Taking on the Tele-marketers!

Whenever I get a telemarketing call and I'm asked if I'm interested in a particular thing which they're selling, my reply is "Yeah. Sure. I'm interested!" and I slam down the phone, which I find extremely effective and amusing.

However a few days back I didn't answer it that way for some reason and here is how the conversation went.

Me: Hello.
TM: Good Morning, Sir! I'm calling from Barclay's Bank. We've recently launched our credit card operations in India and would like to offer you a life time free Gold Credit Card.
Me: Ok.
TM: Would you be interested in listening to all the details of this credit card?
Me: Yeah, Sure! (He then tells me about all the features, services and details while I listen to all the crap patiently)
Me: Ok. That's good. What all documents would you require.
TM: Sir, Do you hold any other credit cards?
Me: Yes.
TM: Ok. I'll need the credit card's monthly statement of your last billing cycle. An address proof like ration card.
Me: Well... I don't have a ration card.
TM: Sir, Any address proof will do like electricity bill, telephone bill etc. Anything is fine.
Me: I live in a rented apartment so I don't really have these bills on my name. You'll need them on my name, right?
TM: Yes Sir. You can give these bills along with the rental agreement copy.
Me: Well... There is no agreement as such. I'm staying in a relative's flat.
TM: Sir, you can give us your mobile bills as address proof too.
Me: I use a pre-paid connection.
TM: (puzzled) Sir, Kindly hold on for a moment.
TM: Sir, just your credit card statement is fine. It'll have your address too.
Me: Well... Firstly I haven't subscribed for getting monthly statement on paper since the bank charges me for it and even if I do get it the address proof from them somehow, it's not of this city.
TM: A... a... Sir, you must be having a local bank account, right? You can give us the address proof from the bank. That is also accepted.
Me: I don't have bank account in this city either.
TM: (Completely bamboozled!) Sir... Kindly hold on for a second! (He then transfers the call to someone who I presume was his senior and we go through the entire conversation all over again)
TM: Sir, I'm sorry but you will have to furnish one of these proofs in order to be eligible for acquiring a credit card.
Me: Ok. No problem.

I couldn't stop laughing after the call. A telemarketer had to reject my request for a credit card. It was most unbelievable. What made it more bizarre was that I had not bluffed on any of these answers. All of them were true. However, there were other proofs which I could furnish like passport, driver's license, employer's address proof etc if I actually did want the card.

Anyways... The more important reason why I felt like sharing this with everyone was the enforcement of the National Do Not Call Registry from October and that the telemarketrs are liable to be punished in case they still haress you! So this is a post issued in public interest.

Read this article for greater insight on the purpose of this post... I sure wouldv'e been a rich man if this had happened after October.

Cheers!