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Sales people are thick skinned, or they don't stay in sales long. You can just tell them 'no thanks' and hang up and I promise you they'll forget about you in ten seconds flat.

This is bad advice. If you pick up your phone, they'll mark your number as responsive. You'll definitely get more calls or they'll tell others to call you

Is there a specific reason to do anything but hang up without a word?

I friendly say "Sorry, I'm not interested. Please remove my data from your database, and please don't call me again."

If you are in the EU, they are legally obligated to follow this request. And it does work most of the time.

Or if a number you don't know calls u - hit ignore... if they don't leave a voice mail - block em.

You people are answering? Any time I get a call from a number I don't know, I just decline it to voicemail. If they don't leave one, it obviously wasn't important, and blocked. Simple, easy, and doesn't require me to talk to anyone.

As soon as I understand it is an unsolicited sales call I just say in a pleasant tone “Thankyou but I’m not interested, Bye.” I hang up immediately without giving them chance to say anything else and block them. That seems both polite enough and efficient use of my time…

Please take my number off your calling list please. Thank you.... And never hang up first make them do it. This way they gotta press the button on the screen that says interested, call back later, or remove number.

Worked a call center for charity's and all you did was read the text and press one of the few buttons to categorize the person. 99% of the time you hit the call back later cause screw you buddy you didn't have to say that I'm just doing my job. But legally we had to remove the number if you said that exact phrase in a nice calm manner. Once you curse you are belligerent and will get a call back later.

Wait, why did I answer the phone?

Or you can hang up. You can tell them to remove your number from their data too.

I just hang up without saying a word after "hello?". They start talking, aaaand click.

That's if I even answer at all. Most of the time I won't even pick up for a number I don't know.

I just hang up and block. I'm on a no-call list.

I just don’t answer the phone unless it’s someone in my contact list. Everyone who would ever need to get in touch with me knows how to do that. Everyone else has the opportunity to leave a message if they choose. I never understood why some people feel the need to answer every phone that rings. My spouse had a terrible time with this when we first moved in together. I seldom answered my landline. It drove her nuts not answer it.

This tip would have worked well in the 1980s.

I generally say that I'm driving. Personally I've never had it fail, and if they ever don't accept it, just shout "OH GOD-" and immediately hang up.

That wouldn't be the least amount of energy spent though. To spend the least amount of energy, assuming you have to answer at all, you should just hang up immediately upon finding out it's a solicitor and then block the number.

Jesus, just say "no" or "no, thanks" depending on how generous your feeling at that particular time and click them.

This is some weak shit.

Just be fuckin upfront and say in a nice tone “I’m not interested please do not call me again”, and then hang up.

Your move is some childish shit

Just initiate phone sex

I only answer the phone if I know the caller and want to talk. All others can leave a message.

The only problem is, the number they call back from will probably be different. Call centres have lots of lines.

So your block won’t work.

Or you could try being a grown up by saying "no thank you". Then you hang up the phone.

And then they call you back from one of their 10k other numbers

Kids trying to think up clever "tricks" to solve basic issues is so weird to me. Just say not interested, hang up, and if you really want to, block them.

time isn’t spent on a disinterested person

Such an odd thing to say when your idea is to lie and tell them to call you later... You, who isn't interested...

"I"'m not interested, thanks" you don' t need to lie

You're stupid and I don't want you offering anyone tips anymore

As someone in sales, i disagree. If you answer, tell me you're not interested. I can then take you off the list and go about my day instead of trying back, thinking i just missed you. You're not going to hurt anyones feelings. We are told no 90% of the time. We're used to it.

As someone who’s socially awkward, this might help.

Or I’ll tell them to go fuck themselves and then block their number. I don’t owe them shit they called me, they can fuck right off.

My favorite part about living in the future is that these types of calls rarely make it through my phone anymore, and the ones that do have to explain themselves to my digital assistant, where I can just opt out without ever having to pick up the phone.
#PixelLife

That seems unethical but they deserve it.

I'd just rather not answer

Just hang up. No need to waste more of their time by lying.

"You are in violation of the National Do Not Call Registry. This call is being recorded and if you ever call back, you will be sued.".

