Should I get a new phone number?

Four words: Fair Debt Collection Act

 

Send three bags and Private Joker to have a little talk with them.

 

I've had one of these agencies call my cell phone looking for some woman (can't remember the name now). It went on for a couple months. They'd either leave a voice mail or if I answered, I'd tell them no one there, take the number off the list. THey said they would, but yet, I'd get calls.

Finally, one time they called, I said, I'm not talking to some peon in a call center, let me talk to your supervisor. Long story short, I think I had to call the supervisor 3-4 times before I finally got them to stop.

I even used the lawyer line. "If you call again, the next call will be to my lawyer."

 

I've been through this twice before. Once, I went to the trouble of getting a new phone number and that solved me problem. The second time, in a different city, I just said screw it and got rid of my home phone since nobody called me on it anyway.

 

Wouldn't Starman be a better candidate?

 

I'd be willing to bet Starman can't hit targets at 1,000 yards. I can.

 

True. FAR more collateral damage with Starman. ALthough, if it's an off-shore call center, that might not be a bad thing...

 

In my recent dealings with Dell, I spoke at great lengths with a number of folks in India. Their names? Glad you asked. John, Sabrina, Christine, Todd, Shawn and Ted. When I asked what Shawn's last name was .... nothing. Blew his fucking mind.

Fucking liars.

 

I can't believe you put up with this for as long as you did. Years ago I had the same thing happen to me with early morning collection calls. After two days, I called and asked for a new phone number. No problems in all the years I had that number.

IMHO, it's simple really. The trouble of getting a new phone number and alerting a few friends, relatives, companies, etc. versus the trouble of putting up with annoying phone calls and/or fighting annoying phone calls. I could be wrong because I don't know all the legalitites involved but I don't think you're EVER going to win the battle of getting the people to stop calling your number and it certainly doesn't seem worth the trouble. So it really comes down to the bother of alerting a few people about a new phone number versus the aggrevation of those early morning phone calls.

It seems really simple to me. Really, I can't believe you've agonized over this for so long. Do you have like thousands of people you'd have to let know, business cards or stationary you'd have to have reprinted?

 

On the other hand, I'd hate to be the poor SOB who had the number after I did up north...

 

this is a great side story in a novel or movie - a John Cusack type-thng - where the main character has this inexplicable running battle with a guy like this.
would never be resolved, would be hilarious.

 

That's your only option other than changing your number. Forget all the other advice on this thread. None of it will work.

Next time one of these debt agencies calls you, rather than blowing off steam, politely ask them how they got this number. I'll bet you anything they'll inform you it's because Abron Jackson recently put it on some form. If so, you'll have some ammo to confront good ol' Abron with during your showdown.

And as someone in the journalism field, you no doubt have better tools than these farmed out agencies to hunt down your slickster.