Freebies, presentations and tables

capt_mahajan

Two days ago I got a call from a well know club in the city. We had won some prizes, including household crap we didn’t need and a stay at a week in a RCI affiliated property in India, Indonesia, Thailand or Srilanka (@conditions apply)

So I told the guy I was not really interested, and didn’t have an hour and a quarter to listen to a presentation, whereupon he told me that wasn’t neccessary and that we just needed to land up and collect our prizes. A time was fixed, he called again yesterday morning pushing me and so all of us went to the club yesterday en route.

Where we found the guy was missing, but others said, folks, you have to see the presentation or no cigar. So I said sure, and we all went in (wife telling me we dont have an hour to spare, what are you doing), where there were a lot of people listening to a lot of spiel.

So I loudly demanded to see the leader of the sales pack and gradually escalated matters like a terrorist.

Sensing a noisy wolf in wolf’s clothing, they hustled us into a managerial office, where I created a bigger shindig, demanding to see his boss because he had wasted my precious time.

End result. Total ten minutes detour, prize and letter authorising hotel stay received, no presentation, and wife and daughter telling me (or indicating so) that I am crazy.

Me, I am content with the bowls we don’t need and the hotels we will probably never use.

It’s the principle of the thing.

It is also good to keep in touch with what they call core competencies.

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puchoo

Well done Cap'n!! I never managed to escape the presentation and had to sit through 1.5 hours of utter nonsense for a voucher which i never ended up using eventually... but i did have 5-6 cups of really good coffee while i was not listening..

This was Club Mahindra btw.

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Aishah

It's the waste of time that would get to me. I think time-share holiday schemes do a bit of this sort of 'entrapment' stuff too.
They also do it in Oz as well.

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puchoo

Plus i have not even heard good things about some of their destinations...the most recent one someone complained about was their resort in Binsar...

brownboy66

I've always by-passed the presentation and gone straight for the food (or the beer). Failing that - a PDA with access to news and entertainment is always handy (just remember to turn the volume down.....although the "simpsons" theme tune half way through a bogus marketing presentation is somehow fitting)!?

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iwanttogoback

has anyone seen the south park time share episode where the parents end up shooting the presenters to escape?

to make it doubly funny i was actually staying in a time share at the time.

Honey Bee

excellent

Nick-H

Great stuff, Captain!

A friend of mine in UK did, "As an out-of-work actor, I've given these presentations, so I know the score. Just give us the prize and we'll be off". They were not pleased!

shashank.aggarwal

I generally ignore all these calls. Went there once a long time back with my parents, to Hilton, Barakhamba Road.

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Nick-H

I too always say, "Thank you, but no." half-way through their first sentence, and put the phone down.

General advice (It's amazing how many people don't seem to know this):

Never offer any reason, argument or comment to someone selling something you don't want. It gives them a hook to make conversation with you. Damn it, these guys go on courses to perfect this stuff!

machadinha

Moreover, they'll likely have a computerized scheme in front of them going: Client says B, proceed to point D. Etc. That's what makes it near-impossible to rationally or politely end the conversation, other than to just hang up (and feeding you a guilt complex while you're at it won't be beyond them either. But, sir/ma'am, boohoo, etc.!)

(Yes, I've known telemarketeers.) btw Great li'l story, Capt., needless to say

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Valini

When I was working on my teaching process out of a call centre there was another process running alongside us. Now, I have to admit I never give anyone the time of day when they call me, even if i probably should do, when it's the phone company or whatever and they plan to reduce my bills...
Anyway, I have to admit that the offer these guys were selling was pretty damn good: 3G phones with skype calls and so on, only to listed clients of a phone company, the deal was really great and those few people who weren't able to hang up quite so easily probably got the best deal ever.. sure it's a marketing thing, but sometimes, it can be worht listening.

federica

True, you have to hang up. Otherwise they leave a nasty comment like:

Ok, if you can afford to waste your money....

PeakXV

I just make this really annoying half-dead cat yowling noise until even the most gungho sales person becomes discouraged and/or deaf and hangs up their phone.

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Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

edwardseco

Did this when I was much younger and much, much poorer. I quaffed 3 complimentary drinks and got up and told Texas jokes. My bucca Brahmin bride was horrified but they paid me to leave the presentation. Ah youth..