Collection Agencies - unusual issue? - Canada

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RE: unusual issue?

Postby footloose » Tue Oct 04, 2011 07:27:40 PM

Hi stoptheinsanity

SETTLE DOWN SETTLE DOWN SETTLE DOWN

"don't get your knickers in a twist" or as we say here in Canada "don't get your shorts in a knot"

Now, go and make yourself a hot cup of tea and sit down and listen to what I have to say.

I can sympathize with you and your frustrations because I have collection agencies calling me constantly. I deal with their calls very effectively and I sleep well at night. Here is what I do.

First, I have caller ID. I purchase this service from Bell Canada and it costs $8.95 per month which I consider an excellent investment.

Second, I have a land phone with a window that shows the name and telephone number of the caller. I do not have a voice mail as it gets cluttered up with all kinds of junk calls. I think you know what I mean. Now, each time the phone rings, I used to go over to the phone, look at the window to see who is calling me and then decide if I want to answer the phone. Finally, I said :to hell with this". I purchased from the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) an AUDIO caller ID which I can hear from anywhere in my apartment. When the phone rings, I can hear the number and then I can decide if I want to answer the phone. This device can be adjusted for volume and holds up to 10 calls. You may be able to purchase a similiar device commercially such as Future Shop, Best Buy or The Source.

Thirdly, if I hear the following, I do not answer the phone. "1-800", "number blocked", "number unknown", "000-000-0000",,a phone number from an area code other than the one I have or a phone number that I do not recognize. Especially be wary of phone calls before 8:00a.m. and after 5:00p.m. as these tend to be calls from collection agencies. Here in Ontario, collection agencies call legally call you Monday to Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. They are prohibited from calling you on Statutory Holidays.

Fourthly, if you get a call from a number that you do not recognize, go to your computer and do a reverse telephone lookup. Enter www.white pages.ca/search/reversephone. This will give you the name of the party to whom that phone is registered. You can then decide if you want to return the phone call.

And lastly, if the collection agencies cannot reach you by phone, because you are not answering the phone, they can always write you a letter which you can choose to ignore if you wish. You will find that after a while, the phone calls will fall by the wayside and the chances of you getting a letter are slim to none.

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Educating one Consumer at a time

footloose
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RE: unusual issue?

Postby peoplechoice » Thu Jun 10, 2010 02:43:55 PM

If it happens again record the conversation and let the caller rant and say whatever they want. At the end of the coversation or when you think you have enough information tell the caller that you have recorded the entire conversation. At that point advise that caller that you will be contacting the authorities and will be pressing charges. Just make sure that you do record the conversation and not just say that you did! Just in case they call your bluff and ask you to play back the recording!! This way if they ask you to play back the recording you can!!
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RE: unusual issue?

Postby StopTheInsanity » Wed Mar 24, 2010 08:24:06 PM

Thanks peoplechoice, I realize it's illegal, but the woman got downright hostile when I told her that I have no idea where she was and to remove my number, she called me a liar and said that until I provide a contact number for her, the calls to my home will continue. She even provided me with an address which I assume my daughter lived at, at some point, that right there alone is illegal, as are the messages i had here giving the company name and saying it's a legal matter from what I've read?

I am just pissed because this is my home, that I work and pay for, I pay my bills, I do what I need to do. I don't need this rude intrusion in my life over something which I have nothing to do with, and then have the person on the other end of the phone be a total bitch to me. I'm not sure what kind of recourse I have, from reading this forum for the better part of half a day now, it seems making complaints don't get you very far at all.

The more I spoke the ruder this woman got. When I informed her my daughter is a legal adult and I'm not responsible for any debt she may have, she told me I was a liar, that I probably know where she is, that I talk to her often and I'm lying for her... I was absolutely stunned, no way would I do that, if I had her contact info I'd give it up right away just so these idiots would quit filling up my voicemail!!!
StopTheInsanity
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RE: unusual issue?

Postby peoplechoice » Wed Mar 24, 2010 06:46:03 PM

It is illegal to keep calling you once you stated that your daughter does not live there and that you have no idea how to contact her. It is also illegal to keep calling once you asked for the calls to be stopped.
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unusual issue?

Postby StopTheInsanity » Wed Mar 24, 2010 04:49:24 PM

I have received 9 calls in the past 7-8 days from Contact Resource Services. Each time, the same woman is calling, saying it's an "urgent legal matter", names the person she's calling for, says that she is trying to help her, that she's trying to 'save' her reputation and her SIN # (?) and leaves her contact info. With each message left, it is longer then hell, she repeats herself over and over, you can barely understand her (english sucks big time) and when she leaves her contact info, she talks so freakin' fast you have to listen to it again to get everything.

The person she is calling for is my estranged daughter. I have no idea where she is, any contact info on her, nothing.

So I finally got fed up with the messages left at my house and called the company back with the reference number. The woman I spoke to asked who I was, I told her I was the mother of the person they're after, that I want my number removed from their file, that I have absolutely no idea where my daughter is and I'd like the phone calls to my house stopped.

She relayed the number she had, yes, that's my number I told her. She gave me an address attached to the number, nope, never heard of the address, have no idea where it is. She then tells me she cannot remove the number as it was used as a contact number on a legal document (Judging by all the letters I'm getting here, Rogers is after her for her cell phone I'm thinking), and unless I provide her with a contact number for my daughter, the calls to my house will continue.

I told her that my phone number was used fraudulently, that my number has never been attached to the address they have on her and that again, I have no contact with her. The woman says I'm lying. Ok, WHY would I lie about having no contact with her? I honestly have no idea where she is.

I told her that my daughter is going to be 20 this year, I am NOT responsible for her bills, I did NOT authorize the use of my phone number for whatever she used it on and I consider these constant, long winded messages harassment and they need to stop.

The woman says they are not harassing me, they are trying to contact my daughter, and again she tells me that unless I provide them with an number, they will continue calling my home and leaving messages.

I then asked her for her name. She asked me why I wanted it. I told her I plan on filing a complaint with the CRTC, the BBB, Consumer and Corporate affairs, etc... she tells me it's CRS... didn't even give me the full name of the company, just the acronym, have you tried googling CRS? You come up with everything but the company, thankfully, I had it written down from one of those stupid long winded messages left on my voicemail. I told her no, I wanted HER name, she refused to give it to me and was the rudest bitch you'd ever talk to, it was just unreal. I just hung up on her as I was getting mad.

I called back later and asked for the office manager, they wouldn't give me the name at first, just told me he was unavailable.. big surprise there. I told her I didn't want to speak to him, I just wanted his name, so she told me it was Nick.. ok, how about a last name, took her a bit, but she gave it to me, but told me he was unavailable again. I don't expect I'll ever be able to talk to him, he's probably always unavailable, but I can use it in a complaint should they continue calling.

How do I get these idiots to understand that I honestly have no idea where my daughter is, and they need to quit calling my home? I know there are laws as to what they can and cant do, and already, they're only allowed to call 3x in a week on one debt, but they've totally blown that already, and also, is there not FOIP issues with them leaving on my machine that it's a legal issue, that her SIN # will be affected, etc?

I don't give a darn what she owes, not my problem. She is a legal adult and on her own, so why are they bothering me, refusing to quit calling me and what can I do about this? I am completely fed up.
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