Weighed down with bundles of grocery bags demonstrating the fine art of unloading the car with one trip, I stumbled into the house to be met by a ringing phone. Reaching for the receiver, I hastened my pace hurling the bags of food onto the counter as if I could qualify for the sprint races in the Olympic games. Breathlessly I greeted with a pleasant, “Hello”. My spirits fell as the delayed response on the other end tipped me off that it must me a telemarketer.
Annoyed, I waited for his inquiry, “Mrs. Koogatack?” The mispronunciation was the dead give-away – this total stranger was trying to sell me something. He continued, “And how are you today?” ”I am just fine”, I replied curtly knowing that didn’t REALLY care about me. What should I do?
I could mime my friend who responded to a “carpet cleaning special in your area” call by telling the telemarketer that she had filthy carpets in need of cleaning and if he could just hold on the the line she would measure her living room, giving him the total square footage. She proceeded to set the phone on the counter and continued with her day, leaving the would-be phone salesman “laying-in-wait”, thus tying up the phone line.
I usually try to be polite and respond with, “I’m not interested, but thanks anyway,” and hang up. One day my friend asked me, “Why do you thank them for interrupting your day?” She did have a valid point but I knew myself too well. Just a short “no thank you”, and I’d be off the hook. That little pang of guilt would nag at me long after the disconnection of the phone line if I hadn’t invoked the “golden rule”.
I opted to follow the golden rule: treat others as you would like to be treated. So as annoying as they are, even telemarketers deserve a show of courtesy. It could be another lesson in patience with bad timing!
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