Stop. F*cking. Calling. Me.
September 3, 2015 7:09 AM Subscribe
I've had my home phone number since December 2006, and over the course of the last nearly nine years I have received thousands of automated phone calls from a credit company that is looking for the person who had the number before me and refuses to stop calling it.
I don't know the previous holder of my phone number or have any connection to him. I've called the company back five or six times (it has been the same company the entire time) and explained the situation, and every time the employee I speak to says she'll "put a note in the file", the calls stop for a while, then they start up again. What can I, a resident of Ontario, Canada, do to finally put a stop to these calls? If by any chance you should tell me I can sue these idiots for harassment and get a cash settlement, you will make my day.
I don't know the previous holder of my phone number or have any connection to him. I've called the company back five or six times (it has been the same company the entire time) and explained the situation, and every time the employee I speak to says she'll "put a note in the file", the calls stop for a while, then they start up again. What can I, a resident of Ontario, Canada, do to finally put a stop to these calls? If by any chance you should tell me I can sue these idiots for harassment and get a cash settlement, you will make my day.
Changing your number can help a bit. I changed ours, getting rid of about five annoying robocallers, but the new number came with a new robocaller of its own, and I don't feel like going through the switch again again. So, 80% reduction, but not a complete solution.
posted by Mogur at 7:12 AM on September 3, 2015
posted by Mogur at 7:12 AM on September 3, 2015
IANAL, but if I was in your shoes, I'd report it to the police. There are rules about excessive calling, even if you are the one who owes them money. But one would hope that having the cops contact them would be motivation enough for them to actually take your number off their list.
posted by Beardman at 7:21 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Beardman at 7:21 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: In Ontario, it's illegal for a collections agency to keep calling you after you've told them they have the wrong # - so start by letting them know that on the next call you answer. The Ministry of Consumer Services (link to contact page) has info about how to file a complaint.
I've had my work cell phone # since 2011 and get phone calls for someone who is not me and who has never worked for my agency - I ignore them because they don't happen as often now, but if they escalated, I'd go with the route above to deal with it.
posted by VioletU at 7:21 AM on September 3, 2015 [9 favorites]
I've had my work cell phone # since 2011 and get phone calls for someone who is not me and who has never worked for my agency - I ignore them because they don't happen as often now, but if they escalated, I'd go with the route above to deal with it.
posted by VioletU at 7:21 AM on September 3, 2015 [9 favorites]
Even changing your number won't be a guarantee they'll stop: there are 'reverse directories' where all you need is the address and you can find the number that way. No need for a person's name or anything, just knowing the street address can lead to the phone number. Sorry.
posted by easily confused at 7:27 AM on September 3, 2015
posted by easily confused at 7:27 AM on September 3, 2015
Does your handset have a number filtering feature? On my cell phone I defined a contact named "Ignore Me" and set the contact option to not ring my phone. Anytime I don't want to be disturbed by a specific phone number, I just add it to the Ignore Me list.
posted by Poldo at 7:33 AM on September 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Poldo at 7:33 AM on September 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
I asked a similar question a few years ago. Perhaps some of the answers could be helpful to you.
posted by General Malaise at 7:34 AM on September 3, 2015
posted by General Malaise at 7:34 AM on September 3, 2015
Is this a land line or a cell? If it's a cell, what make/model is it?
posted by Slinga at 7:45 AM on September 3, 2015
posted by Slinga at 7:45 AM on September 3, 2015
This happened to me. We eventually found out the person was still giving out the number, which partially explained why the calls never stopped.
In our case they would have a recording call during the day. You'd pick up the phone and it would wait 10-20 seconds and then a recording meant to sound like a real person leaving a message would say "Hi, this is [name -- new first name ever time]. I'd like to talk to you about your account. Give me a call at ..." They assumed people would be out during the day, but we were grad students and we were home and sometimes this was multiple times a day. In the evening real people would call and when we told them it was the wrong number they never believed us.
One day we weren't home and we got a recorded/message on the answering machine (not voice mail), but there had been a technical problem of some sort and the recording just looped and played over and over, leaving us a voice mail with "Hi, this is [name] I'd like to talk to you about your account. Give me a call at ..." repeated about 10 times.
Now you must understand (Seriously, if anyone must, you must) how freaking fed up we were at this point. So I called the number set the receiver down by the answering machine and let their message play ten times. When it was done, I dialed the number again, set the receiver down by answering machine and let their message play...I did this for hours (yes, I realize I sound insane, but they called multiple times a day over a period of years! Who wouldn't flip out eventually???) Eventually, they started calling back, in between. I would pick up the phone and put it down next to the answering machine and play their stupid message.
