Category: the Rant Board
I recently got a new cell phone, and I've been getting constant calls, sometimes five or six times a day, all from debt collectors, and all about the same person. I'm not entirely sure if that's why whoever had the number before me changed it, but considering I don't get any calls from anybody but debt collectors for this person, I definitely have reason to believe this is the case. Do people have no consideration for the next person to claim that number as their own? What makes it even more annoying is that these calls are mostly from automated systems, so I have to call them back, wait on hold for up to twenty minutes, and all just to tell them they have the wrong number. I just ignored them for awhile, but the more I ignored them, the more often the calls came.
Just had to get that off my chest.
This is why I got rid of my last number. Calls at a minimum of 3 times a day. Add to that, the twat was telling debt collecters that was still his number. It was one of the more annoying things I had to deal with each day. Only a total jack ass could pull that crap.
I understand it from both sides, actually. I'm in debt, and although I'm keeping up with it now, who knows how long that can last? Debt collectors can get downright harassing, and i'm not sure I wouldn't change my number to avoid it.
But, I've also experienced what you guys are. When Verizon gave me my cell number, for months I was getting those same kinds of calls, all for the same person. Like Ocean, I also would get past the automated system, so I could tell a live person that was no longer this guy's number. It is annoying as hell, that's true.
It definitely is annoying, and I hate it when the person gets irate with you because they think you're the person they should be calling, and they think you're just trying to get out of talking to them. That's happened to me several times, and it really pisses me off because really, you don't need to get an attitude with me when I say you have the wrong number.
It's worse when it's a physical address. THis isn't a debt collecting thing but it goes along the same lines. My x fiance used to live in one of the fixed-income apartment complexes here in Twin Falls and apparently her address used to belong to a guy named Roy Alvaraez who for whatever reason was wanted by the police. They sent multiple police officers to her place asking for this guy. THe really infuriating part was that the first officer apparently didn't radio back to base or whatever to make sure the rest of them were aware of the fact that the guy they were seeking didn't live at that address anymore so not to bother checking. Even on my cell number I occasionally get calls for other people.
Changing your number is one thing, but to allow somebody else to take your old number and therefore have to take calls from old contacts who have issues with you is inconsiderate.
I guess if you change your number but stick with the same company the company who owns that number feels that they can reuse it.
I wonder if this is purely an american thing though, because I've never had that problem, and have never heard of anyone having that problem here in australia or in Switzerland for that matter.
Senior, most people don't allow someone to get their old number. It's as Loui said: the company owns that number, and they recycle them as they change. So, most people do wind up getting someone else's old number, even if it has nothing to do with debt collection.
Loui, I have no idea if that's just an American thing or not.
Turtle, I've never had debt collectors get nasty with me. They've always believed me when I've told them they have the wrong number, and take me off the list. Sucks that you've had them get bitchy with you. Proves my point that I said earlier: most debt collectors are jerks. Then again, it's got to be a hard job, having to call people who never want to talk to you. Worse than telemarketing, I'd imagine.
Exactly, and it's not even the companies fault I guess. they wouldn't check the number I don't think, and while it's inconvenient, I guess it's just one of those things in life that you have to deal with as it comes.
Ugh, I agree with post 4. I HATE when people get rude and start arguing with you because they've convinced themselves you're the person they're looking for and you're lying to them. That's happened to me a few times.
Just a thought, not sure how valid it is but, how many numbers are possibly available in the australian system, or other systems?
Loui, with your countries much smaller population, chances are, not all of your numbers, probably not even one half of your numbers have ever been used before. In america, their are much more people, many having at least 2 numbers tied to them in the system.
I think australia's population sits somewhere around 25 million, right?
the US is around 330 million or so.
well that's true enough, and probably why it doesn't happen so much here. they did have to change the system once though to make our numbers longer.
