July 3, 2008

How to Stop 1-800 Harrassment

Toyota keeps calling 5 times a day to offer Rich (roommate) an extended warranty he already owns, and even though my roommate tells them Rich won't be home until 7 every time they call, they keep calling in the morning, in the day, in the afternoon, every day, all the time, so this morning I answered the phone:

You have reached the Law Offices of Jupiter and Neptune (names of my cats), your call has been forwarded to the authorities for voilation of FTC law of Harrassment and Abuse Section 803(5). Thank you for your call, your cooperation is appreciated.  Good bye.

There are several things you can do here because they are in violation of the FTC law of Harrassment and Abuse Section 803(5).  You can send a letter to the creditor and the FTC using the following form letter http://www.privacyrights.org/Letters/debt2.htm.  or you can pick up the phone and tell them that they are violating the above law.  They will probably tell you that it is an automatic dialer, but it is harrassment still the same.

The most effective and easiest way to prevent telemarketing calls is to register your home and personal phone number(s) with the National Do Not Call Registry operated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You may put your residential telephone number(s) including cellular numbers on the opt-out list starting July 2003. According to the FTC, registration with the Do Not Call list will reduce the number of telemarketing calls you receive by 80%.

• Call Screen (*60): Your phone can be programmed to reject calls from selected numbers with a service called Call Screen (SBC Pacific Bell term; other phone companies might use a different name). Instead of ringing on your line, these calls are routed to a recording that tells the caller you will not take the call. With Call Screen, you can also program your telephone to reject calls from the number of the last person who called. This allows you to block calls even if you do not know the phone number. Most phone companies charge a monthly fee for this service.

• Priority Ringing: You can assign a special ring to calls from up to 10 numbers - the calls you are most likely to want to answer. The rest can be routed to voice mail. There are ways callers can get around Priority Ringing when it is used as a screening tool. The harasser can switch phone lines and avoid the distinctive ring.
  
• Call Return (*69): This service allows you to call back the number of the last person who called, even if you are unable to answer the phone. Some people suggest that Call Return can be used to stop harassing callers by allowing you to call the harasser back without knowing the phone number. Use caution with this method of discouraging harassing callers, however, as it could actually aggravate the problem. This service is paid on a per-use basis.

You can sign up for the Do Not Call Registry two ways:

• The FTC's toll-free phone number is 888-382-1222 (TTY: 866-290-4236)
• Online registration is available at the FTC's web site, www.donotcall.gov

Or if you have the money to spend you can buy the Caller ID Manager for about $100. It lets you completely ignore phone calls by number (up to 175 of them) and lots of other options. I'm tempted to buy one.

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