Law you can spam yourself blue in the face"

      Even though the actual result is more likely to be pink and greasy, it was still worth a laugh. Thanks.

    • Not International. This outsourcing is just another way of getting around the rules.

      Incorrect. I pointed this out in my post [slashdot.org] above (it has a stupid typo in the subject header). The post references this FAQ [ftc.gov], which states that:

      33. Are telemarketing calls from overseas covered?

      Yes. Any telemarketers calling U.S. consumers are covered, regardless of where they are calling from. If a company within the U.S. solicits sales through an overseas professional telemarketer, that U.S. company may be liable

      • But if I'm representing myself as a non-US firm, who's really a front for a US firm, then I'm in the clear.

        Don't believe me, see the recent news on Haliburton and GE deciding not to do any more business with Iran. Any more? It's been banned for years, but they used foreign fronts to do their work for them. Are they in trouble with the US Gov? No. They got away with it.

        • But if I'm representing myself as a non-US firm, who's really a front for a US firm, then I'm in the clear.

          No, you're not in the clear. I see where you're coming from, but it's not really applicable to telemarketing. You are suggesting that businesses operating outside of the US, but doing trade and advertising inside of the US are not subject to US regulation. That's just not right -- these businesses are regulated every day, regardless if it's a spin-off, a front, or a subsidiary. Haliburton is a

  • Here is their contact info (Score:5, Informative)

    by sfjoe ( 470510 ) on Thursday February 03, 2005 @02:48PM (#11564712)
    PARSEC Interact, Inc.
    2672 Bayshore Parkway # 703
    Mountain View, CA 94043
    Phone: 866-9-PARSEC(866-972-7732)
    650-960-1884
    Fax: 650-960-1881
    Email: info@parsecinteract.com

    Probably a mail drop

  • Huh? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Otter ( 3800 ) on Thursday February 03, 2005 @03:35PM (#11565302) Journal
    I was a little skeptical of the whole chicken-littlish sky is falling attitude about outsourcing to India, that is until it hit home. Over the last couple of days I have started to receive at least two calls a night from an unknown telemarketing company.

    Maybe I'm missing something but:

    1) You were skeptical about the significance of the outsourcing issue until you decided that some telemarketing service is outsourced -- and that's the statistical evidence that won you over?

    2) Nothing you mentioned suggests that the calling is outsourced anyway.

    3) Even if it is, given that they weren't calling you before and now they are, the loss of a hypothetical telemarketing position isn't something that even Lou Dobbs would get too worked up over.

  • My friend got a call one day (about 6 or 7 months ago) from the US Census Bureau, the guy calling was in INDIA. The Census Bureau is outsourcing their people!!

    Also, if they ask if you are 'in charge of the phones', tell them "I don't have a phone." If they ask for the 'resident' or 'homeowner', tell them you live in a cardboard box [and that you don't have a phone], modify this as needed to suit what they ask.
  • It's usually best to handle these things with fake racism. Tell them that you resent somebody in another nation having your phone number, and would they please stay on the line long enough for you to target their GPS co-ordinates with a bioweapon designed for their genome, to wipe out them and all their family.

    They are usually so superstitious about first world technology, that they actually believe this and hang up.
    • Or maybe they figure you're too crazy to sell anything to. ;p

    • "...I handle it with fake racism..."

      I'm not convinced that you do.

      "...They are usually so superstitious about first world technology, that they actually believe this [some GPS/Bioweapon garbage] and hang up..."

      Nope. Couldn't spot any fake racism here.

      T&K.
      • You really think I have access to fake superweapons based on current technology and would use them?

        Here's the truth in three points of why this is fake:

        1. These weapons don't exist. Even if they did exist, they would require ownership of a missile silo and about $5 million worth of rocket fuel to even launch- who would waste $5 million to blow up an office building worth maybe $5000 tops?

        2. The real villians aren't the poor people working on the call center line- they're the C-level executives in the

  • Maybe we all need to learn to speak the Indian languages. What do they speak? Would somebody please teach us some appropriate responses to Indian telemarketers in their native tounge?

    I have generally found Indian help desk/tech support people to be polite, knowledgeble, and empathatic. But telemarketing is evil, and should be resisted with every opportunity!

  • No no no! (Score:3, Informative)

    by WSSA ( 27914 ) on Friday February 04, 2005 @04:20AM (#11570292)
    Don't say "take me off your list", they'll just add you back again. Say "put me on your do-not-call list".
  • There is a very funny Danish website [vibrugerikke.dk] (Note, it's in Danish) on answering telemarketers. I'll translate one of them:

    Telemarketer (T): I'd like to speak with the person who is responsible for buying telephone equipment.
    Secretary (S): We don't use telephony in our company.
    T: Well, how do make phonecalls?
    S: We never make phonecalls - we're just a couple of girls who sit in the office all day.
    T: Okay. How do other people call you?
    S: That never happens.
    T: I'm sorry to have disturbed you. Goodbye.

    Basical

  • They wouldn't take me off the list so I contacted the state attorney general. He put a stop to that immediately. He sent them a letter asking why they were violating state and federal laws regarding telemarketing and they were like "oops! sorry!"

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