I am a big sucker for advertisements of any sort, and I almost end up buying everything that I see and like. I say "almost buy" because "K" has threatened me with dire consequences if I attempt to buy anything over a 1000 bucks. Things were not always this bad for me and I was pretty much free to buy whatever I thought was necessary, until the time I decided to buy this brilliant piece of automobile that "K" completely despised. I went on to buy that one car, which "K" had specifically asked me not to buy. In my defense, it still was a wise decision to buy it. Now, "K" made me swear that I would never buy any big ticket item for the next 5 years without her consent. She does not have the faintest idea what she has done to the economy. Because of my promise to her, I have single handedly derailed the economic recovery.
I am any sales guy's paradise; in fact, I think sales people give their interns or trainees my phone number so they can practice on me. Let me explain...
I generally get about 10 - 15 sales calls a day, of which I entertain about 6 calls, I am not rude to any of them, and I politely refuse to buy whatever it is that they are trying to sell me. Some guys are so convincing, I give them "K's" number, and tell them to convince her so I can buy whatever it is that they are trying to sell. Whatever may be the outcome of these calls, most sales guys would agree that I have bettered the statistics, in as much as the number of people calling me, and my responses to them. I am what they might term a "hot lead," that never goes cold. People have more hits with me than with anyone else. Sometimes, these sales guys start stalking me, and make my life a living hell.
Since these are my posts, allow me to indulge myself a bit, and let me explain my misery.
There is this video rental company in Bangalore, which keeps bugging me and trying to lure me into their trap by offering me 12 free movies and an encyclopedia free with a subscription for Rs. 2999 only. I had once previously fallen prey to their calls, I subscribed for a 30 movie package and paid for those movies in advance but ended up ordering only 2 movies over the three months of subscription. They tried their level best to get me back into their vicious circle, and then they gave up. I received a text from this company yesterday and I immediately started salivating at the prospect of being able to watch movies delivered to your doorstep at home, and not to mention that 12 movie free pack that I would receive coupled with the encyclopedia. I responded to this text only with an intention to know what was the deal. Now it seems like I have invited the devil home as this guy is literally hounding me to go for this subscription. I would term this as trying to muscle me in to submission. I will try hard not to buy their subscription, as I am bound by this unbreakable vow, and don't we all know what happens when this vow is broken - JK Rowling has educated all of us very well.
Another example - there is this charitable trust, who cater to under privileged kids, I started receiving calls from these people about 8 months ago, and they too are hounding me for a donation. I first received a call from this trust from a sweet talking lady who introduced herself and the trust to me, and spoke to me about how this trust is feeding the needy and whatnots. I thought she wanted some volunteers, and therefore, I was very keen on listening to whatever she had to say. I realized that this was an extortion call only at the end when she asked me "so how much are you going to pay, and will that be cash or a cheque?" Now, now, wouldn't it be rude on my part if I said no to her, considering the fact that she spoke for about 20 minutes? I said I will think about it. She then says, give me a time, I will send some one to pick up the cash or cheque. I insisted that she wait before I donated. She then promptly started calling me once every week, and then I reached a stage where I had to save her number as the "Danger Lady" so that I will not have to answer her calls. I thought I was free... and then....yesterday, I get this call from an unknown number, and I promptly answer, and she says:
Sir! remember we spoke for this donation?
You have been avoiding my calls, when can I send my man for collecting the money?
I was like... Oh dear GOD!!
It reminded me of one of those scary movies, where we are made to believe that the murderer is dead, only to find at the last scene that his body was missing, and he is still lurking around looking for another kill...
PS: For those who are considering buying a house right now? Think Twice Before You Buy.
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