Bill collectors and their gimmicks...
@saigonwarrior (1331)
United States
April 4, 2008 4:52pm CST
In a past discussion I mentioned bill collectors calling here for a family
member that doesn't live with us. With much arguing and finally turning
all of the collectors in to our State's Attorney General Office, the calls did
stop.
Well, new ones are calling and using a new twist.
We leave our answering machine on all of the time to screen phone calls and an automated message come on and tells us that this message is
for "name of person".
If you are not "name of person" , then please do not listen to this message.
Then it leaves a message for "name of person" to call this 800 number
to discuss the collection of bill.
sigh
1. It is MY answering machine and I will listen to the message if I want.
2. This can't be legal.
3. Who do they think they are telling me to NOT listen to a message on MY answering machine?
4. If they don't want anyone but "name of person" to hear the message, then why leave it on a machine that they are not even certain belongs to "name of person".
5. It is stupid..lol
Anyone else dealing with this new level of stupidity?
Like how dumb do they think we are? OOPS..we are not "name of person" let's all stick our fingers in our ears!
3 people like this
7 responses
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
20 Jul 08
We had a collection ageancy call our home and leave a really rude message. It was for a local nonprofit organization and not even for me. I was mad. I called them back and told them that it was against the law to leave messages like that on my home phone. they argued and I turned them into the attorney generals office. It is against the law.
I cant remember when I have been that made.
1 person likes this
@saigonwarrior (1331)
• United States
20 Jul 08
Yes, I have had to turn the agency in again here the last few months
because they started up again.
I had so many forms to fill out and the postage. Ugh.
But, it has stopped again..for now.
Thank you for responding :)
@irishmist (3814)
• United States
15 Apr 08
Ha ha , all I can do is laugh, this is funny. I guess these days collection agencies take us for morons.Like we are dumb or something.
1 person likes this
@saigonwarrior (1331)
• United States
15 Apr 08
Yep..they can leave a message and if it's not YOU..then don't listen to it..uh huh..that's not
working..lol
I sent letters last week to the Attorney General Office and then sent the bill collector a copy. I haven't heard from them this week.
Oops...I guess I wasn't supposed to listen to the message to find out who they were..my bad..lol
1 person likes this
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
5 Apr 08
LOL I have gotten that one fore a bill that I PAID. Ergh really annoying. Even worse is the one that tells you to not listen to the message and then at the end says to call 800XXXXX if the person doesn't live there.
1 person likes this
@saigonwarrior (1331)
• United States
5 Apr 08
OH! Maybe this one has that same message about calling if the person doesn't live here..
I don't know what they say as I still have my fingers in my ears from not listening..lol
That's funny, thanks for the laugh.
Stupid people..lol
1 person likes this
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
4 Apr 08
I haven't had to deal with the bill collector meassges, but I did get some phone calls about someone's medical records. The doctor's office called my answering machine and told me all about" Jane Doe's" medical condition.That is totally stupid. I didn't know who this lady was and mow the doctor's office is spreading her medical history around on answering machine's.
1 person likes this
@saigonwarrior (1331)
• United States
5 Apr 08
Yes it is and they should not be telling that
information to an answering machine.
They are supposed to keep medical records confidential unless the patient gives permission.
They should have said the person's name and asked her to call such and such Doctor's office.
Incompetence is what that is.
Thanks for responding,Steph.
1 person likes this
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
28 May 08
Oh...here's one even better...we get the same "this message is for ____" kind of calls. The problem is "____" is the neighbor with the same last name. They were coming in so frequently that I finally followed the procedure to speak with a real person. I explained that this person is a neighbor, does not live here, never has lived here, is not even a relative or even a friend. I told them that they needed to get the right phone number and stop bothering us. They apologized and said "they'd remove our number from the system as soon as we have "____" call them with the correct number" !!!
I do not know these people! I do not want to know these people! I am certainly not going to go knocking on their door to tell them that their bill collector is bugging us! Ugh! Why do people have to be so stupid!
I do not know these people! I do not want to know these people! I am certainly not going to go knocking on their door to tell them that their bill collector is bugging us! Ugh! Why do people have to be so stupid!@saigonwarrior (1331)
• United States
28 May 08
And that is not even legal.
I finally wrote to our State's Attorney General (again) and had the case re-opened.
They contacted the Collection Agency and asked them to stop..they then sent me a letter with the Bill Collectors answer..they lied and said that they had written me a letter apologizing and stating that they would stop after I contacted them on the phone..NOT!
I NEVER received a letter from the company..EVER!
Well, they have stopped ..for now...
I would suggest you send a letter to your State's A G Office. You can probably find the address online..they will send you a form to fill out then they will take care of this for you.
Good luck! and thanks!
@drknlvly6781 (6246)
• United States
4 Apr 08
Ha! The old "specific" recording. One of the many forms that bill collectors have evolved to. You are good to go through all that trouble. Whenever I pick up the phone and I hear a recording, I automatically hang up. I feel like, if its that important to get your money back, have a live person call.
@saigonwarrior (1331)
• United States
5 Apr 08
I hang up if the phone is near. But, if it isn't
I just let the machine go ahead and record it.
What a stupid message anyhow..lol
Like anyone is even going to NOT listen the first time that they hear it.
1 person likes this
@drknlvly6781 (6246)
• United States
5 Apr 08
What really gets me is the messed up recording. I have gotten the recording a couple of times where it says "This is a message for..." and they never say the name. There's a pause for it, and the message continues, but they never say who the message is for. Who am I supposed to hand it to now so I don't hear it???
@drknlvly6781 (6246)
• United States
23 Apr 08
Thanks for yet another BR. Still getting those recordings? The one that has been bugging us lately is one that keeps saying "This is your second notice that your factory warranty on your car is expired." My grandma bought the car about four years ago, it was used, and the warranty only lasted for the first year. I don't get why they don't realize that we aren't worried about the factory warranty, or getting a new one. And that thing calls like twice a day. Way more than the second notice!!!
