Call In and Letter Writing

[Amadeus Einstein]

I know we all hated being called in by umpteen people for the same event and receiving huge numbers of pieces of junk mail, but what used to annoy me even more than receiving calls and letters was having to outflow them. We used to have strict letters quotas given out by the org execs, and it was hardly ever possible to write letters when there were production targets to meet. So this would entail sitting there till the small hours writing to people who had bought a book in 1985 and hadn't answered any of the dozen or more letters in their CF file written since that date.

Event call-in was even worse. I hated being pulled off my post to call people to come to an event none of us had been briefed about and try to sound excited. Often, the person had been called dozens of times already and would be really irritated to be re-re-re-confirmed. Or the person would be a Div 6 public and have no reality on what you were supposed to be calling them in for. We were told to use Tone 40 to just "get the person there". I really hated this.

 

[Royal Prince Xenu]

I know we all hated being called in by umpteen people for the same event and receiving huge numbers of pieces of junk mail, but what used to annoy me even more than receiving calls and letters was having to outflow them. We used to have strict letters quotas given out by the org execs, and it was hardly ever possible to write letters when there were production targets to meet. So this would entail sitting there till the small hours writing to people who had bought a book in 1985 and hadn't answered any of the dozen or more letters in their CF file written since that date.

Event call-in was even worse. I hated being pulled off my post to call people to come to an event none of us had been briefed about and try to sound excited. Often, the person had been called dozens of times already and would be really irritated to be re-re-re-confirmed. Or the person would be a Div 6 public and have no reality on what you were supposed to be calling them in for. We were told to use Tone 40 to just "get the person there". I really hated this.

I got stuck with letter writing, which really was a joke. "Hi, you don't know me from shit, but I'm writing to tell you how exciting $cn can be..."

Fortunately, I never got put on call-in. Given my attitude to receiving calls, I certainly was in no fit state of mind to be making them.

When I did my first course (comm course), the first real data I encountered, was "don't study when tired". So on one night I was really tired after work and went straight home. I got "called-in" almost straight away. I quoted the bit about tiredness, and then I got such an earful about being a "committed" student, that I got just as rude back and hung up. I should have realized then that things weren't quite right, but I did go in and finish the course--with the tacit agreement that I turned up on nights that I wasn't tired. I should have walked then and there.

 

[Mick Wenlock]

oh god, you've done it now. I hear the sound of a herd of Lulubelles galloping toward this thread...

 

[Lulu Belle]

oh god, you've done it now. I hear the sound of a herd of Lulubelles galloping toward this thread...

I have to run out somewhere, so I don't have time to answer this now.

I'll have to save my rant for an hour or so.

(God, Mick. You certainly know me well. )

 

[Mick Wenlock]

I have to run out somewhere, so I don't have time to answer this now.

I'll have to save my rant for an hour or so.

(God, Mick. You certainly know me well. )

lol. well in truth I do not think the average Scientologist or critic has any idea what service org SO members go through with all this additional crap they have to do.

Which reminds me - I must start a thread "Org Evals - Useless or just harmful?"

lol

 

[Terril park]

lol. well in truth I do not think the average Scientologist or critic has any idea what service org SO members go through with all this additional crap they have to do.

Which reminds me - I must start a thread "Org Evals - Useless or just harmful?"

lol

Please do!!

 

[Terril park]

oh god, you've done it now. I hear the sound of a herd of Lulubelles galloping toward this thread...

And this is a bad thing?

 

[Mick Wenlock]

And this is a bad thing?

oh no, it's just that every time I read a thread that has to do with call-in for events Lulu has always jumped to the front. She is truly the super warrior on this subject and she makes me laugh.

But if you ever start a thread that has to do with call-in or with evals in service orgs, best write the post and post it and stand back outta the way because one burning hot, riled up lady is gonna come steamin' right past ya or over ya..

 

[Terril park]

oh no, it's just that every time I read a thread that has to do with call-in for events Lulu has always jumped to the front. She is truly the super warrior on this subject and she makes me laugh.

But if you ever start a thread that has to do with call-in or with evals in service orgs, best write the post and post it and stand back outta the way because one burning hot, riled up lady is gonna come steamin' right past ya or over ya..

Looking forward to the fun.

 

[Voltaire's Child]

I used to do CF letters...gobs of them. What a pain.

 

[Björkist]

Yeah, enforced communication is no fun. But letters was definitely preferred over phone calls.

Trying to sound excited about an event I knew nothing about was horrible...especially when I was asked specific questions about it...

"Uhhhh..."

I have worked for 2 Scientologist business owners, and one was adamant about cold calls. That is all he harped about to us noobs and it was absolutely dreadful calling people I didn't know and asking them if they wanted a new mortgage!!!

Cold calls are "out"...who wants to be bothered with some bullshit when they are chilling with friends/family? I have always hung up on telemarketers and closed my door on door-to-door salespeople. The DNC list is one good thing the US Gov. has been responsible for.

On another note, there are "other things" happening with communication than just the action of a piece of mail going through the postal system...or a phone call through a switch. And it's fascinating to study/observe.

 

[Lee_from_phx]

As annoying as cult junk mail is, don't forget that it costs them MONEY that might otherwise be spent to do real harm.

One of the things I remember about events is the nonsense that we were supposed to tell people when it was an IAS or CCHR event. Stuff like "We have an important announcement." On one occasion the SO member who was there to do the event talked about giving the public person a "mystery sandwich." In other words we weren't supposed to be honest with them about the nature or topic of the event, but trick them into thinking that something interesting or important was going on.

