Annoying and ILLEGAL telemarketing calls

I don't have a Discover card, they are trying to get me to take one from them, which I don't need, nor do I want.

when they refused a charge while I was in the check out line at Sam's Club. Since I had missed a payment, I was waiting for the next billing cycle. They decided they should stop accepting charges. I went home, called them, and told them to put that card where the sun doesn't shine.

Except it wasn't for missed payment. I took a trip back to Florida to visit family and while there one card quit working. Thankfully I had another one and used it instead. When I got back I called them to complain and they said it was their policy to stop charges on out of state purchases unless I'd filed information with them that I'd be using the card there, or some such crap. I think that was First USA, a card I no longer use.

Recently I had Bank One and it was passed off to Chase. One evening I sent my oldest to get some gas in one of our 4 vehicles. She came back and said the card wouldn't work there or another station she tried. So, back on the phone to find out what's the matter. I was told they felt the amount of gas being bought on the card was excessive (ha! this at a time of increased prices!!) and was worried it might be stolen, tripped across their security software or something. On that one I was furious and basically told them how stupid their software was since the charges would all have been at our regular fillup places and that it was for 4 drivers and vehicles. Hopefully they have that in their file now and their program adjusts accordingly.

It's getting ridiculous.

... damned if you do and damned if you don't. I have an MBNA card that has been denied because my travel patterns trip their security measures. It's a PITA as it always seems to happen during high call volume times at customer service. But I guess I prefer it to the alternative. I just wish they would have them ask for alternate ID or something rather than friggin declining my purchase!

Evie

problem with USAA, and they don't charge late fees. You do have to have been in the military to get a USAA card. Unfortunately, they don't offer business accounts so I've recently had to get accounts at Bankone which is another challenged organization.

I have had an unlisted number for many years. On occasion I would get an unsolicited call, but even that has stopped since I added my number to the DNC list.

The unlisted number costs me a dollar extra a month. Has been well worth it, IMO. If someone needs it, they get it, otherwise not. It also gets rid of the Internet listings that you can use to search for someone by name or phone number, such as anywho.com. That right there is worth the buck a month and more!

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Except from the random dialers that are used. And those ANNOYING pre-recorded calls from politicians. If you want me to vote for the other guy, call my house!!!!!!!!!!!!

... they couldn't charge for the unlisted number anymore? Unlisted came "standard" for my parents cable phone number.

Evie

... back when the "telephone company" was the only game in town, that charging NOT to have your number listed violated something or other and they disallowed that charge. I dunno, I look at what my parents are now paying for their phone through the cable company and I want to throw up! I pay only a few dollars less a month for my basic line and no frills once the taxes are all added in, and would pay for LD calls if I made them (even within the state those charges kick in pretty quickly). A similar package to what my folks have through our phone company would cost almost twice as much once the taxes are added on! We use the cell phones for long distance.

Evie

I think we pay WAY TOO much for phone service (crappy service, at that) around here as it is. CenturyTel has a monopoly here, except for cell phone service. The lines are old and it truly makes it difficult for not only regular phone usage but also Internet. As you know, I work for a local computer store part-time. We offer dial-up service and a "wireless" broadband (uses an antenna to bounce off a nearby mountain to our server and then on to our T1 line). CenturyTel really messes up our dial-up because we rely on them, also. We don't even have a full service phone company office here anymore. They closed that down several years ago and all we have now are 4 service guys. (end of rant )

I guess they figure it is easier to keep your number a secret than not. As I stated above, a buck a month is worth it to keep my phone number and address off the Internet listings.

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you. My High School alma mater had a big celebration for the football team I was on when I attended the school. Several of the guys couldn't be notified because we couldn't find them. Many of these were probably unlisted numbers.

Same problem with relatives, close or distant, trying to find you. They can't find you either.

Before the federal no call list, I relied on an answering machine to screen calls. That was quite effective. With the no call list, we don't even get many of those anymore. Of those we do talk to, we have a golden rule. We don't make contributions or purchases on the phone. Send it in the mail, and we'll have a look at it (maybe). After awhile, they seem to start getting the message.

I guess I have had this same number for so long now that I don't really run across such difficulties. In fact, since our area is so small, if someone can't find me they just call my folks and ask them for my number

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you would never know. Right?

That reminds me of auditors in business. They can pat themselves on the back for preventing fraud, but what about the ones they don't know about?

....but I didn't want the ringing to wake our daughter so I picked up the phone. Also, these people had been calling for days (CallerID even identified it as "Public Opinion somethingorother") and I wanted to put an end to it.

An unlisted number would be a good idea, I guess.

My folks got phone through their cable. All the bells and whistles (voice mail, caller ID, etc.) for "free" along with unlisted number and NO annoying telemarketers, not to mention unlimited long distance for a fixed monthly charge. I guess the downside is you don't have phone when the power goes out, but that's what the extra cell phone line we got for Dad is for.

...people tend not to screen calls at night like they do in the day. Instead of cutting it off to see if they immediately redial (most telemarketers don't), or waiting for the answer phone to get it, we tend to pick it up expecting at that time of the night for it to be family or a friend.

Has anyone noticed an increased in East Indian voices on those telemarketing calls? They are outsourcing their boiler rooms now to India? Not suprising I guess, considering the business.

My normal method to deal with them since they most use programmed dialing is every call in the daytime gets the line picked up and immediately cutoff. Family and friends know to redial, the telemarketers move directly to the next number on their list.

....of the person being called, not the time zone of the person calling. This caller did not have a foreign accent and as I recall, the phone number he was calling from came up on my CallerID (a US number). If it was coming from overseas it probably would have said "Out of area" or something like that.

...that if you have a fax machine on there when they call, they change that number to a list only for fax, gets removed from the voice listings. My Dad's business fax phone, rarely got attempted voice connects. Maybe a cheapie fax stuck on the line after normal calls, or have your computer fax program pickup incoming calls at those hours will get you off some lists. If nothing else it might pay a few of them back if they don't have signal recognition equipment on their automatic dialers.