She asked me a question about a completely plausible scenario that happens every day and now I feel threatened! I must notify the world!

I hate sales tactics that try to make you feel insecure.

On the upside? This Chase Employee has a brilliant future in the home security field!

telemarketers by nature are a pain. the minute i sense product pushery, i hang up.

When I get these cold calls I just say "no," nothing else, and then hang-up.

@apotheosis: I think it's a valid complaint. I hate sales people trying to scare me into buying something. I was considering buying a car from a dealer a few months back and was unsure of whether or not I wanted to get it. Then the dealer said something like "Aren't you worried about your safety? *insert spiel designed to scare me into buying the "safe" car*". That immediately made me refuse to buy the car.

Many telemarketers are trained to not accept 'no' and continue to push. Since each telemarketer reply to no was different, clearly there was a script with multiple replies to each customer objection.

Many years ago, when I was in a telemarketing position, I was clearly told that if the prospect didn't buy or hang up on me, I wasn't pushing hard enough.

BTW, for all telemarketers, memorize this phrase

"I do NO business via Telephone solicitation"

Of course, you could just hang up!!

Sounds like the "mailed documents" are actually a "welcome to our fraud protection" program!" package.

I wonder how many people have been suckered by this. From working at a call center I can tell you that in many cases agents are EXPLICITLY TOLD, often through written materials, to be vague and manipulative with customers.

Oh and we had a rule that we had to keep pushing until the customer said "NO" three times.

Victoria's Secret does this when you activate your charge card. They try to sell credit monitoring service, as if I'm too stupid to notice fraudulent charges on my accounts.

@apotheosis: I think he's more concerned about the "I'll charge you $7 and ship the information" than the "vague threats" that Consumerist pointed out.

I always tell telemarketers I will not do business over the phone unless I initiate the call (to guard against fraud) and their product/service appeals to me. Then I ask for their phone number and identification so I can call back and verify who they are. No-one has yet given me their number.

Unlike the other Chase story here is one that shows this company's evil side.

It's not so much the scare tactics as the signing you up without permission that freaks me out.

I just tell them to put me on their no-call list, and hang up.

Usually I'll say "no" and hang up. At work I have to be professional/pleasant on the phone...but at home I don't.

If I'm feeling a bit mean...I'll ask them to hold and set the phone down and never pick it up again, or put it by the computer speaker while I'm playing a game. The longer they're waiting for me the less people they get to bother.

The magic phrase is "Put me on your Do Not Call list." If you're feeling nice, you can add a "please" to either the front or back of that sentence.

Even if you're on the national DNC list, if you have an "existing relationship" with the business, they're allowed to call you, unless you specifically ask to be put on their DNC list. Then they're obligated to honor your wishes, and if (after 30 days) they telemarket you again, you can file a complaint with the FTC at [www.donotcall.gov]

Say it with me, "Put me on your Do Not Call list."

I bet they charged you anyway.

We have the problem with credit card companies calling with great frequency, offering "additional services" that we always decline. It got so bad at one point that we both asked that our accounts be flagged so that we no longer receive solicitation calls about "new features," etc, and that the only reason we'll accept calls is if they are to notify us of fraudulent activity on the card. We don't get calls much anymore.

Another problem we've had, prior to this, was that I'd pick up the phone, and they'd ask for my husband. I'd ask who it was, and if it was a solicitation/sales call. I've had these folks cop an attitude with me for asking nothing more than "May I ask who is calling" and then "Is this a sales call, or regarding account activity?" I'm usually very nice to callers and try not to hang up on them, but was pushed a little too far when the response was "You know, since you're having a problem and you can't just answer my questions or put him on the phone, I'll just call back later. Click." There's a good way to keep customers...

Yet another reason why I gladly pay for Caller ID. If I don't recognize the phone number or the display is something like "Out of Area" or "Unknown" then I let the answering machine answer it. If it's something important they'll leave a message. If it's a telemarketer they'll typically hang up before the answering machine even gets to that point.

@celticgina: Last time I moved, I had to call the power company to get my service address changed over to the new place. They did so, but it turned out that they had some sort of cross-promotional deal with the local phone company. The electric company CSR kept trying to sell me on getting phone service through them with similar high-pressure tactics. I told them, no, I choose not to pay for a landline because I refuse to pay what they charge for something I almost never use and that inevitably rings constantly with telemarketing, political robocalls, etc. They tried to pressure me by talking about how I would be in trouble if I had an emergency and had to call 911, actually going through various disaster scenarios, etc. I brought up the fact that you can dial 911 by plugging a phone into a landline jack even without paying for service if the wires are still physically connected, and asked if he ever told his customers that fact when using this tactic. He hung up on me :).

@tator: Good idea on that one. Also, I find if you're kind of nice about asking, many telemarketers will simply remove you from the list of prospects. They deal with people who are often angry at being solicited. Treat them like a human and they're more likely to be helpful.

@apotheosis: I think it's obviously more the aggressive "hard sell" that's offensive and rude. It's not so much "asking a question" as it is trying to literally scare up business. Repeatedly. I'm guessing from your somewhat annoyed comment that you would not have been much nicer to the telemarketer for his tactics.

Identity theft is plausible. It does happen. However, no identity thief attempted to take the submitters money without cause or permission. It was Chase.

You need to be word safe with telemarketers. Don't ever say anything that sounds like you are complying or agreeing with something they've suggested. Just by saying "OK", even if out of context, they'll consider that an affirmative to sign you up for anything, with all the extra options too. They're trained to focus on submission, not context.

I believe, if you are actually interested, the proper action is to not respond directly to anything they say but to make simple and clear statements to them, like "Please send me an informational brochure." Otherwise, say "No" and hang up immediately.