The truth of course is that most of these "events" were just shake-down operations where professional grifters separated fools from their money.

 

[Voltaire's Child]

I used to get really annoyed when they'd insist on sending me junk mail. Some staff member friend would go "Oh come on, Claire, I get the stuff myself and it's fine." And I'd reply "It's my property, my mail box, and you aren't helping me with the mortgage payments, so don't tell me what to do."

 

[Björkist]

I used to get really annoyed when they'd insist on sending me junk mail. Some staff member friend would go "Oh come on, Claire, I get the stuff myself and it's fine." And I'd reply "It's my property, my mail box, and you aren't helping me with the mortgage payments, so don't tell me what to do."

Did you get a wide-eyed jaw-drop?

A couple of OTs I worked for would get letters/promo form various orgs and just dump it in the garbage. The letters likely were from noobies asking if they had read Dianetics...but then it's not the quality it's quantity.

It's much more polite and conservative of Earth's resources to get removed from any mailing lists one doesn't want to be on.

 

[Voltaire's Child]

Well, my friends thought it was funny but still I'd get this look of bemused confusion from 'em...

 

[Royal Prince Xenu]

Did you get a wide-eyed jaw-drop?

A couple of OTs I worked for would get letters/promo form various orgs and just dump it in the garbage. The letters likely were from noobies asking if they had read Dianetics...but then it's not the quality it's quantity.

It's much more polite and conservative of Earth's resources to get removed from any mailing lists one doesn't want to be on.

Have you read any of the policy on how to handle someone who wants off the mailing list? Its supposed to be treated as an ARC X, complete with some goons visiting the person to "handle" it, so that the hapless public is once again happy to be receiving the junk mail.

It gets way messier than that, but I'm just writing off the top of my memory.

 

[haiqu]

After being told I wasn't eligible for Flag services I got a couple of letters from them. I politely explained that I wouldn't be back, and why, and asked for OML.

Never had another particle from any org since.

haiqu

 

[Björkist]

After being told I wasn't eligible for Flag services I got a couple of letters from them. I politely explained that I wouldn't be back, and why, and asked for OML.

Never had another particle from any org since.

haiqu

What's OML? I found these( http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/OML), but none of them fit.

I waited until I got a rather large stack, somewhere around 50+ pieces, wrote "ILLEGAL PC" on them and returned them with "RTS" (that way the original sender pays the postage [at least in the states])

I still get occasional and actual letters from an org or two I was onlines at, but no more promo fliers, Super Power Regging, etc.

 

[Lee_from_phx]

About the only bad thing about getting the promo and such is that the postal workers might think you're a nut.

I get all sorts of mail from left-wing groups, real nutty stuff. I gave $20 to the ACLU 5 years ago. Since then I've gotten buckets of promo. Everyone from Amnesty international to the democratic party to zionists for a free palestine. Groups I'd never even HEARD of before. I guess they must think I'm a true believer. The funny thing is that I'm a libertarian, which makes me about as far removed from their political ideologies as one can get and still speak english.

I do sometimes cringe when I open the mailbox and see nonsense from moveon.org or some other equally disgusting group because I don't like the idea of the letter carriers thinking I'm a moonbat.

BUT.... all this promo COSTS THE LEFT MONEY. Some of it is pretty elaborate stuff too, which can't be cheap. The way I see it the money they spend on me is money they can't spend doing other things that are actually harmful. If this means that the mailman thinks I'm a goose-stepper for International Answer, then so be it.

The exact same thing is true of scientology. Even if you're only costing them a few dollars over the course of a year, that is money they can't spend to ensnare new victims.

So while I know it is embarassing to get promo from the cult, let them continue sending it. Let their stats on promo be eaten up by people who will never respond to it. Don't let them shift that money over to something that might ruin someone else's life.

Let me put it to you this way. Would you allow yourself to be infected with Hepatitis A, and endure the 3 months of feeling sick as a dog, if by doing so you could save someone else from certain death? If the answer is yes then what's the harm in a little promo that someone else won't see because its been sent to your house instead?

 

[b ginn]

When I was on staff, I was lucky after the first couple years to not have to do call-in, I rate that up there with div 6 body routing. But letter writing also had a weekly quota that was supposed to increase too, so you did your post then stay later to write letters. I used to mostly avoid the Dmsmh buyer folders and get folders that it looked like I could write to with reality since that was how you were supposed to do it, unlike the letters I received after leaving staff, getting letters that said "have you thought about doing the Purif?". Which I had already did twice. Or you should come on staff it's great here. I was for 12+yrs, newb. Do You People Not Update Your Files? Sheesh.

Well, after the FBI raid we also had night-watch that was generally assigned to "downstats" so you'd get assigned a 5 hour slot starting on Friday night and after closing time over the weekend till Monday morning at opening. Back then (late 70's early 80's) there were quite a few parties happening over the weekend that you'd want to go to and it was tough when you got assigned a slot that interfered with a good party, some staff would actually pay someone else like $10-$20 (which was like 3-4 weeks staff pay on a good week) to do the night watch slot for them so they could go to the party or do other things. The last 3-4 years on staff if you didn't get your letters written you'd get assigned night watch so I started not writing my 20-30 letters, just got too fatigued trying to write something new since form letters weren't ok but done a lot I couldn't stand it anymore and accepted night watch which a list of slots would be put up and I would choose one that was conducive to practicing my guitar watching a movie stuff like that, but at some point there would end up being SO msn tours that would end up working all night on the weekends too so it was hard to even have time to yourself on a night watch slot without annoying the msn people or get pulled into do stuff for them.

I'm glad those days are over, what a waste.

b