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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Adrian Chiles

How are you supposed to handle cold callers nowadays? You can’t even slam the phone down

Man shouting in to the receiver of an old rotary dial phone
Take that … a valuable way of spleen-venting. Photograph: Posed by model/Westend61/Getty Images

Every breath I take, and every move I make, every bond I break, every step I take, they keep phoning me. This is a chain of London estate agents, well known to be – and doubtless proud of the accolade – the pushiest of a pushy breed. I bought a flat through them more than 10 years ago and I’ve had no peace since. It seems they think I might want to sell or rent it. I’ve told them I don’t. I’ve even told them I don’t own it any more. But it does no good. They always come back for another try. Perhaps they just want to keep in touch. Sweet, really.

About once a month, a London number I don’t recognise flashes up. It’s them. Clever, really, that they don’t withhold the number. Looks as though it might – might – be a call that needs answering. But now that I’m wise to their ways, I reject the call. You would hope they would take the hint and, like spurned lovers with too much pride to persevere, give up. Oh no. So, diligently, ruthlessly, unceremoniously, I block the number. But they have a workaround so simple that it is almost sophisticated – a month later, they call from another number. And so it goes on.

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