Add in your other personal stories about telemarketers/creditors. I put this in the pit because I am sure that there will be colorful language even if it doesn’t come from myself.
I have had over the last several weeks a specific creditor company calling up and ask, “is Pxxxxxxy (my first name and first syllable of my middle initial all run together into one name) H(My Last Name) there?” They don’t use my first name just the initial. So it is, PxxxxxE Hxxxxxx there? Of course I tell them yes, since it sounds like me. Some background, my first name can sometimes be molded into a “diminutive” similar to Jonathon becoming Johny or the likes. However, I have never gone by that version of my name.
I tell them I am not interested and to not call me back immediately and find out that these people are creditors of some sort. I don’t know if creditors have the same restrictions as telemarketers but they have called me back like ten times. The woman identifies herself with a company that I have never done business with. I tell them that they don’t have the right person.
The woman asked me the last 4 digits of my social security number. I tell her XXXX and she says it isn’t YYYY? Nope, I think I am free. But wrong, she has keeps calling. Now when she calls, she even calls me by my real name (even adds in my middle name since the debtor’s middle name isn’t the same) and apologizes. This wouldn’t be so bad but I get at least one call a day, and it is from the same person. I am sure that it is automated but damn I wish they would remove me when I asked them not to call me back.
I could get all indignant over this sort of thing but it isn’t quite worth it. Since this is a creditor, I doubt they follow the same procedures as telemarketers so doing the typical things I do when I have a telemarketer call to get removed aren’t necessarily the same.
Don’t give them any information. If this were a legitimate debt they would have your SSN. They wouldn’t have to ask you to confirm it.
IANAL, but the next time they call, tell them you want in writing a detail of the debt. Ask for their mailing address. If they refuse to do either of these things, they are in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. If they continue to call after that, hold up a recorder and tell them you are recording the conversation. Then use the tape as proof when you go to the state attorney.
I wouldn’t give them my entire social security number ever. Reading above, I see I wrote it backwards, she said is your number YYYY and I said no, it isn’t. It is XXXX. In retrospect that was probably a bad idea. Next time they call, I will ask if they have my address, and to send me everything in writing. On a side note, anyone have any evil telemarketer stories?
I know you’re probably (justifiably) wanting to rant, but if this really is a debt collection agency then this might be useful. Love the filename of the page, too.
All I’ve ever done is ask the calling party what major credit card number they want to use. After a WTF silence they ask what I’m talking about. I inform them that it’s quite simple, my time is billable at $80/hr in 15 minute increments, and I’d like to know how they will be paying for the privilege of pitching their product or service to me. If they don’t wish to pay, I simply note their number from the caller ID and inform them that they will be billed should I be called again.
The firm I work for gets so many telemarketing calls. The ones I hate the most are when they just hang up because they’re trying to get our name so they can send us catalogs and miscellaneous junk.
The official firm name is “ABC Company”, but we always answer the phone “C Company”. So we have a lot of junk mail with the name C Company on it. Grrrrrr!
Someone trying to get our copier ID number even called me back and yelled at me for hanging up on him! The nerve!
I have my phone number listed under my cat’s name, which puts me at an advantage if they ask for him. He never wants to talk on the phone.
Also, I log telemarketing calls with Enigma software. It’s freeware that has all of the questions that telemarketers are -required- to answer by federal law, and the section of the law to quote if needed. It then logs all of your calls for your records. After recording the information, I then inform the TM that those were all the questions I had for them today, and hang up.
I had someone call for me last week- they wouldn’t say why they were calling, just that they were from “The People’s Bank” and that they wanted to talk to me. I asked what the call was about, and the reply I got was “are you Mr. Sane?” I firmly and politely informed the young lady that -she- called -me-, and that I would be asking the questions.
She hung up. The telemarketers don’t know what to do if they lose control of the call, and you don’t hang up. I try to keep the business of telemarketing as unprofitable as possible, so I keep them on as long as possible.
I love the telemarketing calls for people who don’t live in my apartment. Most of the time the telemarketers will hang up, but there are a few that go “Oh…well, can I interest you in …” Hahaha. No. But I will transfer you to the dialtone since I have that newfangled one way calling feature.
When we still got calls from those Lovely Salespeople addressed towards my recently deceased stepdad, most would apologize and quickly say they’d take us off the list. There were a few geniuses that merely shook off my carefully, sensitively worded response about the news and said,“Okay, can we interest you in this lower mortgage rate/credit card with no-annual-fee/chintzy magazine subscription?” Way to get a sale, asshole.
One time I got a call from the local paper that went like this:
him - Would you like to subscribe and get blah blah blah?
me- No, not interested.
him- But you’ll miss out on all these coupons, you could save thousands of dollars!
me- I’m really not interested-
him- (angrily) What’s the matter with you?! Don’t you want to save money?!
me- I gotta go, bye.
He continued yelling until I hit the off button on the phone. Ever since then I just say I’m not interested and hang up.
I often get calls at work from Sprint & MCI asking me if I’d like to switch long distance service. I always tell them sure, go right ahead and switch me.
Next time they call, I will ask if they have my address, and to send me everything in writing. On a side note, anyone have any evil telemarketer stories?