Got a recorded call on my landline. “Please call this number for an important business matter.” I did not, googled the number and it apparently is a collection agency for medical bills. If I called them, then would they not evade the “do not call list,” because I technically initated contact? Or am I just overthinking this?
FWIW, I have no outstanding medical bills.
They already called you!
But I understand that you cannot block company you already have dealings with (e.g., your credit card company) on the DNC list.
You do have rights under federal law if a collections agency comes after you; but my first instinct is to think it may be a scam.
That’s true, if they have a legitimate debt to collect you can’t block them. Your OP insinuates that’s not the case, so they already violated the DNC by calling in the first place. If they have a legitimate debt to collect, there are still guidelines they have to follow as far as frequency of calling, content of the calls, and times of day allowed. I don’t know those parameters but I’m sure they’re easy to look up.
I think there are restrictions on what a collection agency can leave on voice mail, since some of the information is considered private. But there is a big scam going around where people claiming to be collections agencies call people who do not know anything and claim all sorts of horrible retribution if they don’t pay an imaginary bill. Some people give in. I suspect anyone calling them will do it because they feel guilty, and are more likely to fall for it.
The DNC list is a pathetic joke, honored only by the honest. The fact that nobody has stopped Rachael from Cardholder Services for all these years shows that nobody is really trying.
I wouldn’t expect anything at all from the DNC list; as noted, it is already blocking the honest companies.
I work at home, so I regularly get robocalls and people telling me authoritatively that they need to speak to the person responsible for the electric bill, and people who tell me my Windows machine is sending out virus messages…
I finally got sick of it all and bought one of these: CPR Call Blocker. You hook it up inline with a phone and one tap of the button hangs up and blacklists the caller. The next time they call, the device simply picks up and hangs up. Of course, unwanted callers can spoof caller ID, but in my experience they either show up as Private Caller or they provide real callback info (they want you to call them back). I have blocked “Private Caller”, and I happily block each one as they come in.
I check (and report) rogue numbers out at 800notes.com and they usually show up as reported telemarketers, indicating that they are probably not spoofing random digits or innocent Joe’s telephone numbers, at least not that often.
Perhaps the best thing about this gadget is that I feel no need to speak with the person, saving us both time. Before, I felt that a simple hangup (without those official words of “Put me on your do not call list!”) would be useless because they would put my number back in the queue, but by blocking them I don’t even interact with them and their callbacks are ignored. One fellow in his review of the device said that the vendor should make little stickers of things like atomic mushroom clouds or skulls and crossbones to put on the red block button, to add a little bit more fun to the process.
If they reasonably believe they have a debt from someone who has given them that phone number.
I am in the phone book. There have been several instances of people with the same last name as myself going to the Emergency Room at the hospital, and filling my name and address on the checkin card, from the phone book. The hospital collection agency then calls me, asking for Joe. I tell them nobody by that name lives here, and they apologize and say thei will remove my number from their call list. But it is a legitimate collection call, because they have reason to believe that Joe can be contacted at the number that he gave them.
Do Not Call is covered by the TCPA (1991). The DNCR opt-out list is from 2003. Collections agencies are not telemarketers. They are covered by the FDCPA. Although some might skirt a gray area and use collections as a pretext to call or ignore requests, as suggested above.
All of this is Federal US law. Many countries (CA/UK/AU/IN/SG .at least) have analogous laws/policies.
Exactly. I am on the DNC list, and get calls all the freaking time. It has ZERO meaning.
Not that I mind. Ignoring a ringing phone is easy enough. Picking it up and immediately hanging up is also very easy. People get upset too easily.
Wow! Since when? I have Optimum Phone and they have an online section where can enter as many specific phone numbers you want blocked as you like and there is no mention of any legal repercussions of blocking an agency you owe money to. I also use Phone Tray Pro with my PC hooked up to an old time USB modem and use it to block any and all numbers I don’t want (basically every number that’s not on my white list!) I have it play the three-tone ‘number not in service’ sound then it hangs up. And I did do all this because I walked away from some (unsecured) credit card debt. Does this mean that I am technically breaking the law? (Not that I really give a shit…) 
I think he was saying that you can’t block them using the Do Not Call list because they are not telemarketers - they have reasonable belief that they have a legitimate debt held by you. You can always block calls on your phone.
It’s quite likely they are calling you to get you to help them collect from a neighbor or relative*, or the person who lived in your home 5 years ago owned the money.
All of the above…to add:
If they have the wrong Mr. seal_cleaner, you would advise wrong number, take their number as well and let them know not to call again. If they call again, you can remind them “wrong number- another contact is considered harassment” and that you have their number.
If it is yours- and you decide you want them to stop calling you, in essence “Do Not Call” ever again- you may be required to put that in writing. These are their options:
Option #1 ) One last contact, to advise that they received your letter, and they will not be contacting you.
Option #2) We got your letter, and we wont be calling you unless we decide to sue you.
Option #3) We’re suing you.
Calls can be placed from 8am to 9pm your time zone, contact in the form of actually speaking to you or leaving a message is limited to once a day- they cannot call you at work if you expressly advise them you are not able to accept or receive personal calls at work. Voicemails are limited in what they can say- unless your outgoing message expressly states that the line belongs to you- they still have to say some version of the Foti Message:
This call is for Mr. seal_cleaner. If you are not Mr. seal_cleaner, please do not continue with this message. There will now be a brief pause. (brief pause) If you have remained on the line you are identifying yourself as Mr. seal_cleaner. Mr. seal_cleaner, this is knee whackers, a debt collection agency, please contact us at 888-888-8888 from 8am CST to 10pm CST. This is an attempt to collect a debt by a debt collector, any information obtained will be used for that purpose.