It's not even debt collectors or telemarketers who get bitchy with you sometimes. And sometimes it's not even that they get bitchy because sometimes they don't even do that. But they have absolutely convinced themselves that this number belongs to whoever they think it belongs to, whether it be a person from wom they seek to collect debt or a faimly friend or even a business. My folks for example have gotten calls from people asking if this was Rainbow Paints, which I guess is a local contractor around here. I think that's because their number is one digit different from my folks'. Then when I was living in ORegon we used to get calls on a regular basis from an elderly lady, probably a Nun or former Nun looking for a Sister Alan. We didn't always manage to speak directly very many times but she would leave messages for this lady on our voice mail. THen on the few occasions we did speak she was polite and apologized for dialing a wrong number but then a few days later she did it again. Then when I was up in Boise for training with the Idaho Commission for the Blind the apartment phone number I got just happened to be listed in the newspaper add for a pool shop. So then I'd end up getting calls on a weekly and sometimes daily basis from people asking for pool accessories, covers, filters, that sort of thing. It got very wearing to explain that ok, that number might have been listed in their add but it was now a private residence.
Have to agree with post 13. After we got our cell number this teen girl kept calling, and seemed to think the number should get her in touch with her mom. My husband answered the first time, and he was very polite to her and simply explained that he did not know her mother, and that we had just gotten the number. He was polite the first five times, but the last time I got the phone, and I threatened to save her number, have it tracked to a parent, and talk to a parent about her attitude and language...Called my husband every thing in the book...The calls quit...Oh, btw, 6 times in 3 hours...
See, I wouldn't mind so much if everyone who called was a live human being, but they're mostly automated systems who want me to call them back, and refer to a six or seven digit ID number, and they read them off so fast, I don't know who would have the time to write it down. I shouldn't have to try to remember all this crap I'll never use again just because some person couldn't be bothered to consider that someone might get stuck with their problems.
Exactly. Even more annoying was the problems that used to plague some cordless phones back when they were starting to become popular. They would operate on I believe some sort of radio frequency or whatever and if another phone happened to be running on the same frequency one would interfere with the other and a couple things could happen. The first is that you could be talking to someone and suddenly find yourself listening to someone else's conversation (this happened to me several times), or someone else might get calls seemingly from your own number. This used to happen on a regular basis with my folks' first portable phone and it was always the same guy who claimed we'd just called all because for whatever reason our number would come up on his last call return thing. And it was all because two or more phones were operating on the same frequency and would interfere with each other's operation. And I seem to recall the guy got extremely bitchy about it just like some of the telemarketers.
I used to get calls for someone who I guess made jewelery at home & I would get calls saying they were calling about their order. I have no artistic flair & have never done this for a living. I called one of these people back to let them know I wasn't who they were looking for & didn't know about any jewelery orders. Wonder if they were taking these peoples' orders to leave 'em w nothing but a thin wallet?!
Also, aren't there limits on collection calls, like you can't be called before 8AM or after 9PM w/o your consent? I thought people like neighbors were also off limits. That is inconsiderate to change one's # to leave the next subscriber w their debt calls.
Yeah but I wouldn't be surprised if people like debt collectors didn't always play by the rules. In fact I believe my now fiance has had problems with that in the past since she does have a bit of debt thanks to a credit card and some student loans. So do I to be honest but so far I've never gotten any harrassing phone calls.. Maybe it's because I'm generally on time with my payments or maybe it's something else. But debt collector or just really old friend it's extremely awkward and sometimes down right annoying when you get a call from someone looking for someone else and they seem dead set convinced that you're te person they were looking for or that you know them. It can be trying even when they don't get bitchy about it.
O yeah. I'm not saying it's totally this person's fault. If the stupid automated systems would stop calling, and they got a real human to call, it would be easier for everyone. I wouldn't be holding up their systems just to tell them they had the wrong number, and I could stop getting these calls a lot sooner. And wouldn't it make more sense to get a real human to call these people anyway, because then they can't avoid calling back, unless they hang up on them.
Or just not answer the phone if they don't recognize the number on the caller ID or if no number comes up. I'm that way. If no number comes up on my Caller ID I won't answer the phone unless I've been told beforehand that a given person's number might not come up.