@Starfury: I know that telemarketers get a bad rap.....but it's a tough job. Yes, they do have to constantly use a "rebuttal" when you say no or they'll get in trouble by their supervisor. Be upset with the company they work for but not the individual caller!

Just hanging up on them is rude! I also don't like to talk to telemarketers at home. But at least am polite. Usually, I quickly intervene and let them know I understand they have a tough job, but not to waste their time w/me because I'm not interested and good luck w/the next call. Almost always, they just say thank you very much and hang up w/out any hassle.

Remember, they probably hate their job (just like most of us) but are doing it because it's the best or only gig they could get. That's exactly what I did when I was 18.

I should add that I do realize that there are bad seeds to every bunch and some of the telemarketers are just simply out of line...

could just go all tom mabe on them...

@johnva:

you can dial 911 from any landline jack?

I always thought you needed a dial tone to dial a call. If you or previous owner of the property has disconnected their service, I don't think you're going to get a dial tone.

i signed up for a credit monitoring service. When i called to verify my identity they threw me onto a sales call for ID protection. the whole time he was like. "ok so well ill go ahead and sign you up for ...." AS I WAS SAYING NO. I called back to the credit report service and canceled it. Im not going to do business with a company that pulls crap like that

@Radoman:

I'm guessing from your somewhat annoyed comment that you would not have been much nicer to the telemarketer for his tactics.

Did I sound annoyed? Sorry. Mild bemusement doesn't always translate well.

I honestly can't recall the last telemarketing call I received. (Thanks, DNC list!) However, if I did receive this call, I'd probably play the usual "act interested, string them along, then decline and hang up" game. Because every second I waste is one more second they're not bugging someone else.

I like to think of it as a public service. Don't thank me, it's really nothing.

@apotheosis: Don't worry, nothing to thank you for!

Ironically, the fraud protection comes in handy when you report you didn't sign up for fraud protection.

@geoffhazel: I think it depends on your phone company and maybe local regulations. But I know that where I live they only do a "soft disconnect" in order to remove the need to send a technician out to physically remove the wires. Basically, when they do this, you still get a dial tone, but they won't route any calls through except to 911 or their customer service. But yeah, if they physically disconnected your wires obviously that's not going to work.

When I used to work at Telemarketing, my boss apparently found a study that said most people will remember what you're trying to shill when you remind them 27 times.

So you can imagine how long a trainee had to be at a phone in order to accomplish anything.

@thegirls:
May the voice of Billy Mays plague your restless sleep and waking nightmares at a thousand enthusiastic decibels.

@apotheosis: This is sales 101. Vaguely threaten the customer with "Oh won't you be SOL when this bad thing happens" in order to make a sale. It's pandering and talking down to your customers and companies that use this tactic belong here on Consumerist.

It seems to be a Chase "thing" to not send you information on the product they're trying to sell you until after you sign up for it. They tried it with me for a different product.

Cold Calling is an industry that just needs to die. Slowly, in a fire.

There's nothing a telemarketer can possibly sell me I haven't already got or considered buying from a store anyway. All it does is make me find an alternate source from whichever company just called.

@apotheosis: You're a funny guy....actually, you're not.

Basically, you're answer to what you perceive as rude telemarketers calling you, is by acting rude in return. Very mature.

@geoffhazel: You do need a dial tone. That's the indication that the circuit is actually connected to the CO (central office). Without a dial tone even a 911 call won't work.

@apotheosis: I see. Bemused, not annoyed. You know without faces to look at, language can be tough to decipher. I like the idea of keeping them busy though. That's helpful and amusing.

I guess my point was, Chase's marketing tactics are currently more of an active threat to this persons bank account than some imagined identity thief, and I feel the story has merit. Certainly it's a bad business practice.

The "you aren't safe" tactics are par for the course. But charging without authorization is completely different.

@seamer: Remember, every sales job out there requires some cold calling. Be it the stock broker, Google sales rep to the newspaper ad sales rep.

Chase interrupts your day to sell you a service that no one wants, then has the audacity to charge you $7 to send you the information about it. Two words: unbelievably sleazy

If they think people won't change banks over tacky business practices like this, they're living in a vacuum.

@humphrmi:
If you're creating a product and then attempting to manufacture a niche for it, then yeah, that's just annoying.

Identity theft is one of those things that really exists completely outside some marketer's imagination, and people should really be concerned; if more people WERE concerned enough to take appropriate countermeasures it wouldn't happen as often.

I grant that the caller might've been a little less abrasive about it, but for god's sake, "vague threats" in the headline makes it sound like the rep was dropping comments like "gee, it'd be a SHAME if anything happened to your DOG after you didn't buy this service." *cracking knuckles*

@GreatCaesarsGhost: Does that stuff actually work on anyone? It just pisses me off and makes me feel like they're insulting my intelligence.

@seamer: Exactly. I've taken it one step further. I throw away ALL marketing solicitations and try to stop all catalogs from places I've ordered from. They have websites. When I need something, I'll find them.

@thegirls:
There's nothing rude about it.

Politely listen to their spiel (or pretend to.) Drop an intrigued "hmmm" in every now and then. They love that. Honestly, who doesn't like the feeling that they're doing a good job?

Yes, you eventually decline the product/service and hang up, but any relationship coming to an end is better for a clean break. TMs get hang-ups and curses and just plain rudeness so often they're probably immune to it...but they'll cherish those few happy moments of success you gave them.

And again, you're delaying (or sparing) their call to the next poor shmuck on the list.

Everybody wins!

Yup, that sounds just like Chase.

I had almost the same conversation, but didn't hang up. I escalated it to a supervisor and made sure they hadn't signed me up by sleath tactics... bastards try to squeeze every dollar they can out of you.

@tamoko: ..."stealth tactics"