Something about annoying phone calls - and Caller ID

[ThomWV]

Some things I know a good bit about, some things I don't know squat about. This is one of those don't know squat things.

We get lots of annoying phone calls. I rarely answer a phone, that's what the machine is for, but every day we get about a half a dozen calls from which no one says anything. They start daily at just after nine in the morning and continue until nine at night. It isn't creditors, we don't owe anyone but our credit union and we are good with them - besides, when they call they leave a message.

Last week I bought a new (hard line house) phone, one with Caller ID. We hooked the thing up and charged the batteries and bright and early the next morning I got to see who was calling. According to the little screen it was Wells Fargo Financial at some phone number. We had a credit card with them that we cut up with all the rest after paying them off five years ago but our business has long been over.

Now get this. Since that one call, the one that the new Caller ID had allowed me to identify them, the calls have stopped. Now why would that be? It is just a coincidence?

[demokatgurrl]

1. Probably a coincidence- I assume you know about the

Do-not-call list?
I don't think there is any mechanism to tell the caller that you have Caller ID. I know there are some systems that will block calls from callers who hide their ID, and tell the caller that. But it doesn't seem that you are blocking the calls.

[ThomWV]

2. Yep, we're on the list

Your'e right, what I'm seeing is sort of the opposite of normal call blocking. I don't think the phone I bought will allow me to stop calls from passing through if the caller has blocked the ID function, but I sure would like that feature.

[IDemo]

3. That feature should be available from your telco

It used to be referred to as "block the blocker" back when I worked for the phone company. It will cost you an extra fee, however.

There's no way for a caller to detect whether or not you have Caller ID.

[ThomWV]

5. Thanks! I'll give the phone company a call and see if its available

Thank you - I really appreciate the information. If somebody doesn't want me to know who they are when they call I don't want to talk to them - if its important they can send me a letter.

[notesdev]

4. Try this

www.whocalled.us

I have found it to be very useful in identifying the sources of these mystery calls.

There's a lot of companies out there who just plain old ignore the DNC list.

[ThomWV]

6. Sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Arkansas Granny]

10. You can also google the phone number and find out who it is.

[Blue_Tires]

23. very true

i screamed to anyone who would listen that the DNC list would accomplish nothing...if anything, we get even MORE calls now

[pipi_k]

7. Just a coincidence, I would say. We've had caller ID for

years and we still get those types of calls, although not as often as you were.

I can't tell you how many times we've googled the numbers only to find that others have gotten calls from the same numbers, and some get actual people, others get dead air. And if you try to call back, it says the number is "disconnected". Some people have even reported that the person on the other end has refused to tell them what they want, and have gotten terribly rude and abusive and end up hanging up on the person who answered the phone. I don't see any point in doing that, but whatever...

One such place keeps calling with the dire warning that "This is your LAST chance to get lower rates on your credit card!!!!!" My suspicion is that they're looking for people to actually give them credit card info under the guise of "lowering their rates".

This is especially annoying for me and the Mr because we pay extra for the privilege of having an unlisted, unpublished number. That means it's not in the phone book, and nobody can get it from directory assistance, either. Totally private...so these companies are using computers to just keep dialing numbers in sequence, obviously.

I see this as a gross invasion of my privacy. Some telemarketing people feel it's actually their RIGHT to invade people's privacy.

And so the war goes on....

[leftyladyfrommo]

9. I just got a call from 212 area code-I tried to call it back and was

told it was disconnected (or something like that). Next day got another call and answered it and it was someone in India trying to sell me online adverstising. I don't have a problem with people in India but this guy could not speak English well enough to be an effective sale's person.

[pipi_k]

11. This is why I absolutely HATE doing any kind of business on the phone

I have hearing problems and constantly have to ask people to repeat what they say. On the phone it's worse, and then I get some young person who has a high voice and talks very fast. If they have an accent, then I'm really screwed. The whole thing is just so unpleasant.

Anyway, about a year ago I wanted to downgrade a subscription to an online genealogy site from worldwide coverage back to just the basic package (because it wasn't giving me much info at all on a certain country). I emailed the place and was told I couldn't downgrade online (even though I had signed up online to begin with, but anyway).

I was furious, and asked why. No reason...you just can't, they said. This went back and forth about three times!

