How the hell should I know?

[firecat88]

When we moved into the house we're in now, we didn't have a land line. After we got a modification on our cable plan, though, we ended up with one of those 'internet, tv, and phone' things. Thus, for the past several months, we've gotten calls at least once a week for whoever had our phone number before we did. The lawyers and bill collectors have been pretty understanding when I tell them they have the wrong number, as was the public school. However, this is a thing that just happened-

Phone: *rings*
Me: *answers*
Lady on the other end: "Hi is *person who used to have our number* there?"
Me: "Sorry, you have the wrong number."
Lady: "Oh. *half-second pause* Is there a better number that I can call *person* at?"
Me: " I have no idea. This isn't her phone number anymore."
Lady: "Do you know *person*?"
Me: "No, sorry."
Lady: "Oh ok. Bye."
Me: *thinking* Did that really just happen?

Like...she wasn't rude about it. Just rather oblivious/possibly not listening when I said 'wrong number'. It was probably one of the more interesting calls for this person that I've answered.

[firecat88]

I don't think she was a collection agent, though. There was no 'Hi, this is *person* calling from *name of business*' preamble like there usually is with those type calls.

[mathnerd]

I still get 5-6 calls a day for the person who had my number before I did. This Marjorie person was terrible about paying her bills.

[firecat88]

Not all collection agents will identify themselves or their agency - I've been called by several of them trying to collect on one of my ex-boyfriends, and I'd say that 85% of them did not provide any identifying information.

Huh. O.o I did not know that. I'm so used to there being that identifying info that I thought that was the standard thing.

[EricKei]

IIRC, it's supposed to be the standard thing, but agents know that, if they actually GET the person they're looking for, the phone may get hung up rather quickly. They ask the questions on the - often quite remote - chance that you really did know the prior user of that number. I don't generally have that issue, as I've literally had the same number since the 80's >_> Once in a while, though...

[Argus]

I hate some collection agents. Especially the assholes.

You mean like the ones that leave voice mail such as "I need to verify an address to present you with your formal claim at your residence and place of employment. <not my name at all>, you have charges and a claim against you. At this point, you have one opportunity to contact the firm handling your claim to discuss this matter...."?

[firecat88]

"I need to verify an address to present you with your formal claim at your residence and place of employment. <not my name at all>, you have charges and a claim against you. At this point, you have one opportunity to contact the firm handling your claim to discuss this matter...."?

We've gotten those too. @_@ On our answering machine, which starts 'Hi, you've reached the *my last name* residence'. It's ridiculous because my last name doesn't sound even remotely like this lady's (hers is 4 syllables; mine is 1 and impossible to make even 2 out of unless you try really hard and throw an extra vowel or two in there).

I swear, next time I see one of those on the caller ID, I'm going to answer 'Bob's Possum Shack. You kill it, we grill it. Can I take your order?'

[Seshat]

I had one person who was actually giving out our phone number. I had to tell several of the people trying to call him what he was doing, and ask them to ask him to stop.

Eventually he did.

[lordlundar]

I hate some collection agents. Especially the assholes.

Isn't this a redundant statement?

[Eevie]

I had one person who was actually giving out our phone number. I had to tell several of the people trying to call him what he was doing, and ask them to ask him to stop.

Eventually he did.

I had a similar problem. When I first got my phone number, I learned it was very similar to a nearby hospital. Not too big a deal, just tell people it was the wrong number, right? For the most part this worked. But damn, did I have to deal with some idiots. Had one lady accuse me of being some lazy receptionist and that I was refusing to connect her. Had somebody else say I should sue the hospital for having such a similar number... The list goes on and on. All this time, I didn't know the hospital these people were trying to call, so I couldn't do anything to get these calls to stop until one kind gentlemen read off the number he was trying to reach and it turns out the number was completely identical to mine, save but two numbers in the middle that were switched. I still get calls but at least I can direct people to the right place.

[firecat88]

Not really, surprisingly enough. I have spoken to some really nice collections agents over the years who do not abuse the people they are speaking to. They are few and far between, likely not lasting long in the business though.

Same. Like I said, most of the calls we get, the people are pretty understanding and apologetic about calling the wrong number. That this lady was a bit pushy about it was really the first time it's happened.

[Gilhelmi]

Same. Like I said, most of the calls we get, the people are pretty understanding and apologetic about calling the wrong number. That this lady was a bit pushy about it was really the first time it's happened.

Sadly, based on what I have seen. It will not be the last time it will happen.

[EricKei]

I had a similar problem. When I first got my phone number, I learned it was very similar to a nearby hospital.

Back at DaddyJim's Pizza, if residents started getting one too many calls from customers thinking they were us, we generally were required to just buy their phone number from them (around $3500 back in the late 90's). Didn't happen often, but it happened enough that we had over a dozen phone numbers what would ring at our store by that time.

[drjonah]

IANAL but about collection agencies, because of third party laws, they are not allowed to state who they are or the nature of their business unless they are speaking to the person they are looking for.

And the ones who leave messages at wrong numbers, you can thank auto-dialers for that. A computer will dial like 5 numbers at once and the first person to pick up gets to be the lucky recipient of the phone call. And in the case of voice mail, by the time the agent picks up the phone, the voice mail is ready to beep so they most likely didn't even hear the voice mail message and just ASS-U-ME they reached the right number.

[Rosakala]

*waves hand* I do collections work now so I can tell you exactly what she was doing. She was attempting to see if you knew the person who had the number or any other small bits of information that could potentially be useful for locating that person. As a rule when we are calling unless we have reach the person who is responsible for the bill e may not say who we are (unless you ask us) and we certainly won't tell you why we are calling. Violates the Fair credit/debit act or what ever its called that protects the consumer against unfair collection practices and privacy laws.

In my case not only are we looking for the customer, we are also trying to figure out where our collateral is. In a case like yours I'll usually ask when you got the number. Helps me narrow my search down.