Finally, I picked up the phone and talked to them when they called. They threatened to have my charged with harassment, at which point I *really* flipped out, because I was doing to them the exact same thing they were doing to me! Calling and playing that stupid message at my constantly.
I was literally crying tears of rage when my roommate came home. He talked me down. That very night we solved the problem by the following method:
We called the phone company and had them install a service where calls with no caller ID number displayed are semi-blocked. If someone calls with no caller ID, the phone doesn't ring. Instead, that call gets rerouted to a phone company message that says "This number doesn't accept unidentified calls. If you would like to place a call to this party, press 1. [if they pressed 1] say your name after the beep and we will attempt to put your call through." Then if they said their name our phone would ring and a recording would say "There is a phone call for you from [recording of name]. To accept the call press 1. To decline the call press 2. To tell the party there was no answer press 3." There was also a PIN we could give to friends with blocked numbers so they could just enter it and the phone would ring.
And we never heard from them again.
It was $4 a month, but totally worth it to keep my sanity and keep me out of jail.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:53 AM on September 3, 2015 [24 favorites]
In our case they would have a recording call during the day. You'd pick up the phone and it would wait 10-20 seconds and then a recording meant to sound like a real person leaving a message would say "Hi, this is [name -- new first name ever time]. I'd like to talk to you about your account. Give me a call at ..." They assumed people would be out during the day, but we were grad students and we were home and sometimes this was multiple times a day. In the evening real people would call and when we told them it was the wrong number they never believed us.
One day we weren't home and we got a recorded/message on the answering machine (not voice mail), but there had been a technical problem of some sort and the recording just looped and played over and over, leaving us a voice mail with "Hi, this is [name] I'd like to talk to you about your account. Give me a call at ..." repeated about 10 times.
Now you must understand (Seriously, if anyone must, you must) how freaking fed up we were at this point. So I called the number set the receiver down by the answering machine and let their message play ten times. When it was done, I dialed the number again, set the receiver down by answering machine and let their message play...I did this for hours (yes, I realize I sound insane, but they called multiple times a day over a period of years! Who wouldn't flip out eventually???) Eventually, they started calling back, in between. I would pick up the phone and put it down next to the answering machine and play their stupid message.
Finally, I picked up the phone and talked to them when they called. They threatened to have my charged with harassment, at which point I *really* flipped out, because I was doing to them the exact same thing they were doing to me! Calling and playing that stupid message at my constantly.
I was literally crying tears of rage when my roommate came home. He talked me down. That very night we solved the problem by the following method:
We called the phone company and had them install a service where calls with no caller ID number displayed are semi-blocked. If someone calls with no caller ID, the phone doesn't ring. Instead, that call gets rerouted to a phone company message that says "This number doesn't accept unidentified calls. If you would like to place a call to this party, press 1. [if they pressed 1] say your name after the beep and we will attempt to put your call through." Then if they said their name our phone would ring and a recording would say "There is a phone call for you from [recording of name]. To accept the call press 1. To decline the call press 2. To tell the party there was no answer press 3." There was also a PIN we could give to friends with blocked numbers so they could just enter it and the phone would ring.
And we never heard from them again.
It was $4 a month, but totally worth it to keep my sanity and keep me out of jail.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:53 AM on September 3, 2015 [24 favorites]
I went through a similar thing a number of years ago, and what worked was sending an actual written letter. If you can get an address for the collection agency, send them a letter as Beardman's and VioletU's links suggest. There may be specific wording you need to use to make the request official; at the very least you'll want to cite the relevant laws. I suspect the only thing talking to them on the telephone achieves is letting them know there's a person at that number they can talk to. Written communication may be considered more official -- and it establishes a paper trail if you do wind up taking legal action.
posted by Janta at 7:56 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Janta at 7:56 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
You've got to stop encouraging them/re-enforcing their behavior by answering your phone or returning their calls instead of letting the call go to the answering machine/voicemail. The Telezapper works only if the calls are emanating from a robo-dialer. Those robo-dialers are illegal in America, probably so in Canada too.
+1 for VioletU's suggestion for contacting Consumer Services and filing a complaint. It helps the government and your complaint if you have the collection agency's address.
(Reservations about letting all calls go to v/m because you've got a home office? Think of it a time management issue. Calls interrupt work flow and focus. Plan on checking v/m at beginning of shift, and then every one or two hours.)
posted by dlwr300 at 7:56 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
+1 for VioletU's suggestion for contacting Consumer Services and filing a complaint. It helps the government and your complaint if you have the collection agency's address.
