Filed in: InformationDesk
Friday, May 23, 2003
Virus Being Sent from Microsoft?
Not really, but it looks like it is coming from support@microsoft.com. Whatever you do, do not open it. It is the Palyh Worm and like any other worm it will burrow deep into your registry and send itself to all your friends or business associates in your email address book. Not a good way to keep friends if you ask me. Read more about it here.
Saturday, May 10, 2003
Three Good Tips
ANDY ROONEY'S TIPS FOR TELEMARKETERS
Three Little Words That Work ! ! !
(1)
The three little words are: "Hold On, Please..."
Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off
(instead of hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing
call so much more time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt.
Then when you eventually hear the phone company's "beep-beep-beep" tone,
you know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has
efficiently completed its task.
These three little words will help eliminate telephone soliciting.
* * * * * * * * * *
(2)
Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one
on the other end?
This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls
and records the time of day when a person answers the phone.
This technique is used to determine the best time of day for
a "real" sales person to call back and get someone at home.
What you can do after answering, if you notice there is no one there,
is to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times,
as quickly as possible. This confuses the machine that dialed the
call and it kicks your number out of their system.
Since doing this, my phone calls have decreased dramatically.
* * * * * * * *
(3)
Another Good Idea:
When you get "ads" enclosed with your phone or utility bill, return
these "ads" with your payment. Let the sending companies throw
their own junk mail away.
When you get those "pre-approved" letters in the mail for everything
from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw
away the return envelope.
Most of these come with postage-paid return envelopes, right?
It costs them more than the regular 37 cents postage "IF" and
when they receive them back.
It costs them nothing if you throw them away! The postage was
around 50 cents before! the last increase and it is according to
the weight. In that case, why not get rid of some of your other
junk mail and put it in these cool little, postage-paid
return envelopes. If you didn't get anything else
that day, then just send them their blank application back!
If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name
isn't on anything you send them.
You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to
just to keep them guessing!
Eventually, the banks and credit card companies will begin
getting their own junk back in the mail.
Let's let them know what it's like to get lots of junk mail, and
best of all they're paying for it...Twice!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Let's help keep our postal service busy since they are saying that
e-mail is cutting into their business profits, and that's why they
need to increase postage costs again. You get the idea!
If enough people follow these tips, it will work----
I have been doing this for years, and I get very little
junk mail anymore.
Three Little Words That Work ! ! !
(1)
The three little words are: "Hold On, Please..."
Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off
(instead of hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing
call so much more time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt.
Then when you eventually hear the phone company's "beep-beep-beep" tone,
you know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has
efficiently completed its task.
These three little words will help eliminate telephone soliciting.
* * * * * * * * * *
(2)
Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one
on the other end?
This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls
and records the time of day when a person answers the phone.
This technique is used to determine the best time of day for
a "real" sales person to call back and get someone at home.
What you can do after answering, if you notice there is no one there,
is to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times,
as quickly as possible. This confuses the machine that dialed the
call and it kicks your number out of their system.
Since doing this, my phone calls have decreased dramatically.
* * * * * * * *
(3)
Another Good Idea:
When you get "ads" enclosed with your phone or utility bill, return
these "ads" with your payment. Let the sending companies throw
their own junk mail away.
When you get those "pre-approved" letters in the mail for everything
from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw
away the return envelope.
Most of these come with postage-paid return envelopes, right?
It costs them more than the regular 37 cents postage "IF" and
when they receive them back.
It costs them nothing if you throw them away! The postage was
around 50 cents before! the last increase and it is according to
the weight. In that case, why not get rid of some of your other
junk mail and put it in these cool little, postage-paid
return envelopes. If you didn't get anything else
that day, then just send them their blank application back!
If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name
isn't on anything you send them.
You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to
just to keep them guessing!
Eventually, the banks and credit card companies will begin
getting their own junk back in the mail.
Let's let them know what it's like to get lots of junk mail, and
best of all they're paying for it...Twice!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Let's help keep our postal service busy since they are saying that
e-mail is cutting into their business profits, and that's why they
need to increase postage costs again. You get the idea!
If enough people follow these tips, it will work----
I have been doing this for years, and I get very little
junk mail anymore.
Filed in: InformationDesk
Friday, May 09, 2003
Sounds so familiar
Randy Nieland reported today in his tech specialist newsletter about this article on news.com.
Best Buy has been doing this for awhile now. When my wife and I purchased our Sony VAIO from them, the sales clerk feverishly attempted to coerce me into trying out MSN for three months. I briefly tried to explain that I had a cable internet access and had no use for dial-up connection whether it be three months or three years worth of free service, but he cut me off and started telling me that I could use it as a back up in case the cable access was down. My wife then asked him if we would incurr any charges at the end of the three month period, to which he turned around, acted like he was grabbing a bag, and said yes. I wondered to myself if they were trained in this technique, but despite my curiosity, I did not ask. The clerk then explained that all we had to do was cancel before three month's time had passed and no charges would be processed to our credit card. I finally ended the sales pitch by asking him these questions:
1) Why would I want a back up internet plan that I will have to pay for before I ever get a chance to use it free?
2) Why would we want to hassle with cancelling it when we don't want the trial in the first place?
3? Why would I want you to scan it on to our credit card when, whether I install the software or not, if we don't cancel the trial, we will be charged?
The word "free" does not make sense to me here, but I guess the clerks make a certain commission off of every free trial handed out and charged. This does not make me stop buy at Best Buy, but I do not buy any extra protection or get anything the advertise as "free".
Best Buy has been doing this for awhile now. When my wife and I purchased our Sony VAIO from them, the sales clerk feverishly attempted to coerce me into trying out MSN for three months. I briefly tried to explain that I had a cable internet access and had no use for dial-up connection whether it be three months or three years worth of free service, but he cut me off and started telling me that I could use it as a back up in case the cable access was down. My wife then asked him if we would incurr any charges at the end of the three month period, to which he turned around, acted like he was grabbing a bag, and said yes. I wondered to myself if they were trained in this technique, but despite my curiosity, I did not ask. The clerk then explained that all we had to do was cancel before three month's time had passed and no charges would be processed to our credit card. I finally ended the sales pitch by asking him these questions:
1) Why would I want a back up internet plan that I will have to pay for before I ever get a chance to use it free?
2) Why would we want to hassle with cancelling it when we don't want the trial in the first place?
3? Why would I want you to scan it on to our credit card when, whether I install the software or not, if we don't cancel the trial, we will be charged?
The word "free" does not make sense to me here, but I guess the clerks make a certain commission off of every free trial handed out and charged. This does not make me stop buy at Best Buy, but I do not buy any extra protection or get anything the advertise as "free".
Filed in: InformationDesk
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