On Jul 23, 3:44*pm, mm wrote:
On Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:59:00 -0500, "Joe J"
wrote:

I'm just checking if anybody here has any thoughts about my problem.

Just moved from a different state in May and now have Cable, *Internet and
Phone from Time-Warner.
We are inundated with calls for 3 specific people from debt collectors. *5-9
calls per day. *Each time I have requested to be placed on the do not call
list

Debt collection calls I think are covered not by the do not call list
but by provisions of the Fair Debt Collections Act, or something like
that, which even before the donot call list gave, iiuc, even the
debtor ability to get them to stop doing certain things (They used to
do worse things like calling family and bosses, sometimes for debts
that didnt' exist. *Threaten to get them fired.) * So you may need a
idfferent formula of words than the dnclist. *Check out the fdca
rules.

I used to get calls for one guy I had nothing to do with, knew nothing
about, and denials did nothing. *A friend of my brothers told me that
was the wrong approach, to say I didn't owe the money. *YOU ALSO don't
want to say you do owe the money, that would be bad, but he said to
say: * *I won't pay. * * and then they would go to the next step which
was to actually sue the guy, and when they organized their paperwork,
they woudl figure out that you and he weren't the same. * All I can
tell you is the calls stopped coming.

This was 10 or 15 years ago and maybe their usual routine has changed,
but maybe not.

and tell them they have the wrong number. *Each time they tell me this
is their first time calling and they will remove me. *It doesn't happen, the
calls keep coming.

Problem #2 *I keep getting calls from a credit card insurance company that
shows up as a local number with caller ID, but it is a solicitation. *I have
demanded they put me on their do not call list and they claim the number is
"computer generated" and every time I answer, I will get ten more calls.

OK, I've stopped answering, but how do they disguise their number into a
local caller ID number?

What difference does it make? *Either they have an office near yuou or
they have a phone nearyou and use call forwarding. *You are still
supposed to be on the donotcalllist. * *One thing people do is say
Wait a second, then go cook read a book or wallpaper the bedroom,
comign back often enough that he doesn't hang up. *I don't know how
well that works but it seems like fun.

I am signed up for both the state and national "do not call list".

It's really getting annoying and I'm wondering if anyone has any solutions.

Right you are. It's the Fair Debt Collection Act that holds sway - at
least for bill collectors.

You ask for their contact information, then inform them that "as per
the Fair Debt Collection Act I am making a formal, legal request for
you and your company to cease and desist from contacting me in any
form." You could also ask for a fax number and fax them the same
thing, along with your inclusion on the Do Not Call registry (might as
well cover your bases), and informing them that the person from their
records has moved on, and they should update their records. This
tells them to either step it up and sue you, or go away. Since the
'you' is not you, no problem. They'll figure it out on their own
time.

R