Who was the sucky one?

[Arcade Man D]

Backstory:

At work, we've been recently getting a few calls from a Collections company (illegal, I might add) I will not name, all calling with a recording (Which I'm almost 100% certain is illegal in this state.)

I finally called them back after 3 such calls, and this is how it happened:

M: Me, of course
W: Woman on phone

W: Thank you for calling ____ Collections, this is W, do you have the reference number?
M: Yes, I've been receiving calls from your company on this phone number, and it's a business phone number.
W: Do you have the reference number?
M: *recites it*
W: Are you CW, or is this his place of employment?
M: It doesn't matter. You are calling a workplace for debt collection. That's illegal.
W: *repeats*
M: *repeats*
W: *repeats again, sounding slightly angrier.*
M: *relents* He no longer works here. But again, calling a place of employment about a debt is illegal. So please stop calling.
I don't exactly remember the rest, but I know I managed to get her pissed.

[JustADude]

I'd be pissed too. What's with these people and not being willing to accept that they've got the wrong contact information? When I first got my current phone #, for months we were getting collection calls for some dingus that apparently had the # before us, or wrote it down as a fake one. The same agent would call day after day, and every time I'd tell him "He's not here, he wasn't here the last <insert number> times, and he's not going to be here. This is not his number!" I finally had to resort to demanding a supervisor and telling them not to call back or I'd file harassment charges against them.

[Arcade Man D]

I'm about to have to do the same thing for another company, too. Since they're calling for someone who never even worked there.

[BookstoreEscapee]

When I first moved into my old apartment I kept getting messages for whoever had the number before me. I'm pretty sure it was a collector...luckily when I finally was able to call them back and tell them the guy wasn't at my number, they stopped calling.

[Catwoman2965]

I had the same thing happen to me when I lived in my last apt; kept getting messages from some finance co, and a number to call...but had no clue who they were trying to reach, but it wasn't me - called it back, left a mesage that this person did not live here, i didn't know them, etc., on more than one occassion. The calls stopped, end of issue, or so i thought.

A couple of weeks later, i got another message, actually was there screening my calls (before i had caller id) and they let it slip that whoever they were looking for, if they didn't call back, their car was going to be repossessed. I called right back, and actually got a human, and in a not so nice tone, informed them that i had been receiving calls, left messages, and THIS PERSON DID NOT LIVE HERE nor did i have any clue who they were, and to please update their records. Must have said somethign right, as i never got another call.

But what part of my previous messages did you not get? i hate that - as my mother used to tell me "shut your mouth and open your ears"

[morgana]

I'm having fun (sarcasm) with this issue right now. Some scumbag seems to be giving out my number as his; I keep getting calls from collector-type folks who don't want to believe I don't know him.

I've told a couple of them that if I *did* know him, I'd certainly give him up to them, 'cause I'm sick of this. Stopped that lot from calling back at least.

Told the last one that I hoped they caught up with him before I did, 'cause there wouldn't be anything left for them to talk to but blood splatter if I caught him first. She squeaked, cleared her throat, and said she'd take the number off their records.

I may be using that line again in the future.

[CSR Kim]

I dealt with this for about a week straight a couple weeks ago with my cell phone. Some financial co. kept calling looking for a Tracy. Most of our conversations went like this:

CSR: Is this Tracy Soandso?
Me: You have the wrong number, sorry.
CSR: Oh, do you know the right number?
Me: Uh, I don't even know a Tracy. This is my personal cell phone.
CSR: This isn't a place of business?
Me: No, this is my personal phone, and I am not Tracy, nor do I know a Tracy. Please remove this number from your records.
CSR: Are you sure you don't have a better number to reach Tracy Soandso?
Me: *click*

Rinse and repeat for several days straight, until I finally call them back after missing a call, and get a rather nice gentleman who is very apologetic, and apparently fixes the problem because I haven't gotten a wrong call since.
It was really weird, since when I called the number, I got an automated message at first saying "Based on the phone number you are calling from, we were able to look up your account information..." I've had this phone # for almost 3 years now, and to suddenly start getting calls for this woman was really bizarre.

