Tuesday, June 30, 2009

telli marketing? it's teddi marketing i guess!

I booked train tickets worth about eight thousand rupees a few months ago. It seems that someone makes a living by keeping track of internet bookings because
I received a phone call referring to these bookings and offering me the IRCTC card. He explained the benefits such as discounts on ticket fare, points
on tickets booked and waiver of platform ticket. I said I'd think about it and promptly forgot about it once I put the receiver down. But there was a call
almost everyday asking me if their representative could come and meet me. I kept dodging him for a while till I finally lost the will to fight them and
agreed to see their representatives. Remember that until this point the guy on phone was convincing, cajoling and even pleading with me. 'sir, tell me
ANY time that is convenient for you' he'd say. Once I agreed to see their representative I received another call and this time it was a female voice at
the other end. She said she was calling to verify some facts with regard to my application for the IRCTC card.
'Application?' I thought but let it pass and confirmed the details. And then she had the nerve to tell me ‘sir, please make sure you are at home at 3.00
p.m because our rep is coming from far.' 'Really! Please ask him not to bother' should have been my response but I didn't. HUGE mistake! At about 1:30
when I am in the middle of my meal I get a call and a guy tells me that he is from SBI cards and that he is outside my gate.
I let him in and fill the form and give him the address proofs that are needed and then he points out that the space for mobile number is left blank. I
explain that it means that I do not have one. He gives me the kind of look reserved for low lifes who don't have a mobile phone number but gives me a reference
number and leaves.

A day later I get another call. Again the female voice from SBI cards announcing that my card is being processed and she needs some extra information. What
now?
She wants my mobile number! I begin to wonder if this is some kind of prank being played on me, some elaborate plot to unearth my mobile number? Normally
I hate to be rude but this one was begging for it and so I finally tell her that I do not want to share my number with her. And guess what I heard next?
you are not going to believe this but she actually said: “sir, I am sorry, if you do not give us the number your application may be rejected." So I finally
tell her clearly and slowly 'I hate to break this to you sweetheart but you know what, I never wanted it in the first place.' And the line was abruptly
disconnected.I hoped that they would place me on a blacklist - someone no telemarketer should and would ever call. It would be tough but I knew I'd eventually
get over it. Hehehe.

And it felt so good to tell them to take their card and go for a walk. At least I thought that is what I had done. Until... this came in today's post:

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey its really intresting! though does it really happened?

Anonymous said...

very funny! though does it really happened?

your tech buddy said...

its really disgusting ! though does its really happened?

your tech buddy said...

its really disgusting! though i want to know that is it really true?

your tech buddy said...

its really disgusting! though i want to know that is it really true?

Anonymous said...

its really disgusting! though pleas tell me yar does it really happened?