Call Blockers

[FROG MAN]

We are getting 2 or more phone calls every day including weekends from bill collectors.They get the wife out of bed every day (she works nights). I do not want to change our number nor turn down the ringer and miss a important call. When you call these collectors and explain the situation they refuse to quit calling. What is the situation NONE OF THE CALLS ARE FOR US OR ANYBODY LIVING IN THE HOUSE.Over the years relatives,ex son-in-laws,etc, have give out my phone number as a contact because they don't have one and now I pay the price NO SLEEP. I do not want to pay the phone company a monthly fee for blocker service. Does anybody know of a after market blocker I can purchase to send these calls to never never land but pass others to the phone.

[RoadKill]

By law you can request to be placed on the do not call list. I used to work in the reporting area of a Collection company and we had to maintain a list of phone numbers not to call. I think its the FDCPA, but I'll research and send you a PM.

 

Jay

[Freebird]

I don't know how well it works because I've never tried one but there is a product called the "Zapper" that is supposed to help. I've seen them several places including a local "Do it Best" hardware store up the road from me.

[wolfman1]

I have a long term solution .... Use a ball bat on those of your in-laws and supposed friend who are doing that to you. If they learn that it'll hurt when they do that, they may not do that anymore. Nothing teaches better than pain. Just ask any 2 year old that's touched a hot stove after being told not to!

 

Cheers,

Steve

[Stoutman]

Froggman,

 

It might be easier to write them a letter. There are very specific rules on how debt collectors may communicate. Here is a link tho the Fair Debt Collection Practices act. I've had issues where they were calling me about someone with the same name. I write them a polite but direct letter and it stops. Next time they call, ask who they are and who they work for. Get an address and warm up the poison pen.

 

Here is a quote from the law of the relevant constraints (emphasis added):

 

 

 

 

Any debt collector communicating with any person other than the consumer for the purpose of acquiring location information about the consumer shall --

(1) identify himself, state that he is confirming or correcting location information concerning the consumer, and, only if expressly requested, identify his employer;

(2) not state that such consumer owes any debt;

(3)

not communicate with any such person more than once unless requested to do so by such person

or unless the debt collector reasonably believes that the earlier response of such person is erroneous or incomplete and that such person now has correct or complete location information;

Write them a polite but very direct letter telling them to stop calling. Send it via certified mail and keep the receipt with a copy of the letter so you can prove you sent them a letter. Reference the law like you know what you're talking about (cause now you do). If they call again send the second letter to your state agency that regulates them. It has been my experience that they stop calling after the first letter. Total cost to you is time and postage.

 

Keep a copy on your hard drive so you can change the name and send it again when that debt collector sells the debt to someone else and it starts again.

[utadventure]

Sorry to hear about the harrassing phone calls you are getting. The do not call list won't be effective for you in this situation. Because they have a "prior" relationship using this phone number, they have a right to place a call to your number even if you are on the the DNC list.

 

I have a caller ID box that has a block number feature. When they call in, it rings once, identifies the number and plays a message that calls are not accepted from the number. There are obviously ways around that.

 

Another thing you can do is inform them that person X doesn't reside there, you have no forwarding number and then report them to the phone company (dialing*57 with my carrier immediately after the call). This sends a report of a obscene or harassing phone call to the phone company. The phone number is recorded and action can be taken after 3 calls from the same number are registered. (I'm guessing you would have to be proactive about enforcement).

 

Best of luck.

[Eck]

Here is how you need to get them off your back...

Next time they call, tell the collector that the party they are trying to reach has moved to another part of town, and that you are not at all on speaking terms...then...Give the collector a phone number of someone you dont get along with very well and tell the collector that the party they are trying to reach can be reached at that number and that you know they live there because you see thier "NEW" car parked there all the time..then...

tell the collector that they will be told by whoever answers, that the party they are trying to reach DOES NOT live here and to quit calling, but dont believe them...cause you know they do live there..

And if they cant be reached at that number then give them Rednecks cell phone number.....:rotf:

( Hugs Redneck.......)

[k7mdl]

If the above suggestions fail to produce, there are services similar to the call blocking that filter the call but they are subscription ($$)

 

They can work by requiring the caller to:

1. enter a digit or PIN code to pass through, the request may or may not be voiced, or,

2. The caller may be requested to record who they are and why they are calling and the system calls you and plays that recording, you choose to answer it or send it away or send to Voice mail, or,

3. Page you to a phone and when you dial in it connects you, times out to voice mail, or

4. Voice prompts the caller asking if the call is "urgent" or "an emergency" then press a digit to pass the call through or else leave a voice mail. This actually works well since the caller will immediatley be held accountable for their decision to press the button and should expect to be greeted appropriately if abused. (Spouses excluded of course, everything is urgent!)

