I keep getting these calls on my cellphone from Discover Card asking for someone I don’t know. They won’t say what the call is about other than for me to tell this person to call them back (I assume they’re trying to collect late payments). I’ve told them they have the wrong number, but they don’t seem to believe me. They’ve called me a dozen times in the past 4 days. Last Friday, they called me starting a few minutes after 8 am and repeating all day at two-hour intervals until 8 pm. They called me twice on Saturday, and started the bi-hourly calls again today. As I write this, I expect a call from them in about half an hour. They did the same thing for a couple of days about a month ago, too.
How do I get the harrassment to stop? I’ve told them a couple of times to stop calling me but that didn’t work. I’ve been ignoring them, but then they just fill up my voicemail with messages. Do I threaten legal action? I know collection agencies are very good at skirting the edge of legality without crossing it, so I doubt there’s anything illegal here. I’m not even the one they’re looking for so I doubt I have a case anyway. What else can I do?
There is something called the Annoyance Call Bureau (or maybe Nuisance Call Bureau?). You might try finding the appropriate number for your area and calling them. I’m afraid I can’t relate my experience with them, though - I was going to call them and the nuisance calls I was getting stopped by themself, so I didn’t need to use them.
You might also try Discover again. Bypass the trained monkey answering the phone and demand to speak to a supervisor immediately. I had a similar thing happen and IIRC I was eventually able to convince them they had the wrong number. Upon further questioning, I found out they were simply going through the phone book and calling everyone with the same last name. :rolleyes:
First off I would tell them they are in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, specifically section 806 Number 5. (5) Causing a telephone to ring or engaging any person in telephone conversation repeatedly or continuously with intent to annoy, abuse, or harass any person at the called number. And section 804 number 3 (3) not communicate with any such person more than once unless requested to do so by such person or unless the debt collector reasonably believes that the earlier response of such person is erroneous or incomplete and that such person now has correct or complete location information; (Such person refers to anyone who is not the consumer/debtor in question that they speak to trying to find the debtor)
That should get their attention. Then you restate that this phone number does not belong to the person they are trying to reach and you do not know the person they are trying to reach. Advice them that you are logging the date and time of this call and if they call again you will be filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Then ask them to repeat back to you your phone number and that they understand what you have said.
If they can’t hook you up with someone who can stop the calls, I strongly recommend calling them directly through their customer service line and describing the problem. Sometimes the suckers in the call center can’t do anything about it.
I am willing to bet a nickel they know you don’t owe them anything. Here’s the deal, I work a lot with one of the biggest personal data search companies. In it, they list “Possible Neighbors”, and I will bet that you are listed as a “Possible Neighbor” of someone that owes Discover. Discover is allowed legaly to call “Possible Neighbors” but only to verify that Joe Schmo does live next door. But the collection agencies cheat. They call your home and ask for Joe. Their ever-so-clever plan is that you will answer and say “No, I am not Joe, you got the wrong number, but I know Joe, he lives next door, I’ll take a message over to him”- you then take a message over to Joe and Joe is shamed into paying up, now that his neighbor knows he is a deadbeat. :rolleyes:
If you get a “supervisor” they will just lie and claim “Well, Mr Schmo gave us this number”.
Do as Antinor01 sez. But make sure they know you have no idea of who Joe Schmo is, you know their little game, and you can not and will not help them.
How well do you know their spiel? Since you know their schedule, next time immediately answer as a Discover agent looking for someone to pay their bill. Probably won’t do anything, but it would be a lot of fun.
In situations like this I write a letter explaining why they should stop calling. I mention the harrassment laws in my state. Then I send it to them via certified mail. I mention in the letter that I am sending it via certified mail so that I will have proof of receipt in a court of law. This has always stopped the calls. Certified mail is a few bucks, but it is worth the discontinuation of harrassment.
Antinor01, I printed out your post. Discover didn’t call me at 8pm like I expected, but next time they do I’ll get ahold of a supervisor and tell them that.
I know it pretty well. It actually starts with a recording that repeats the phrase “please hold for an important message” over and over until a confused sounding individual picks up the line with “Uhh…hello?”, as though I called them at home. Then they ask for Joe Schmo. I tell them wrong number, then they ask if I have a contact number for them. No, I don’t know them. Then they tell me to have this person call them back at 1-800-something. Then I hang up on them. One time I asked them what’s this all about and they only said it’s personal, they can only talk to Mr. Schmo. If I could somehow play back a recording of their recording, that might be fun.
I would call Discover directly. I had this problem with DishNetwork (they were calling asking for the people who used to own this number). I finally called Dish directly and told them the problem. They said i’d be off their list. They called again. I called again. THEN I was off their list.