(Reservations about letting all calls go to v/m because you've got a home office? Think of it a time management issue. Calls interrupt work flow and focus. Plan on checking v/m at beginning of shift, and then every one or two hours.)
posted by dlwr300 at 7:56 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you're using VOIP instead of a POTS line, you can usually put blocks on specific numbers. Same thing with most cell phones.
posted by slkinsey at 7:59 AM on September 3, 2015
posted by slkinsey at 7:59 AM on September 3, 2015
Response by poster: My phone is a landline. I don't have a cell. I don't want to change my number as that would be such as hassle, could mean I will lose contact with some people, and of course it may not even solve the problem. I am unwilling to increase my phone bill (I am not even scraping by financially right now) by employing any number blocking services.
As per the advice given at VioletU's link, I have sent the company this email:
To whom it may concern,
I have had my home phone number, which is XXX-XXX-XXXX, since
December 2006, and in the nearly nine years since then I have received
as many as several thousand automated phone calls from your company
in which you ask the person who had the phone number before me, a
"Blah Blahblah" (I don't know if that is the correct spelling) to contact you.
I do not know Blah or have any connection with him.
I have contacted your company five or six times and explained the
situation and told you that you must stop calling my number. Each time
the employee who takes my call tells me she will "put a note in the
file", the calls stop for awhile, and then they start up again.
As a collection company, you must surely know that in Ontario it is
illegal for a credit collection company to keep calling someone after
it has been told it has the wrong phone number. Your illegal and
harassing calls to my phone number must cease completely and
immediately or my next step will be to file a complaint with the
Ministry of Government and Consumer Services.
Sincerely,
Orange Swan
We'll see if that works. If it doesn't I can file a complaint next. I don't mind the prospect of doing so. At this point I would looooooove to get this asshole of a company into some legal trouble.
posted by orange swan at 8:15 AM on September 3, 2015 [19 favorites]
As per the advice given at VioletU's link, I have sent the company this email:
To whom it may concern,
I have had my home phone number, which is XXX-XXX-XXXX, since
December 2006, and in the nearly nine years since then I have received
as many as several thousand automated phone calls from your company
in which you ask the person who had the phone number before me, a
"Blah Blahblah" (I don't know if that is the correct spelling) to contact you.
I do not know Blah or have any connection with him.
I have contacted your company five or six times and explained the
situation and told you that you must stop calling my number. Each time
the employee who takes my call tells me she will "put a note in the
file", the calls stop for awhile, and then they start up again.
As a collection company, you must surely know that in Ontario it is
illegal for a credit collection company to keep calling someone after
it has been told it has the wrong phone number. Your illegal and
harassing calls to my phone number must cease completely and
immediately or my next step will be to file a complaint with the
Ministry of Government and Consumer Services.
Sincerely,
Orange Swan
We'll see if that works. If it doesn't I can file a complaint next. I don't mind the prospect of doing so. At this point I would looooooove to get this asshole of a company into some legal trouble.
posted by orange swan at 8:15 AM on September 3, 2015 [19 favorites]
Response by poster: Oh God they just called me again for the second time today they've at least never called me more than once a day THE RAAAAAAAGE I CAN'T EVEN.
I'll document this call, and if any others happen over the next two weeks, I shall file the complaint. I have a feeling it's going to come to that.
posted by orange swan at 8:41 AM on September 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
I'll document this call, and if any others happen over the next two weeks, I shall file the complaint. I have a feeling it's going to come to that.
posted by orange swan at 8:41 AM on September 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
We called the phone company and had them install a service where calls with no caller ID number displayed are semi-blocked. If someone calls with no caller ID, the phone doesn't ring.
I have something similar, which is great except when dealing with our doctor, who has deliberately set his outgoing calls to be "no caller ID". I'm not sure why.
posted by Mogur at 9:22 AM on September 3, 2015
I have something similar, which is great except when dealing with our doctor, who has deliberately set his outgoing calls to be "no caller ID". I'm not sure why.
posted by Mogur at 9:22 AM on September 3, 2015
You might want to talk to a lawyer, too. I don't know how closely this matches your situation, but there's recent precedent for companies being successfully sued for continuing to place robo-calls after being told they have the wrong number.
posted by Yo Soy La Morsa at 9:22 AM on September 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Yo Soy La Morsa at 9:22 AM on September 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
I have something similar, which is great except when dealing with our doctor, who has deliberately set his outgoing calls to be "no caller ID". I'm not sure why.
