Web Ads

[Strongers]

I’ve looked at this website a few times at work whilst checking the walking distance to a few local pubs and due to the overactive web police I’ve not logged in so I’ve seen the ads that browsers come across. They seem to be no different to any other site, but I was wondering if any of the regulars on here have ever seen a pop up, under or banner ad and thought ‘what a result I was just thinking of finding a new gas supplier/online betting company/wife… not that these are the ads I witnessed on here – apart from the dating site.

I’m interested to know other people's views as I always ignore or blow them away, but they must have lots of takers as otherwise the companies wouldn’t bother.

Also, has anyone ever had a cold call and said ‘I cannot believe you have just phoned as I was just about to ring you as I believe you have the best deal on…. erm…. life insurance’.

[Millay]

I’m interested to know other people's views as I always ignore or blow them away, but they must have lots of takers as otherwise the companies wouldn’t bother.

Also, has anyone ever had a cold call and said ‘I cannot believe you have just phoned as I was just about to ring you as I believe you have the best deal on…. erm…. life insurance’.

I usually ignore them and close them down straight away but occasionally one catches my eye. I was once looking for a new credit card deal and knew a site where there was an advert for a comparison site so I waited until it appears and used it. I could have gone direct to the comparison site but it helps the hosting site so did it that way.

As for telephone cold callers I hate them, what especially annoys me is that delay before they actually speak to you. I know what causes it, their computers just dial a load of numbers and when one gets answered one of the operators picks up the call but they need to check their screen to see who they are talking to, they can then greet you like a long lost friend. If I've got a bit of time and in a playful mood I'll try to wind them up asking them three or four times to repeat what company they are from, refusing to confirm my address or just keep saying "I'm sorry that's not the sort of information I want to disclose over the phone". This is especially fun when a company that you do business with phones and asks you to identify yourself by a d.o.b. or something, they always say they cannot talk to me until they have identified me, I just say "OK" and keep quiet, that really confuses them. I do often feel sory for these people though it must be an awful soul destroying job.

[gillhalfpint]

Try talking to them as though you thought it was a friend ringing and launch into a tale of your hip replacement..... last hospital visit......chiropody appointment or anything else you fancy. Don't give them time to say anything and they usually hang up.

[trainman]

they always say they cannot talk to me until they have identified me

That one always cracks me up, THEY call YOU, & expect YOU to confirm who you are!!! Wrong, wrong, wrong.

[oldboots]

I put pop-ups,downs, unders, overs and assorted carp in the same category as juke mail or inserts in mag's, I usually go through a process of "de-ponying" any magazine I buy in a shop making sure the 'pony' falls all over the floor. :D

Cold calling is a golden opportunity for wind-ups, I often say I've left something on the gas and will be back in a moment, never to return of course; this also has the advantage of tying up that phone line. Anything that throws them off their script is practically guaranteed to raise a laugh. ;)

"Jovies" on the doorstep can also be fun to bait although round our way they've taken to sending out little old ladies with a small child in tow to stop the more outrangeous stuff.:(

[Eddie86]

I used to work at Powergen when I was at uni in Nottingham. The team I was on had to call people that were leaving, find out why they were leaving, and try to win them back. So if someone was leaving to npower, and said it's because it was cheaper, we'd check all our tariffs to see if we could better them. Win some loose some.

I've had the 'I've got something in the oven, bear with me'. Them chuckling to themselves as they put the phone down gave it away, so I took the opportunity for a cig break. As technically I was on a call, no problems!

The one's I always felt sorry for were the little old ladies who went to BG because a nice young man came in a showed her how they were over 250 quid cheaper. Complete rubbish - at the time BG was almost guaranteed to be the most expensive where ever you lived.

Needless to say I didn't stay there long. Paid well though. Just recalled my favourite one - a lady saying she was going to BG because powergen had been bought by the germans (E.On). Told me for about 20 minutes how her husband fought them off, and that this was the start of a silent german invasion. She wouldn't believe me when I said British Gas was French (Centrico) though!

[arwkrite]

Anything irritating or annoying I am thankfully able to filter out of my recognition system.I can recall adverts but I am beggared if I can remember what the product is. This probably defeats the admans best laid plans. If I need adverts for specific reasons I will look for them and will admit to having some really good finds....my last mrs for one.
Newspapers and magazines can treble their weight in rainforest offcuts but I do find some interesting bits .The small catalogues have provided me with disabled aids for the mrs far cheaper than shop bought prices.
I appreciate that adverts bring in money but when it gets to the piont it spoils my enjoyment of a site I just beetle off elsewhere.

[Conrad]

Goodness I hate Powergen, there was a period where it felt like every couple of weeks they sent someone round doorstepping us, and they were very aggressive in their marketing, had to quote how it would save me £50. I do remember one who I politely asked to leave, he then wouldn't give up on the BS so to try and hint that I really wasn't interested I answered no I'm not interested in saving £50 at which point he turned round and pointedly said, "well next time you have £50 you don't want can you give it to me". Whilst it probably sounded funny and clever in his brain it was a little wide of the mark, if he thought it was going to make me any politer or agree to switch so he could have his commission he was quite wrong. I can't remember but I suspect at that point I gave him very concise instructions of where to go.

Having worked for BT doing the calling malarkey I wouldn't want to do it again, that said you hear their stats and it was ridiculously successful for them so you can see why they do it.

Similarly we have run other web sites that were designed just to make money (which is to say PG is meant more to be enjoyable), and we had no problems with running numerous types of ad on those and we would be doing the maths on them (well Dave would, the maths bit is his) sadly there is just an aspect of balancing the traffic against the amount of ads you can shove down the viewers throat - enough will convert to make it worthwhile.