Hi,
Yes it is frustrating to get calls from debt collectors. I've changed my numbers several times since I've been in Austin because of personal issues, not for the debt collectors because I usually have everything paid on time. It is frustrating too because it costs money to change a number, and if you changed your number and paid that cost it is annoying because now you are harrassed by these debt collectors and may have to pay to change the number again if the debt collectors calling for another person who previously had the number don't stop calling. I just recently changed my number and had to pay $15 for my t-mobile cell phone and $38 for my home phone. It is good I have only gotten one or two calls from people looking for someone else, but I would have been really frustrated if I would have paid all that to change the numbers only to have people calling constantly looking for someone and they think it is me.
Misty
Yeah, and now I've just been told by one of those systems that this bitch is writing them letters saying that my number is still her's, and that they can't remove my number permanently until she stops telling them that. GRRRRRR! I'm seriously done being nice to them; at least this one fucker of a system that won't remove my number, and then get pissed off at me when I explain to them that I'm not going to be who they're looking for the next time they call.
you shouldn't be nice anymore; this has been going on too damn long already.
O, believe me, I'm not. I certainly wasn't yesterday, and I got to hear the all wonderful click in my ear.
My boss used to get phone calls from a debt collector looking for a previous boss who had been terminated. She was complaining to me one time so I suggested that she let me take the next call from them. I asked to speak to the person's supervisor after I got connected to a live person, explained that the person in question was no longer employed where I worked, but swore that if I ever found out where she was that I'd be the first person to call them and let them know. I explained that we worked in a busy office and would appreciate it if the calls stopped because it took us away from what we were supposed to do and emphasized again that if I ever found out information about the person they were trying to track down I'd let them know. The calls stopped after that and so far I haven't heard anything, but I still have the agency's number just in case. Frankly, I hope that she's living under a freeway bridge somewhere and thanking the lord that she's so much better than I am.
Yes offten times just talking to someone works. But I'd just have my number changed right away if its a cell phone. Companies don't know what and who was calling the numbers. They do try to keep them out of the system for a while. It is free to change your cell number for this reason if you do it quickly. Maybe the person that is being called lost the phone because they couldn't afford it anymore? Smile. Things happen to good people.
wow. almost a year later, and I'm still getting calls for this person, although thankfully most of the automated systems have stopped for now. I actually got a call for her about a week ago from this dude who sounded very disturbed, to say the least, when I told him he had the wrong numner. he sounded as though I'd just told him the girl was dead or something. So apparently it's not just debt collectors anymore.
why not just add your number to the do not call register, I think its called that. After doing that, they are, by law not allowed to call you; I believe this is telemarketers only.
Wow. Recently I've been getting calls on my Land line for my ister. Debt collectors no doubt. But my sister does not and nor has she ever lived with me since I moved to Idaho. This suggests that she put my number on the paperwork or whatever so she wouldn't have to talk to them. I need hardly point out tat this does annoy me since they call fairly regularly.
Not exactly. When collectors are looking for someone they use people searches. You are a family, so you are connected with your sister. The internet makes this possible faster, but public recorders were always available. Colletors try to find anyone related to find the person.
My sister doesn't even have the same last name as me since she's been married. And her married name is what they use.
Doesn't matter. If you were ever in school, or anything, or lived in the same house once apon a time you are linked. You can remove much of this information from the web, but it takes time. How about asking her?
I would if I could ever manage to get a hold of her. But these days she doesn't even have a cell phone since she's basically homeless.
She had something to make bills. Address, social number, ID, name. You ever apply for credit? Just life in the internet age my friend.But ask her. Maybe she did put you down.
Like I said, it's hard to ask her when I can't even get hold of her. Like I said now she's practically homeless.
Just for you I'm going to look up the Ur
RL of a site. You put your name and info in there and you'll see exactly what I mean. You'll come up, maybe your address, your phone number, age, if you were married, and to whom, if you have a cellphone, and your sister's name. So you do it the other way and you put her name in there and well. Lol
Think what I'll end up doing is telling them she doesn't live here and I don't know how to contact her (both of wich are true), and then put my number on the do not call registry.
You know verizon has a way to block these numbers. Just go into your account or call verizon.