This is the rudest thing you can do!! Just terrible advice!!

Tell them sorry I'm not interested and hang up.

Takes just as much energy and you don't waste their time calling back.

Jesus Christ who comes up with this shit!

Look, it's a bad time. Give me a couple of hours to dispose of the body then we can talk.

But it’s not fun. I like fucking with them

Better tactic:

"Please add this number to your Do Not Call list." Click

It's not polite to waste the person's time.

Or you can save the time all together by just hanging up on them. I don’t waste time trying to make “phone salesmen” happy.

Just be firm but fair just tell them you are not interested and ask them kindly not to call again, if they try and keep you on the phone just repeat that you are not interested and put the phone down.

Answer the phone but don't say anything and put yourself on mute. They will think it's a bad #.

“Please don’t call again.” Click. Done. You are under no obligation to hear them out.

Speak right over their pitch without listening further, "I'm not interested, but thank you" <click>

I need a no soliciting sign because these salesman are bold and about to catch the hands

I like to pretend I can’t hear them: “hello?…is someone there?…hello,hello!” Then just hang up on them. I get a good chuckle out of it!

Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode! Ask for their personal phone number and say you will call them back in 10 mins...

Your first mistake is answering a call from a number you don’t recognize.

Depends how much time I have I'll waste their time like they're trying to waste mine. Idgaf. Everyone is getting paid.

You can just hang up and block them without explanation, minimum energy and they won't really give a fuck either

i do this all the time haha

How is this better than just hanging up and blocking their number?

Or just say no thanks and hang up lol.

SLPT - Waste other people's time because you're too chicken-shit to say "No thank you"

Or just not pick up. Use a high pitch sound emitter. I mean this isn't a pro tip here

Just ask them their credit card number for the $25 unsolicited call fee that you charge to have the call.

Uhhh. Am I the only one that gets the call from a different number every time? They know your brilliant strategy. They're not going to be calling you back from the same number.

I always hang up instantly and then feel bad because ik their just doing their job.

I just say, "No, thank you." And if they continue I say, "No, thank you, have a nice day." And hang up.

You can also just hang up and block them.

This costs them energy to call you back. There’s nothing wrong with just saying you have no intentions/interest in being sold on anything and leaving it at that. You may still block the number afterwards but atleast you’re not holding someone up on calling you back

Or you could just hang up and block their number

This doesn’t work for private phone numbers and a lot of those scam artists (pretending to be Microsoft or Amazon) who reside in developing country-shitholes like India use these tactics.

Even this is too much work. As soon as I realize it’s spam I end the call and move on

1. Why pickup the call in the first place? After all, if it is important, the caller will leave a message
2. If you do answer the call, the caller will ask something like "Is Steve there?" Reply something like: "Steve's dead" (if you wish, you may embellish; something like: "Do you remember that mass shooting/tornado (etc.) a few days ago? Steve was caught in the crossfire...").

Easy peasy!

? nah, just hang up.

Or just hang up and block the number. You just wasted their time leading them on and calling you back

Stop answering unknown numbers, what is wrong with y’all

An even better tip is to hang up on them immediately and block their number

I just mess with them, many can't hang up unless you curse at them or get aggressive or something... They don't call back

For you, as well as for the salesman, this will cost the least amount of
energy. No one gets mad, time isn’t spent on a disinterested person, no
adrenaline, no arguing. It’s just smooth.

Or you could do like a normal person would. Say "Thanks, I'm not interested" and hang up.

I just politely told the sales lady I didn’t own a home for their window and door business.

“Lie to people and waste their time instead of politely declining.”

This is not a pro tip. This is a low tip.

If it’s a number I don’t recognise and I’m not expecting a call from a number I don’t recognise, I don’t answer. If it’s important, they will leave a message.

Just say thanks and kill the call.

Giving any encouragement to unsolicited sales calls is just asking for attention.

I have my phone permenantly on silent anyway, so I don't receive any calls.

Or just hang up and block their number.

No, don’t waste everyone’s time; just hang up.

What happened to "add me to your do not call list"?

Just say no and block their number?

Why not just hang up imidiately

You don't even need to do that. As soon as you recognize what the call is, hang up. Don't bother speaking or engaging, you're just wasting your own time.