[XCashier]

Me: No, this is my personal phone, and I am not Tracy, nor do I know a Tracy. Please remove this number from your records.
CSR: Are you sure you don't have a better number to reach Tracy Soandso?

"Do you honestly think that I am so stupid that I don't know I have her number?!" Gads, I hate those "are you sure" jerks. That is just so condescending!

[Catwoman2965]

I think the collection agencies are so desperate and under pressure to find who they're looking for and get their money that all common sense goes out the window. I love that "well, do you know where i can find so and so?" um no - told you you have the WRONG NUMBER - now leave me alone!

my numaber was on digit off from a temp agency, so i suspect that's how they had my number for their deadbeat. i used t oget lots of calls for them; this is so and so, calling about a job...i ignored them; if you can't be bothered to listen to the message on my machine and realize its NOT the agency, but a private number, you don't deserve to have a job...you would think that my message, or me answering simply "hello" rather than "blank and blank" would clue them in.


my last phone number ended in 2020, so i got MANY wrong calls. one woman called and left mumbled garbled messages for weeks, apparently she though she was calling some dr. trying to get an appt. couldn't even call her back as you couldn't understand her! i

[BookstoreEscapee]

I had the same thing happen to me when I lived in my last apt; kept getting messages from some finance co, and a number to call...

that was basically what I was getting...but they were calling for someone named "Dave" and since I'm female and was living alone in a 1-bedroom apartment, I was pretty sure there was no "Dave" there...of course by the time I got the messages after work they weren't at the office anymore...

[IT Grunt]

my numaber was on digit off from a temp agency, so i suspect that's how they had my number for their deadbeat. i used t oget lots of calls for them; this is so and so, calling about a job...i ignored them; if you can't be bothered to listen to the message on my machine and realize its NOT the agency, but a private number, you don't deserve to have a job...you would think that my message, or me answering simply "hello" rather than "blank and blank" would clue them in.

I know what you mean. On my home phone, I have my voice mail greeting set to say 'Hello, you have reached the home of <IT Grunt and his wife> at <our phone number>. We're not able to come to the phone right now...' Still... STILL, I get people leaving messages for people I don't know, even though the message said who we are and what number they've called! It makes me wish I had a button on my phone for 'Choke'.

my last phone number ended in 2020

Off topic, but the local optometrist's office has that for their phone number. I thought it was quite appropriate.

[Rapscallion]

I'd be pissed too. What's with these people and not being willing to accept that they've got the wrong contact information?

Part of the problem are the scammers who have given the correct information but deny being the people the collectors are trying to contact. Ruins it for the rest of us, but since they aren't the rest of us...

Rapscallion

[MadMike]

My son was getting messages from some collection agency on his cell phone for awhile. They always seemed to call when he was in school, and therefor had the phone turned off and in his locker, so they never actually reached him. I meant to call them back and let them know they had the wrong number, and that they were trying to collect from a 13-year-old, but I kept forgetting. Eventually, the problem solved itself anyway.

He's only had that number since last November, so I'm guessing that it belonged to some deadbeat before that. Interestingly enough, he let me listen to a message that one of the loser's friends, who apparently didn't know that wasn't his number anymore. It went something like, "Hey dude, what's up? I'm so fucking drunk, and I'm bored, and wanted to see what you were up to."

At least I hope that was the wrong number. My son is nowhere near old enough to have a drinking buddy. I told him not until he's 16.

[angelicafire]

Just to set the record straight (and I don't know the law enough to quote it exactly), what it boils down to that it IS legal to call someone's place of employment for collections. What is NOT legal is to continue to call after the person in reference tells them not to call anymore.

Just throwing that out there.

[Jack7957]

I've had two issues with wrong numbers....

1) Home phone I used to have, must have belonged to an older gentleman, because every once in a while I'd get calls for "Dad" and "Grandpa". One time someone called and left a message that someone they knew had died and what the funeral arrangements were. Too bad they didn't leave a number or I'd have called them back and let them know it was a wrong number.

2) Early one saturday morning, I got a call from someone looking for "Bill" from the local Chamber of Commerce. Wrong number I tell them. Minute later, same person calls again. Wrong number I tell them. Minute later, again they call. Before they can even say anything I just say "Still got the wrong number dude" and hug up. They never called back.