I haven't mentioned it in a while but I still get one or two calls a day from folks who are either contractors or are working for some service that gets a cut if they can drum up any business for clients who are contractors. A few of them are nice, asking me if I need any work done on my house and if they can send out someone to give me a free estimate.
I don't need any work done and if I did, I have a contractor and other home improvement people who've done repairs for me in the past and done them well and at reasonable prices. I will probably never buy anything from a stranger who cold-calls me as these folks do.
They're all annoying but the ones who especially irritate me are the ones reading from a script that goes roughly like this…
Hi, Mr. Evanier. This is Bruce of Phlegm Home Improvement calling back. I spoke to you last August and you were very nice to me and you said to call you back in [name of current month] because you'd be ready to do some improvements on your home. We have a team out on [name of my street] this week and I'd like to set up an appointment for them to come by and discuss the work to be done with you.
My reply? I interrupt them and say, "You did not talk to me last August and I did not tell you to call back now." Sometimes, they hang up right there.
Sometimes, they argue a bit — "Oh, yes you did. I distinctly recall it." — until they realize they're wasting their time with me and they hang up. Yesterday morning, one called and went through most of the above script before I cut them off…
ME: You did not talk to me last August and I did not tell you to call back now.
HIM: You're right. But listen, I represent a good contracting firm. If you have any work you need done, we'd like to come out and bid on the job.
ME: Why would I want to do business with someone who calls me and the first thing out of their mouth is a deliberate, pre-meditated lie?
HIM: Hey, lying's acceptable now. Look who's in the White House.
For a moment there, I was almost willing to let the guy paint my house.