So I finally replied something to the effect that I have hearing problems and don't like to communicate by phone and I now did not want to just downgrade, I wanted to CANCEL entirely, and if they didn't do it immediately I would contact various agencies and report them.

They finally gave in.

[leftyladyfrommo]

12. I have tried to just not answer if the numbers look funny - but they

just call back over and over and over. So now I answer and then tell them I'm not interested.

Unless there is no return number out there at all. Then I just let it go into voice mail. They never leave a message. Its all sale's stuff of one sort or another.

I wish they would just leave me alone.

[pipi_k]

16. Have you ever heard this one?

I've always wanted to pull something like this on a telemarketer, but never think of it in time....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un_PjRXV5l8



hee hee

:evilgrin:

[leftyladyfrommo]

21. That is funny. It would also be funny to have another sales

call recorded. Then you could turn it on and let the caller listen to a recording of another telemarketer.

I'm never rude to those guys - they are just trying to make a living. I just say no thanks and hang up. I've never had one get nasty to me but I've heard of that happening.

[bananas]

8. Robo-dialers

They have warehouses of people doing the talking,
but the dialing is done by a robot.
If none of the workers are ready to take the call when you pick up the phone,
the robot hangs up and tries again later.
Some robo-dialers are used by legitimate businesses.

[pipi_k]

14. Legitimate businesses...

that's true.

One of the calls we sometimes get is from the car dealership where we bought our vehicle, reminding about oil changes, etc.


One of the other things about robocalls is that unless you say "hello" a couple of times, you won't get a real person because they're programmed to not connect to a real person if they (the robocaller) thinks it's connected to an answering machine.

Although there have been times when I've said "hello" three or four times, but never got a real person, but that's probably because all the real people must have been busy at the time.

[IDemo]

19. There are legal restrictions

per the FCC:

Calls using artificial or prerecorded voice messages – including those that do not use autodialers – may not be made to home phone numbers except for:

* emergency calls needed to ensure the consumer’s health and safety;
* calls for which you have given prior express consent;
* non-commercial calls;
* calls that don’t include or introduce any unsolicited advertisements or constitute telephone solicitations;
* calls by, or on behalf of, tax-exempt non-profit organizations; or
* calls from entities with which you have an EBR. (existing business relationship)

[Historic NY]

13. My friend was getting them too...it seems that if you had any..

dealings with Wells Fargo loans, credit, etc. they are out to drum up business..at least that the pitch they gave her. She bought some stuff 4-5 yrs ago and used them to finance the purchase.

I'm getting ones from florida robo-calls I finally filed a complaint with the government.

[pipi_k]

15. Wells Fargo...aha!!!!

Our home loan was financed through WF before we transferred it to a local credit union...

that clears up a bit of the mystery here....

:think:

[Warpy]

18. At least Wells Fargo uses real people in this country

which is their only saving grace. I hear a lot of southern accents.

I just say "no thanks," and hang up. They will not stop talking until you do hang up, very rude.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

17. Obvious Coincidence. What Other Possible Answer Is There?

The question doesn't make much sense.

[skypilot]

20. I was having trouble like this a while ago.

I would regularly get calls on my land line phone from someone who was obviously in some sort of office, judging by the sounds in the background. I'd go to check my voice-mail messages and there would just be the sound of someone on the other end not saying anything, but I could hear the office sounds in the background. Sometimes, instead of saying nothing, they'd sit there going "Hello? Hello?" when it was obvious that I was not there since they'd have to have listened to my out-going voice-mail message which clearly stated that I was not home. I don't have caller ID but I've come to suspect that it was the phone company calling and leaving this cryptic messages in an attempt to get me to purchase caller ID. I suspect this because a few months before these calls started, I was constantly getting calls from the phone company offering to sell me a caller ID unit and all these other services that I had no need for. I told them that I was quite happy with the services that I had because I don't use the phone a lot. I'm still convinced that it was them trying to convince me that I needed some additional services or equipment. I think that they thought I'd get so curious about who these calls were coming from that I'd finally break down. I didn't.

On edit: I also suspect that they were trying to steer me towards using *69 which under my phone plan costs me 75 cents each time I use it.

[ProfessorGAC]

22. I Can't See As Anything More Than Coincidence

Sorry, Thom but i think you might be acting a bit paranoid. Probably means nothing.
GAC

[Blue_Tires]

24. i have also been getting a lot of calls that are just silence when i pick up

??