The Ranting Room

Seems like all you Brits have to put up with all the same crap we do in America (telemarketers, soccer mom's in oversized SUVs, corporate BS, etc.).  Just be glad you're not NINE FREAKING TRILLION DOLLARS in debt!!

Gah, don't get me started on all the broken systems (political and otherwise)...

Why is it that when I find one thing to solve a problem the solution just gives me another one instead.

I hate all these rich, ungreatfull kids who get everything fed to them in a f**king golden platter, when I have to work my ass of for the cheapest things

Chavs - need I say more?

This reminds me of some guy (again from India), 'phoning our ex-directory 'phone and asking me whether I want a new spangly mobile 'phone.  Not just any spangly mobile 'phone, but one that allows you to see the person you're calling: shock horror!

I didn't want this.  I have a mobile 'phone I barely use, which happens to have a camera in and 250Mbs of MP3 space... which I really do not need...

Anyhow, I had trouble getting rid of him and I didn't want to hang up, because that's a defeatists attitude.

This guy could not understand why I didn't want a spangly 'phone.  I told him I didn't have a 'phone (thought this may help - it seems not) and this just made it worse.

Then he starts to talk about stuff like: well, if you were lost, or stuck somewhere without a 'phone, what would you do?

Me: Live with the fact that I don't have a 'phone.

I forget what exactly happened, but I was getting more and more annoyed, but I remained calm, he was getting more and more annoyed and wasn't staying calm.

I won, he got so annoyed with me, he hung up.

The day after - or maybe two - the 'phone rang again, but my mother was in and she said: I wonder who is calling at this time (I know, answer it and you'll find out... another gripe!) and replied: Oh, it's probably some guy from India trying to sell us a mobile 'phone.  And it was.

It's getting very annoying!

I have a plan:

If they 'phone again and do a similar spiel, then I'm going to say I'm Amish and that our religions means we cannot use 'phones.  The only reason I am on the 'phone now, is because I am the spokeman for this particular Amish community and I deal with all external affairs... but no, I do not need a mobile 'phone.

Hopefully that'll work.

Other gripes:

1. As mentioned 4x4s used by mothers on the school-run to pick up their "kids".
2. The term "kids" - They even use it on Newsround, it really gets up my nose!  The language they use on that Childrens News Program disturbs me
3. Childrens television - Yes I know, I don't need to watch it at my age, but if I ever have children, I'm selling the television!
4. The term "Art Rock"!

I'll think of more soon.

Blacksword wrote: sleeper wrote: My big beef is with sales calls, usually in the midle of a film, motor race, program that I'm watching only to find that they barely speak English as they calling from India, and those that do speak English have learnt it from Eastenders (if you call that English!). They always get me just when I get in from work, around 5.30 (I guess it's a logical time to call) I was starting to average about 3 a night, before I set up some nuisance call deal with BT. They stopped then, but you have to renew it every year or so. When the deal was up for renewal the calls came again. This Indian guy would always be ringing me on a really bad line shouting something about saving money. I got so fed up with him I said 'Mr Robinson doesn't live here. In fact he died six months ago. I was his lover and I dont want to talk about it, now kindly update your database accordingly and f**k off!' 'Oh dear' he replied and hung up. He never called again.

That reminds me, they also tend to call at just gone 6 o'clock when we've just sat down to have our dinner, the b*****ds

You can also register mobiles on TPS but you should check the warnings on their web page.

sleeper wrote: My big beef is with sales calls, usually in the midle of a film, motor race, program that I'm watching only to find that they barely speak English as they calling from India, and those that do speak English have learnt it from Eastenders (if you call that English!).

They always get me just when I get in from work, around 5.30 (I guess it's a logical time to call) I was starting to average about 3 a night, before I set up some nuisance call deal with BT. They stopped then, but you have to renew it every year or so. When the deal was up for renewal the calls came again. This Indian guy would always be ringing me on a really bad line shouting something about saving money. I got so fed up with him I said 'Mr Robinson doesn't live here. In fact he died six months ago. I was his lover and I dont want to talk about it, now kindly update your database accordingly and f**k off!'

'Oh dear' he replied and hung up.

He never called again.    

Syzygy wrote: My tactic for cold calls: When they ask to speak to whoever (the homeowner/Mr some approximation of my surname) I say "Is this about the heron?" Whatever the reply, I continue with something along the lines of "I've been having a problem with a heron on my allotment, and you said you'd call back and give me some advice." As they stick rigidly to their script, I continue with "No, that's not the problem. This heron keeps on digging up the carrots on my allotment. There's a goldfish pond nearby, and I think it's confused because they're the same colour." Some persistent individuals carry on, so I keep returning to my theme "Well that's very interesting, but I don't see what it's got to do with wading birds" "We're getting nowhere here. Are you sure you're a qualified ornithologist?" "I just need to know how good a heron's colour perception is. Can you answer my question please?"   And so on. Most cold callers hang up after a minute or so, but some continue long after any sane individual would have given up and moved on.

My tactic for cold calls: