General Chat

It's the time of year for 'warranties'.

Yesterday, I had a phone call about renewing the 'warranty' for my kitchen utitlities.
Today I had one telling me it was time to renew the warranty on my washing machine.
Both insisted I had cover on them - fortuntely, i know I haven't - they're all too old!

What is quite funny, is, they quote my old address (I still have the same landline number), and ask me to confirm the postcode as my address.
My response ' Yes that is the postcode for that address, but I no longer live there. You're list of numbers to scam is rather out of date'

Weirdly, the line then goes dead!

I also had a bloke around trying to get me to sign up to British Gas.
I felt a bit sorry for him, as I (politely) told the tale of British Gas's major fail when i moved here (grossly over-estimating bills, even though they'd fitted a smart meter, demanding money the day after they'd taken money by direct debit, confusing bills - sending a gas bill, then an electricity bill, that included the gas bill etc etc), and how I managed to get my overpayments back - plus compensation - by sending them an invoice for the trouble they'd caused me!
He apologised.
He probably won't be around again.

Similar to us, son answered the phone, caller asked for Mr R..... son asked which one do you want, caller said a first name which is sons, he said no you can't he is dead.
They hung up.

ZZzzz, that happened to someone who rang my parents home once. We were actually there clearing the house as my Mother had died and my Dad had gone into a care home. They asked if I was the homeowner and I said no, they said could they speak to the home owner and I replied 'No, we buried her last week'. Then used the phrase my son told me to use when cold callers rung 'Does your script tell you how to respond to that reply'

That reminds me of when my Dad died. That evening we all sitting round when the phone went. It was the company who had installed some windows a fe years before.
I wasn't going to stand in front of everyone and explain my father death so just said the couldn't speak to my mother. Cor! did they take offence. She could have been out, in the loo - anywhere.

I might be missing something here but why would they take offence?

If I remember correctly I asked them to ring her in a couple of months. Most people would, you’d think, realise there was a bit of a problem.
Some people are just odd.

They do seem to expect you to be at their beck & call, don't they?

My mum does have a warranty on her washing machine and her gas boiler as they are newish and gives her peace of mind. She pays every month by direct debit. She had a call recently telling her "to renew you need to give us your bank details over the phone." She said no . why should i as you already have that and they hung up.

She then tel me and I said "good mum, just hang up as your d/d carries on ufn."
She finally has stopped telling them she lives alone etc... and just hangs up.

Florence in the Hebrides

I am very good at being 'the little old lady' when people cold call. Someone rung and started on about my frozen pension. I kept on asking him how I would be able to pay my bills if my pension had been frozen. Why had it be frozen? Who should I get in touch with? The guy got most hot under the collar, and I wasted quite a lot of his time :-)

(Yes I know he wasn't really talking about my state pension)

I don't normally 'press 1' when I'm told about some catastrophic 'thing' that has occured with my car insurance etc (I have no car), unless they call on my pay as you go mobile, which has 75p credit!

The bloke who called me about my National Insurance number being compromised, wasn't too happy when I asked him what my NI number was - he couldn't tell me, but, of course could confirm it if I told him!
Then I asked him what my name was - again, wasn't allowed to tell me.
How about my initials? Yet again no.
Then I asked how it had been 'compromised' - apparently, someone had tried to hire a car using my NI number.
'Why would they need an NI number to hire a car?' I asked
Apparently, as I was told, it's a new scam!!!!!!

As I pointed out, not a lot of point him calling if he didn't know who he was calling, and the only scamming going on was him!

I must try being an old lady - perhaps one who need the loo :-D :-D

My dad has it down to a fine art now at the age of 83.
Whoever rings him to sell whatever, he says well im a gas/computer/electrical engineer etc and they hang up straight away.

Another one tried to sell him life insurance and he said, what use is it to me when im dead?So they said well its for your family to pay for your funeral and he says, well i dont have any family so what you gonna say to that?And they dont have a answer!

florence in the hebrides

I have in the past been asked about an injury I had following a car crash, when I asked which injury or car crash they are referring to they hang up.

I’ve not had the accident one for ages but in the past have asked which of my many cars was involved and which member of my family or staff was driving. :-D

Just had a call about my 'white goods protection'
What protection ?

Cooker ( which is not white ! ) was bought off a friend several years ago, when it was almost new and other items are covered by household insurance.

I told them I didn't need an update on my non-existent policy with them.

I've just had one about computer insurance.

When I asked which computer, she hung up.

We used to get them regularly about car accidents, but it's a lomg time since we had one - I think it might be because during the pandemic people haven't been driving much.