But there's the beauty of the system. When you doctor calls they can just tell the phone company system "Dr. Whoever" and you get asked if you want to let a call from Dr. Whoever through. And you do. Or you give the doctor your pin number and they enter it and get put straight through.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:35 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
But there's the beauty of the system. When you doctor calls they can just tell the phone company system "Dr. Whoever" and you get asked if you want to let a call from Dr. Whoever through. And you do. Or you give the doctor your pin number and they enter it and get put straight through.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:35 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
what company are you getting your home phone through? I switched to primus home phone years back, and they totally have system for dealing with telemarketers and such
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 11:58 AM on September 3, 2015
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 11:58 AM on September 3, 2015
our doctor, who has deliberately set his outgoing calls to be "no caller ID". I'm not sure why.
This is off-topic for orange swan's thread, but the answer to that is either "patient privacy" or "did it once by accident, don't know how to fix it." If they don't have caller ID info set, they can't accidentally reveal to someone that you're a patient of theirs simply by phoning you.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:50 PM on September 3, 2015
This is off-topic for orange swan's thread, but the answer to that is either "patient privacy" or "did it once by accident, don't know how to fix it." If they don't have caller ID info set, they can't accidentally reveal to someone that you're a patient of theirs simply by phoning you.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:50 PM on September 3, 2015
They might be getting the number from a third party like a credit reference agency, particularly if they're going out to companies like that to try to find additional addresses or contact info for the person. That would explain the call frequency - someone puts a note on the file and the number is deactivated, some time later they grab "new" contact details from a third party who believes that person still owns your number, your number gets assigned to that person again, and the calls begin anew.
If they call again and you get a person on the end of the line, they may be able to explain where they get data from, so that you can notify them of the problem as well.
posted by dvrmmr at 10:50 PM on September 3, 2015
If they call again and you get a person on the end of the line, they may be able to explain where they get data from, so that you can notify them of the problem as well.
posted by dvrmmr at 10:50 PM on September 3, 2015
Several THOUSAND? I would contact a law firm in your area with a demonstrated interest in Consumer Protection law - someone like this - and inquire about the odds of successfully pursuing them for damages. That page is about class action lawsuits, but then again, if you've had this many calls you probably aren't the only one they've run afoul of, and a firm might want to tee up a class action suit.
On a smaller scale, if these are all coming from the same number (or even the same 5-6 numbers), your telco can block the number for you if you give them a call.
posted by pahalial at 11:04 PM on September 3, 2015
On a smaller scale, if these are all coming from the same number (or even the same 5-6 numbers), your telco can block the number for you if you give them a call.
posted by pahalial at 11:04 PM on September 3, 2015
Many landline phones now have number blocking as well. We had to use it recently for a charity that won't give up (and you can't call the phone police on charities in the US). Our home is much quieter now.
posted by lhauser at 10:50 PM on September 6, 2015
posted by lhauser at 10:50 PM on September 6, 2015
Response by poster: Well, it's been eight days since I emailed the company and they've called me three times since then. I've filed a complaint with the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services.
posted by orange swan at 8:35 AM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by orange swan at 8:35 AM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I've also submitted a query using the free form on HG.org asking if it's worthwhile to sue the collections company for financial compensation for their nine years of wilful harassment. HG.org has sent me an automated response saying that they'll forward my request to a law firm if they find it valid.
So, now to wait and see. And to keep documenting the continuing calls from the collections company, because you know they'll just keep digging themselves more deeply into that hole.
posted by orange swan at 1:20 PM on September 11, 2015
So, now to wait and see. And to keep documenting the continuing calls from the collections company, because you know they'll just keep digging themselves more deeply into that hole.
posted by orange swan at 1:20 PM on September 11, 2015
Response by poster: I have not heard from any law firms regarding the form I filled out on HG.org. I did hear back from the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services -- they requested that I send them the official letter of complaint I sent the collections company as well as documentation regarding the calls I've been receiving. I sent them what I had. And today I received yet another call for the legendary debtor, this time from a different collections company.
This is never going to end, is it? I'm trapped in the tenth circle of hell, the most horrific one of all, and one that Dante never included in The Inferno because his imagination gave out on him after the ninth.
posted by orange swan at 3:21 PM on October 15, 2015
This is never going to end, is it? I'm trapped in the tenth circle of hell, the most horrific one of all, and one that Dante never included in The Inferno because his imagination gave out on him after the ninth.
posted by orange swan at 3:21 PM on October 15, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by tilde at 7:10 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]