...or whatever the hell you call those pre-recorded "pay yer damn bills!" calls.

THANKFULLY (oh my GOD, thankfully) I don't get those calls for MYSELF these days, but I'm getting them for someone else who I guess used to have my cell phone number or has a phone number very similar to mine or who used my damn number on her credit card application or SOME such shittery, because I'm getting calls for her from people who want their money!!!

The thing is, I keep getting these pre-recorded calls and they're creeping me out.

They say something like "if you are not Flossie Bottoms, please hang up now. If you are still on the line, you are confirming that you are Flossie Bottoms, or else you are responsible for this person's financial obligations."

Now SAY WHAT?!?

Okay, first off, CAN THEY DO THAT? I mean, once you leave a voice mail for someone, you can't monitor what parts of it they did or didn't listen to. Right???

Second, how the hell is someone going to call MY damn phone by mistake and then act like I did something wrong by listening to an entire message on MY own voice mail and then tell ME that I have to pay someone else's stupid bill because I had the audacity to listen to an entire message ON MY OWN PHONE?!?

Oh no, this won't do at all.

But seriously. Is that legal? Is that even feasible? If they can figure out how much of my voice mails I listen to, why can't they figure out they're dialing the wrong damn number?

Ew, this whole thing creeps me out. Collection agencies are gross.

Anxiety said:

I'm thinking they mean that if you're still listening, then you can also be someone who is responsible for their affairs (such as spouse, legal guardian, power of attorney, etc.) and that's how they get away with it. Of course it's not legal to say if you're listnening, now you're responsble for it. They word it that way to scare people no doubt. Or they're just stupid.

I used to get calls like that on my house phone. Personally I think its some scam to try to get you to call their number and get charged $50/hour for the call.

Mozorro said:

whaaaat?!?

Anxiety said:

Anxiety said:

There's scams out there that have you call (what you THINK is a toll-free call but turns out to be a # in the Turks & Caicos) and you wind up being charged $300 for the call (that you are liable for).

You know, like the scams that call businesses to "confirm your copier machine info for proper maintenance" and then a shipment of 50 boxes of toner cartridge arrives with a hefty bill authorized by you (the numbnut who gave out the info).

Mozorro said:

well, i want these fools to quit blowing up my cell phone with their stupid messages. maybe i should google the phone number first?

Anxiety said:

you can call the operator FIRST to confirm if its a toll-free (or domestic) call.

There's only one thing to do:

i keep getting calls on my land line from a creditor for some ones mom that lives 2 states away. The bitch on the other end of the line starts going off on me saying im covering for her. I dont even know her, i just know of her. can they harass me for someone else?

horatio said:

i've had to call collection agencies before and tell them to knock it off because they've left really intimidating messages and they're not even for me! i mean, i guess i should be entertained by them, but shit! not on my phone! then i call them back and tell them they're barking into the wrong number, and they're all, "and who are YOU? what's YOUR address? are you SURE you don't know so-and-so?" like all of a sudden their ineptitude is MY liability. they can all just go to hell!

i'm MAD!

Ace said:

i've heard that one before, but it's so funny it was very easy for me to listen to the whole thing one more time.

Don't answer your phone, or just turn it off.

wildgoldenhoney said:

well, that doesn't really stop the voicemails. i think i'm just gonna have to drink a big cup of bitchybitch juice and call them back and tell them to knock it off.

it's the aliens, monitoring your activities

Anxiety said:

ring them back & tell them that you will sue for harrassment if they do not cease & desist.
i hate these heavy handed, bullying techniques. what if you were an old, sick person who was seriously unable to deal with them?

Anxiety said:

i call the 800 number back, get a live person, mention the 'reference number" in the recorded message, and demand that they stop calling me. it works. but then, another one comes along the following week. it really is ridiculous.

XxAxX said:

i want to record a new outgoing voicemail message that starts, "AIN'T NO DAMNED FLOSSIE HERE!!! Hi, this is Anxy! Sorry I missed your call..."

Anxiety said:

i'm going to start answering the phone saying this call is being recorded for legal purposes, any info therein blah blah blah.. maybe if they think they are being recorded their calls will cease.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...52/page/2/

. . . The BBB files are full of complaints from people who get erroneous collection calls. They could be unfortunate enough to have the same last name as the person who owes money or their old phone number.

“We see this kind of problem when debt collection companies buy up old debt from other collection companies, says the BBB’s Alison Preszler. The farther away you get from the original debt holder it seems the more egregious the complaints are.

It could be an honest mistake. It could be a scam. You could be the victim of identity theft. There’s no real way to know for sure without doing some legwork.

Why are there so many complaints?
“It’s a volume issue, says John Nemo, spokesman for the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals. There are going to be errors. There are going to be times where a consumer is contacted and it’s not the right person or the right number.

Nemo says based on the millions of contacts between debt collectors and consumers every year, the percentage of problems is pretty small. He blames most of the serious complaints on a few bad apples in the industry. And he claims about 90 percent of the complaints are resolved to the consumer’s satisfaction.

Know your rights: Don’t ignore a call or letter that says you owe money. You need to get this resolved because being sent to collection pulls down your credit score.

If you don’t owe the debt: Send a letter to the collector and dispute the debt. Do this within 30 days and the collector must stop contacting you or send proof of the debt (such as a bill).

If you do owe the debt: Try to work with the debt collector to set up some sort of payment arrangement. It could be in your interest to talk to them, advises the FTC’s Karen Hickey. You might also want to talk to a credit counselor. To find a reputable one near you, go to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling Web site.

If you owe the debt but want the calls and letters to stop: Send a letter to the collector requesting they cease all communications. The debt doesn’t go away, but the collector will. By law they can contact you one more time to let you know what future actions, if any, they may take to collect the debt.

If you are being harassed: File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, your state’s Attorney General or consumer protection office and the Better Business Bureau.