Trying to disrupt their scripts is unnecessary. All their work is recorded, they have to speak with you as long as you remain on the line, and their jobs are fucking awful anyway. Hanging up is the best thing you can do for either of you.

People answer calls from numbers they don’t know? I ignore every number not in my contacts and if they don’t leave a message they get immediately blocked. If they leave a message and it is a sakes/spam call I block. If it is someone I want to talk to I add them to my contacts and call them back.

Let the call stop and immediately block them is my way, I'm too lazy to even pick the call lol.

Or just say you are not interested and ask yo be removed from the list. Doing this means in my job I have to call you five more times before I am allowed to remove you and it clogs my system up with useless busy work.

Or hang up and block without saying anything???

They will simply call you from another number.

I just say:we don't do any telemarketing, thank you for calling. And then hang up gently. Sometimes it is amusing to hear that they are not telemarketing, then they realize the silliness of their argument and hang up themselves. I am sure I get removed from call lists, as I certainly get less calls now.

you dont have to make any excuses ffs. just hang up and block.

why do you feel the need to give excuses like "callme back later please"

just "not interested", click the red button, block.

Lmao why would I do that when I can just hang up instead. Fuck em for wasting my time.

Or, you know, block unknown callers.

Here is the best method. Pick up the phone and you say hello in a soon as you realize it’s someone calling that is unsolicited that is looking to waste your time possibly scam you out of money, and it’s disturbing you, don’t just hang up. Simply say like let’s say they ask for the head of the household, just say one moment please, quietly sit down the phone and continue doing whatever you were doing. Whether you were cooking, watching TV, doing something on your phone or computer. Eventually you’ll hear the dial tone of the phone and sometimes that happens within seconds but I’ve had it happen like for five or 10 or 20 minutes and I get such joy! Sometimes I’ll even hear them say hello or say something after a few minutes… I won’t say anything but wait until they hung up before I hang up my phone or just randomly hangup my phone after a few minutes. What does this do?

This effectively wastes their time just as they had no care about wasting mine. I probably just saved five other people from being scammed that day because of the five or 10 minutes I wasted. And I have almost never gotten a call back from that same company or at least not within the same day. There’s no way they’re going to call back and waste another 20 minutes!

But on the real time they do, I either just let it go to voicemail, or I pick up again and say one moment please and put them on hold again. They never call back a 3rd time, lol. NEVER

Sometimes the way to achieve peace and tranquility is not to engage in unnecessary battles, especially those that have no impact on our lives - not even worth the negative energy it generates.

So former insurance salesman here, the best system I know was to politely request they remove you from the dialler and system.

Some companies have multiple caller IDs so blocking doesn’t always work and telling them to call you back puts your number in the responsive data pool so you’ll get a call from them again or another subsidiary within that company.

But what about waiting 5 seconds in and they’re mid flow and you just Hang up on them 👀

I just don’t engage. The second I realize it’s a sales call… click. If I say hello and there’s no immediate response… click. The moment the person asks how I am doing today… click. They aren’t paying to occupy space in my head beyond that.

Don't answer. Then they know you're a real person

Or say nothing, hang up and block the number. You added steps that aren't required.

Why waste his time when you can just say no thanks and disconnect?

You block them and they call you with another number, I'm getting around 5 calls each day from numbers that my phone classified as spam and block them every day

Or, due to number spoofing and computerized auto diapers when this trick actually increases the number of spam calls from Phone salesmen, just don’t answer and don’t send to voicemail. Let it ring out.

Auto dealers are usually paired to multiplier systems and respond by if someone picks up before X rings. Turn off your voicemail box for a couple weeks, let these calls go unanswered and you’ll see the number of calls drop significantly

Or just happily call them out. Idk why someone would ever pretend to be nice to those callers( scammers).

Politely say you’re not interested and then hang up without waiting for a response.

If you can’t stand up for yourself then you get what you deserve.

Well that sounds like "Just hang up and block number" with extra steps.

My favourite is from Seinfeld

Jerry: hey I'm busy right now, could you give me your number and I'll call you back later ? ... Oh you don't like it when people call you at home, now you know how I feel. Click