Monday, October 19, 2009

So The Globe And Mail Called Today....

I must say their telemarketers are efficient, they don't hang around on the line to get the full truth!

She asked if I read the Globe and Mail, and as it happened, I had gone online today and actually read an article after months of avoiding them, so I said yes.

She wanted to know if I had a subscription or bought it at a news outlet, I told her I read it online. She asked if I would like a subscription, I said not likely, and she said thanks, goodbye.

Do you think she somehow knew what was coming? HA! Smart lady!

After the call, I thought about our news industry and how badly they are all doing financially, even my favorite National Post is in trouble. I enjoy Global Edmonton TV because the news anchors are here in my city and understand the issues, I would hate to see them go. CBC, not so much.

What is most frightening, is what happens if we are left with only the taxpayer subsidized CBC? Think about that for a minute. CBC can not fail, because we pay over 1 BILLION for them to survive on some old Trudeau Maniac feeling that our culture will not make it if we do not support CBC. How did we survive as a cultural nation before CBC? How can CBC survive without anyone watching them? On our dime, that's how.

How stupid is CTV to be parroting CBC? They are ticking off 40% of the country, and they rely on our viewership to survive. Not so CBC. Nobody watches CBC anymore, and CTV thinks it's a good business model to follow? Are they next in line for government funding so they can feed off the taxpayers trough and be just like CBC? We can't afford another CBC.

I think CTV/Global should be taking the government to court for their funding of one TV station and not others. CBC should get no funding or they all should. They should all have to compete in the market fairly, not with one station having an advantage. Like the Canadian Wheat Board gets to dictate to our western farmers, but not the Ontario farmers who are free to sell their grain to anyone they want. The market is distorted and unfair.

Cable companies should refuse to carry CBC, see what the CRTC does with that idea. I suspect they would try to shut cable/satellite companies down, until the public gets involved.

I know Conservatives get ridiculed for their lack of support for CBC. What the lefties do not see, is the unfair advantage and total disregard for the free market economy that CBC represents, same with the CWB. Lefties hate capitalism, and therefore love the inequities that CBC and CWB represent. Conservatives see how unfair it is and respond with disgust.

Funny though, it is businesses that overwhelmingly support the Liberals. The days of businesses having their hands in both our pockets and the governments need to end. Businesses need to get out of politics and remember that it is the consumer that makes them profitable, not the government. But as government has grown, companies can't help tapping into the deep taxpayers pockets the government promises. I remember one sales representative getting a commission cheque of over $100,000 for ONE month, because he sold photocopiers to the government. One month!

The free market is being shackled by all the rules and regulations that governments are imposing. Environmental regulations, municipal bylaws, and unions all make it difficult for businesses to operate, no wonder they are moving to India and China. We need to wake up, and realize that our standard of living is at risk here.

So, the Globe and Mail called today, they got no respect because they deserve none. As consumers we need to pay attention to what businesses are supporting and if we don't like it, our dollars should walk.

11 comments:

Southern Quebec said...

If you don't want these phone calls, all you have to do is put your name on the "No Call" list. It works! No more idiots calling during dinner time!

West Coast Teddi said...

Sorry EsQue but my calls have doubled since I put my name on the DNC list and they are not from companies/charities I support.

I too got a call last night from a marketing firm that were asking questions that ranged from my views on abortion to which big box handy man store I used to who I would vote for. The best question was the one that asked "what the most pressing environmental issue for Canada was?" I replied that is was the hysterical Global Warming alarmists like the Gorical. The interviewer had to type in my answer because it was not on her tick-off list. So Funny.

And yes EsQue I replied that I would vote for the CPC in the next election. Hahaha

liberal supporter said...

There is a big stink about the DNC list, you can buy a copy if you send them $50 and tell them you are a marketing firm, as long as you promise to use it to filter your marketing list, and not to use it as your actual marketing list!

So WCT, do you think this was some boiler room operation or a legit marketing company? A boiler room will ask fluff questions, but there will be one such as "do you think the economy is so bad it is time to buy gold?" which is the only one they care about, and they pass you to the second tier "closer" sales staff.

