I was sitting having a coffee trying to gear up to do some work, but not getting on too well with that. The phone rang. It was a number I had got a bit familiar with seeing lately. Not because it's from one of my friends, just because I have noticed it in missed calls a bit and rejected it a couple of times. Yesterday I had answered and it was someone calling on behalf of the 3 mobile network to tell me about how I could save money if I shifted my account to them. I had been confused. How did they have my number? How did they know my contract was up? Was this even legal for them to ring me unsolicited? I wasn't that bothered I told them I wasn't interested and hung up.
Today I answered again and a different person wanted to talk to me about 3 mobile. I told him that I had had several calls already and given my answer and hung up.
But I was annoyed by this intrusion and this persistence and a little bored and I realised I had these people's number as well as access to Twitter and I thought it might be an amusing diversion to ask my followers to ring the number, unsolicited and try and encourage the staff there to subscribe to my podcast. I figured that a few of them would have been pestered in the way I had been and would be game.
And it seems I was right. I got lots of tweets from people letting me know how they had got on. @Scorban said "Sh*t, it does work and all........ Gareth doesn't sound very happy, I don't think I was his first :)"
@notquiteplato added "Got told to "Fuck off and stop wasting my time." Great customer service there"
And so it went on. Gareth seemed to be fielding a few of the calls. @AFHurd said"Gareth didnt want to change his podcast provider even with the great two for one deal you offer.He was not very chirpy"
I was enjoying this protest, though a couple of people voiced their concern that I was persecuting the staff who were not personally responsible for their company's policy. Then again others who had worked for cold callers seemed to find it funny and added that the prank might actually make a boring job a little more interesting. Indeed some of the staff were laughing and joining in a bit, rather than being abusive. But I felt a bit sorry for the staff. I know how annoying it can be to get unsolicited calls about something you're not interested in. And maybe this would be instructive and show the company that ringing people and offering them something they have already rejected makes them LESS inclined to take you up on it.
Though some people were hung up on (how rude) and told to get a life, eventually it seemed that Gareth found it funny too @scorban returned to say "Gareth has cheered up a bit, but he does say he already downloads enough podcasts from R1- but he was fine with me calling back".
If nothing else 3 mobile were getting a whole load of possible new numbers to ring.
And within an hour this idle bit of nonsense had made the internet news,
this interesting article appeared on techeye.
I felt slightly guilty now, but only slightly, but was more impressed with the power that Twitter gives us all to fight back against some of the modern day annoyances, if only for an afternoon. Though it might be a good tactic, with cold callers, to keep them on the line as long as possible, at their expense while you attempt to sell them something, or just inform them about something you like that you think they might get something out of too. Our podcasts would be as good a thing as any.
It cheered up my afternoon anyway, though I will not prolong the torture and give you the number here - partly because it's the weekend and there won't be anything there. But, you know, it's there in my Twitter feed if you really feel the need to take part.
Life can be fun when you're a silly twat. I am glad there are a few like-minded souls out there.
Thanks for the fun.