5. The above voice filtering options have can enable digit/PIN pass through in combination with custom or standard voice recordings. Those you know can always get through if you can educate them.

 

Some of these are offered by the phone company, Others are enhanced service providers ( I used to design, build, install, and operate these services for carriers long ago).

 

The Zapper kind if device is designed to reduce the telemarketing calls and is (was) effective for making their automated dialers think they reached a disconnected number by playing a special tone. The idea there is that the number would be crossed off their list and that info hopefully spread nearly as fast as the way they got them to begin with. They are not that effective for human placed calls.

 

In the subscription service you can record anything you want to play to they caller. The ring is a recording and can be replaced with any other tones and voicing combos you like so you can combine the disconnect with a filtering type greeting phrase.

 

An additional tricky thing is that you can redirect the calls, once passed though the filter, if any, to any phone number you like (even back to them if you know it :-). The better you know your desired callers the better hidden options work. The rest get dumped or sent to voice mail, and you can be alerted of voicemail in various ways, including a message to your cell phone or email accounts.

[BuddyRich]

Here is how you need to get them off your back...

 

Next time they call, tell the collector that the party they are trying to reach has moved to another part of town, and that you are not at all on speaking terms...then...Give the collector a phone number of someone you dont get along with very well and tell the collector that the party they are trying to reach can be reached at that number and that you know they live there because you see thier "NEW" car parked there all the time..then...

tell the collector that they will be told by whoever answers, that the party they are trying to reach DOES NOT live here and to quit calling, but dont believe them...cause you know they do live there..

 

And if they cant be reached at that number then give them Rednecks cell phone number.....:rotf:

)

 

Now that's just dirty, mean and nasty, :rotf::rotf:

I wish I had thought of it.

[stardbog]

Here Is National Do Not Call registry. Sign up and you'll be free of calls.

Next time when call you ..Tell'em to put you to do not call list... and by law they have to do that. if they continue to call you you can hired a lawyer who is gonna be happie to take some money, and help you to pay off dream property....

 

https://www.donotcall.gov/

 

:080402gudl_prv:

[FROG MAN]

I have been on the national do not call registry since day one. I just renewed it for another 5 years and added the cell numbers. I'm tired of this so I'm going to give them Rednecks number.:rotf:

[Eck]

 

I'm tired of this so I'm going to give them Rednecks number.:rotf:

 

:thumbsup2::thumbsup2::rasberry::clap2:

[Guest Popeye]

Collection agencies are an old pain. They get phony info & don't let go.

 

Most states' Attorney General offices have a web site to report this harrassment.

If it is Not you, & you've informed the company, then they are committing a crime. [The burden of the proper/actual debtor is 'their' responsibility.]

 

Some phone companies are also very helpful in such situations.

 

In some states, this type of action by these shady companies falls under stalking statutes.

 

I had one a couple years ago...told 'em to shove-off & they reported me to credit bureau. It was then very easy to have it tossed.

 

The bad part is, you really have nothing to win, that you shouldn't have had in the first place.

[robertbob]

This is what i do: I have a fax on my house phone and a caller I-D. I look to see

who is calling if I don't know who it is the Fax will pick up in six rings.

The bad calls will stop in a week. This was so nice that I left it that way.

Call my house and in six rings you will get the fax with no paper.

[Redneck]

I have been on the national do not call registry since day one. I just renewed it for another 5 years and added the cell numbers. I'm tired of this so I'm going to give them Rednecks number.:rotf:

Go ahead I have a way with phone sales people I also have some very good responses when I get calls asking if I speak mexican I could probably get into a bill collectors head as well be fun to try.

[FROG MAN]

I just installed our new Caller Id Interceptor last week. What an invention. Now all 800's,866's, unknown numbers ( those that hide there id from you) are routed to the answer machine. They never ring the phone. No more collection calls, credit card telemarketers wanting to sell insurance on your account,all political and surveys are blocked,and anybody else I choose to program in the thing. All other calls ring the phone. I can even keep a log of get this all numbers dialed from my phone (sorry teenagers in the house) can't hide anything from dad now. There is a sleep mode momamo can program to silence the phone for until she gets up at noon. It's good to have a phone again without harrasment and rude callers.

[pegscraper]

I want one. Where did you get it?

[FROG MAN]

Here it is $100 bucks but still worth it to me.

 

http://www.hellodirect.com/hellodirect/Shop?Dsp=30100&PCR=1:1:5:25:280:3020&IID=12200&itemskuid=12200&actn=addkeycodetocart&keycode=53400538&cm_mmc=Google-_-MISC-_-CallBlocker-_-caller%20id%20manager