The other option is they are a legit marketing firm, and can get away with calling you on the DNC list through the political exemption. Maybe the political exemption applies just by asking what party you would vote for.

What do you think?

Anonymous said...

Ever since I switched from Telus to Shaw Phone, my telemarketer calls increased well over ten fold. I've often wondered if this is some form of payback from Telus, whereby the intentioanlly route telemarketers to you, all for having the nerve to switch to a company offering cheaper rates and better service! Interestingly it's been the Telus telemarketers who are the most aggresive. I finally snapped with one of them last week followed by a complaint and removal from thier call list. I ignore most unknown callers or those with strange area codes attached. I've blocked many of them as well.

I had the Edmonton Journal hound me a few times to start a subscription. For most of the marketers they've had call me, once I tell them I will never subscribe to thier socialist editorial slant, they back off. However, on one particular occason one fellow actually started to argue with me!

PS. I always got a kick out of the telemarketers and tech. support people with just a hint of an Indian accent all with phoney-baloney names like 'Hank' and 'Jessica'. I always wanted to call thier bluff and say' "Hi Apu, how's the weather in New Delhi today?"

Anonymous said...

There are quite a few loopholes the telemarketing companies use to bend the DNC rules. Apparantly one thing they were successful in doing is retaining the ability to contact you if you ever bought something from them before. With this loophole, they can also have their affiliates call you too.

Case in point, my Mom still get calls from an insurance company that's a subsidiary of Sears. About once a year they call her and ask if she wants to add a loss/theft policy or an extended warranty to the bicyle she bought.....over 20 years ago! The call ends the same when she informs tham that the bike was a piece of crap when she bought it and it's been in the landfill for over 10 years now!

Telemarketers are one of the lowest life forms, ranking right down there with carnies, personal injury lawyers and insurance adjusters.

The door to door salesmen, with the exception of the volunteers selling the STARS calander and those canvassing for cancer/kidney/lung/etc. should all be hung, drawn and quartered. After my grandmother passed away and the family was cleaning out her house, they discovered she had 5 brand new vaccuum cleaners. I've often wondered if they somehow are able to purchase a list of Alzheimer sufferers.

liberal supporter said...

once I tell them I will never subscribe to thier socialist editorial slant, they back off. However, on one particular occason one fellow actually started to argue with me!
Fun as that is, I find it more effective just to act completely uninterested. Otherwise they can be like some of the Jehovahs, who will just see you as a bigger challenge if you give them any opening to argue. "I don't read the paper because I am allergic to the ink you use.". Something like that.

I didn't know about the "affiliates" loophole. Aren't all businesses partners with each other? That's a huge loophole. It all just sounded like something so your local plumber could call you and see if you need anything.

West Coast Teddi said...

LS ... could be bogus but being a "marketing grad" I have always answered these kind of calls mostly out of a professional interest (unless I really don't have the time). I suspect that in my call last night they were interested in where I shop for home reno supplies and as you say through in some fluff questions for good measure. Didn't take long and it was the first one of this nature that I have had in some time. Love trying to catch up the interviewer though - nothing good on TV at the time!!

Louise said...

The telemarketers who reach me all have heavy Indian accents. I guess Canadian law and regulation does not apply in India.

Southern Quebec said...

All you have to do if they call you is find out who they represent and file a complaint with the CRTC. The CRTC has the power to pull their phone lines if they are a Canadian company. Even if the telemarketers are calling from India!

hunter said...

I appreciate the respectful exchange that went on here today. Thank you!

maryT said...

I always ask the caller where they are calling from. After several minutes of explaining I don't care who they are calling for, where are they calling from. It really confuses them, and eventually I get a little crude and say, madam, where are going to go home to sleep with your hubby or significant other. That usually shocks them and they say, New Delhi and I reply, I am sorry, I don't do business with anyone who has stolen a Canadian job.
And it is also great fun to come up with an answer not on their list, or interrupting them during their spiel. They have to start over from the beginning.