Turning the tables

MY FAVOURITE cold-calling story (Letters) is about an elderly neighbour who was phoned one evening by someone selling conservatories. She let him talk on and on while she made encouraging responses. Finally, she said: ‘Does it make a difference that I live in a first-floor flat?’ Click went the receiver! Mrs ELSIE CORCORAN, Bracknell, Berks. AM I the only person who doesn’t think it’s funny to be rude to so- called nuisance callers? My daughter worked in a call centre with other young mums trying to earn some extra money.

Every shift they were given a page torn from a telephone directory and a sheet telling them how to reply to any questions they might be asked by potential customers and told to get on with it.

It’s not the most pleasant of jobs, but luckily most of the people they called were polite.

It doesn’t take much effort to say, ‘I’m not interested, but thank you for your call’, which is how I reply to these callers.

P. THOMPSON, Selsey, W. Sussex.