After receiving a couple of postcards and an e-mail asking me to make a phonecall, I decided to do so this morning. Apparently someone was hoping I'd be a sucker. I'm proud to say that I'm not!
My undergrad alma mater has a publishing deal with a company that produces alumni directories. They asked me to call to update my information. OK, after they asked me 3 times, I contacted them. The man I spoke to was very slick, and in no time I realized I was talking to a telemarketer. They had my e-mail and snail mail address already, obviously, since they contacted me. He asked for my phone number. No thanks - I don't want to include it in there. Apparently they didn't have it! They would have hunted me down by phone. Silly me, I called them though! He validated my professional information, and that was fine. I didn't mind having that listed. He sprinkled in chat about weather - "So how is the weather up there in NY now?" .... cold.... "Are you going to watch the NCAA tournament?" ... no...
By then I was kicking myself... clearly I called this guy so he could try to sell me one of these damn books!
Then he moved in for the sale...
Mr. Slick: So, can we count on you to support this project?
me: How much are we talking?
Mr. Slick: You can get the collector's edition for just 2 installments of $39... and it comes with a CD, so you can e-mail people right from the CD. (said as though this is an amazing invention)
me: No thanks.
Mr. Slick: (not missing a beat) or you can get the such&such amazing deal for just 2 installments of $34 each. And where would you like that sent?
me: No thanks. I'm not interested.
I know he was just doing his job. But why would I want to buy a directory for my college when I can go to their web site and get the e-mail address of any alumni who have signed up there? Or I can google anyone I'm trying to find? Hello?! This is 2005. Wake up and smell the technology.
oh i just do not like the hard but supposedly subtle sell of the telemarketer. phone sales should be abolished.
Posted by: honestyrain | Wednesday, March 09, 2005 at 07:24 PM
We constantly get letters from our college's alumni assocation asking for money. So do our families. And our friends. And our next-door neighbors. And ... You get the point. Yet when they send the letters, they seem unable to get the right form letters out, because they indicate that we just graduated last year (which we didn't). Yeah, that makes me want to send money. You can't send me the right form letter, or can't keep track of what class I graduated in, yet you want my cash? No, thanks.
P.S. For some reason the URL field isn't recognizing my URL, so here it is, just in case someone really wants to visit me: www.muppetous.com. :)
Posted by: Muppet | Wednesday, March 09, 2005 at 08:47 PM
We must have gone to the same college. Unbelievable that they push this stuff.
Posted by: vw bug | Thursday, March 10, 2005 at 07:13 PM
Telemarketers are such a bother. :(
Posted by: rory | Friday, March 11, 2005 at 02:33 AM
Gee, you didn't go to Colgate by any chance, did you? I finally broke down and answered one of the calls so they would stop calling me "to update my information" which hasn't changed in 14 years.
At least mine wasn't a very slick telemarketer. When I said I wasn't interested in purchasing one, she thanked me and hung up.
Posted by: Bluegrass Mama | Friday, March 11, 2005 at 02:41 PM
Honestyrain and Rory,
Yeah, well, I hope I learned a lesson... don't call them!
Muppet,
that's funny. They have my year right. And all my information... they just don't have my phone # ... Mwah hah hah! And it shall stay that way!
VW Bug and BGM,
This is good ol' SUNY. It would be nice to hear from them now & then without an open hand extended!!
Posted by: Marie | Saturday, March 12, 2005 at 10:45 AM