Monday, September 10, 2012

Credit Card Facility at Cremation Grounds !!!



   Having a Cell or Landline is more a nuisance value nowadays.

   Most of the calls I receive are unsolicited marketing calls.  Despite my registering my cell numbers/landline numbers in the DND registry, the calls continue to haunt and harass me.

   These marketing people, in their anxiety to sell anything they have, do not do enough home work. I believe so, since, there is no point in calling a man in his 70s and asking him to invest in this mutual fund or that one, or tell him that his credit card stands approved.

   I do not really know whether these marketing salesmen through calls do analyse their data so as to find who among their callers are worth calling.  Before actually asking a would be borrower whether he needs money or credit card should they not be seeing the age, his income, his repaying capacity etc. In the absence of such data, most of their calls prove wasteful expenditure for the organisation they serve.

   Frankly, I am not only disturbed but feel harassed on receiving such calls five or six every day.    I am a senior citizen over 70 and living on the meagre pension provided by my erstwhile employers and why should I be interested in having a credit or debit card, and what, if at all, are the things that I can think of buying in the market, for which I need a credit card.

  This morning I had such a call from Axis Bank.  It was a known number. So I took the cell for answering.

  The caller started saying, Sir, I am happy to inform that your credit credit is approved....

   I interrupted in the middle, not able to contain my bouncing blood pressure, who the hell asked u to apply for a credit card for me ?

   I was not happy in shouting at him, for well I know, these marketing men are asked to put calls at random, if i am correct. I remembered, that I too as a Professor standing in front of would be salesmen in our organisation,  I was also suggesting to my students, to embark on cold canvassing.  That is HIT AND RUN tactics.   You may get a buyer, possibly one out of ten. Even then it is worth it.  But today, I am on the receiving end of my own lectures, possibly.

   But I did shout, for I was already in the thick my daily routines, and losing my patience ,  i continued to tell him that if i were to receive a call like this again, I may have to prefer a complaint in the Police for harassing an old man.   Please delete my cell number and name from your directory.  I kept the cell abruptly, without waiting for the young man's response.

   The call had ended, but I continued the conversation in my mind.

   Had he continued, I would have possibly told him, that the only place where I would be using the credit card is where I am likely to be cremated.

   And, if he were smart and quick witted and intelligent he would  have possibly retorted politely, ( as they always do) " No problem, Sir. Even there, our cards are welcome."

    Anyone has any idea, whether Burial / Cremation Grounds people allow credit/debit cards for their services?