An anger outbust on the phone is not that bad, it's better than raging against the furniture. (grin)
I try to stay polite, but if an outburst happens, well, it happens. They do get paid to harras you. Some are nice, lots of them only want to get you caught in their web of questions.
You can always break the connection.
It's not impolite.
They are impolite by calling you when you don't want them to.
(And yes I do know about the stresslevels and working conditions in callcenters, I've been an agent myself (LOL)(inbound, but still))
Multi-level marketing, the only way to avoid being a fool is to make more fools.
I am very good at hanging up on these people (as well as telemarketers.) I always say, "I'm not interested, but thank you for calling. Bye." Then I hang up before they can even say a word.
I have a relative who had these "parties" a lot. She'd beg me to come, saying she needed a certain number of bodies and that I needn't buy. Once you're there the pressure from the sales lady starts, in front of everyone. In return, you get to sit in fussy clothing, trying to manage social rituals, play stupid games, and balance a bit of cake and cup of punch on your lap. Also, people's kids badger you to buy candy, popcorn, cookies, candles, wrapping paper, etc.
She moved to another town. The family had weddings and I hadn't heard. After years, I got a note in the mail. It was a form invitation to attend a selling "party". It hurt my feelings because it felt like she wasn't interested in renewing our family bond, inviting me to her new home or just being a friend. She saw me as a headcount for business.
So you should send her a bill. You're only there to bring up the number, nothing more. She wants to earn money, or gifts, and you're supposed to help. You're fee is 12 dollars per hour. Taxes not included.
I just tell them I don't like those parties.
Ah, but this one is different...
I don't like them and I'm not coming.
They accept. They are getting used to my 'strange' answers. I have never seen on the TV what was important this week f.i. And I've got different 'opinions' on the weather etc. It takes some time, but you can educate your surroundings a bit. They still ask those strange things, but they won't react bizarre to my answers anymore.
When I hear people talking of that kind of parties its always the social aspect they seem to like. Oh and I saw so and so... You know (I don't) and she said bla bla bla... And then miss X was there to, hadn't seen her for ages,... The last time was on this other party, with miss Y and ah, we saw Flip and Flo there, you know, their neighbour had a heartattack two weeks ago, yes he went to the hospital in the middle of the night, and guess what, there was mr Z in the radioroom too.... He had a bee in his bonnet, they could see it buzzing on the X-ray, but what would you expect, with such a life style....
OK I admit. I'm exagerating a bit. Just a little bit, because I don't have imagination of course.... ;-)
But I don't hear anyone about the product, its always the social bla bla. They take it for granted that they pay big for this 'nice' evening, it seems.
When and if I do get married I will say, gifts optional, you can't give us anything better than we have each other.
oh guess who... you could get me on a whole other tangent about gift-giving... but I will digress. I think I've done enough ranting for one week!
Yea... I really can't stand that sort of thing. Another friend sells herbal supplements. {sigh} Those NTs and their social buying networks... :sarcasm: The last thing I need is someone to tell me what to do with my face or body... if their ultimate goal is to sell me something... no thanks.
It would have been easier to just tell my friend... but my friend didn't call, the makeup lady did... and that's where I had the problem. I'm hoping that my friend just put me on a list so she could get a lotion for free and not because she really thought I was interested. I'll have to call and explain about my mini tantrum... and find out what she was thinking.
My best friend from WV and I went to see a Xango seminar because he was into it, but I refused to buy anything. Now, one of his friends had two jobs and also sold the stuff. Now, in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, the service sector jobs are so pathetically paid you need to hustle stuff on your neighbors, that's why I left.
West Virginia:
Good
1. Vacations
2. Retirement
3. College
4. Fleeing Washington after WMD attack
5. Breathing fresh air
6. Drinking clean water
7. Not looking your age, ladies
8. Driving fast on rural interstates
9. Buying stuff real cheap
Terrible
1. Making a living
Sarahjoke, you might tell your friend the make-up lady was lucky, it was only a mini tantrum. And don't worry too much about it. The effect of the mini-tantrum on you is probably a lot bigger than the effect on the make-up lady.
Don't worry about her. Be gentle for yourself. It was not your fault!!!
What some of my workmates do with things like Avon, Nutrimetics and Tupperware is to leave the latest catalogue in the tea rooms and if anybody is interested in buying them, they can contact the person at work and make their order. It takes much of the pressure away.
Amway used to be fairly bad for high pressure sales and was almost like a religion - I don't know if they are still so pressured.
At my place of work, the seller usually leaves the books lying around, that's OK.
When invited to those parties, if I couldn't get out of it, I would give a silly answer to the inevitable questions.ie when asked what I used to exfoliate, I would say " A green dish scrubber." I would soon be left alone & not be invited to another.
Up in WV last weekend I was with my best friend and his missus, the phone rang, and she said "He is not available right now". He was resting silently on a nearby couch, and I said "_______, you're a good liar" and she explained that that is what either of them do for each other when solicitors call.
So I suggested a rewrite of a Beatles song
"You say hello, and I say goodbye... goodbye hello goodbye goodbye, you don't know why I say goodbye when you say hello."
That was the best laughter I got out of her since I told them the only thing my Anthem BCBS health plan will do for my diet plan is not to cover Phentermine or Xenical but to nicely tell me not to eat so much and exercise.
Slightly off topic, but I found a good way to deal with friends sending you chain emails (of the "send this to 10 people or you'll get gangrene and die" variety). Every time you get one, send it back to the person that sent it to you 10 times - cc'ing in everyone in the back trail for good measure...
You stop getting them fairly quickly...
I feel so happy here with all of these 'like minds'