I am considerably socially inept. I have trouble saying the right things and when I realise I am saying something inappropriate, in my desperate attempt to make myself understood, I just keep on talking which invariably causes the worsening to increase exponentially. The worst part is I never learn.
This afternoon on my trip to pick up my 6 year old from school, I was approached by a wonderful young lady asking me if I would like to participate in a survey by having my son assessed by an education expert and oh yes, by the way did I know that they also offer tutoring? So of course instead of saying, “Thank you, Oh my how lovely and what a wonderful thing to do but I’m not really that interested at this point in time, perhaps I will call in the future should I have concerns about my son’s education,” I started by telling her I wasn’t sure if the assessment would indeed be independent since the very same people assessing my son just so happen to have tutors.
She explained really it was more of a survey – they were doing a survey of the students of the schools in the area and from there would take all that data and oh I don’t know file it away or something. Well, there was my NEXT chance to say no thank you – but me like the self appointed moral and ethical sergeant or something I repeated stuff about independent not being really independent.
I really needed to just say, “Thank you. I am not interested.” but in my attempt to thwart a possible, “but why aren’t you interested, don’t you care about your child’s education? Don’t you want him to get the best possible start in life,” I became a raving lunatic lady.
Thank you but I’m not really interested.
No thank you. I’m not interested.
Thank you.
« MISER! Emesis House »
Oh I hate telemarketers asking WHY I’m not interested in what they are offering! Your approach might be somethign worth adopting!
BTW, are you still interested in Tribond Tuesday?
I do the same thing! Even worse, when I’m telling a story about somethingthat has happened, I include all the minor details as if they are truly significant!
Oh we are birds of a feather….
You are cute!
As-Salaamu ‘alaikum,
There is actually a company I briefly worked for years ago which did a pseudo-survey which actually ended up with the “interviewee” being sold some educational programme or something like that, and one of the questions was “do you care about your children’s education?”. I did it for a few days because I was desperate for money I think, but I can see now how despicable the whole thing is.
My way of dealing with street salespeople, “charity muggers” and free paper hander-outers is to put my hand in their face and say “no” loudly, that is, if avoiding them and studiously avoiding eye contact does not work (and the “charity muggers” in particular refuse to take the hint). Don’t have a guilt complex about this; in some streets in London if you are too polite to these people you will be there all day.
you know who i HATE?? those freaking portrait photo ppl that always waylay you in stores like kmart. i suck at saying ‘no’, so now i agree and give them all these false details. sounds despicable, i know, but i figure if they keep booking ppl who never show up, and don’t live at the fake phone number i provide, they might GET THE HINT AND STOP THEIR BLOODY INFURIATING GUERILLA MARKETING.
LOL, you are cute, as Suroor said
If I walk down the street, every panhandler would invariably bypass a whole crowd of people and make a beeline for me. It didn’t matter how I scowled or tried to look mean, they knew I was a soft touch. So now I have the money in hand waiting for them to approach me lol.
But telemarketers I can say no to easily.
Ya Haqq!
You know, your method is not at all bad. In fact, sometimes it’s good to show that kind of authorotativeness because these marketing people can be REALLY pushy, especially when you take a softer tone with them.
Your predicament is not as bads as the inverse situation, where people can’t find the confidence to thwart these pirates and end up doing precisely what they want because they are too shy to say no.
http://www.shadeofrahmah.blogspot.com