trouble please advise. very urgent

G

gcgcwhen

Registered Users (C)
Although this is a non-immigration issue, I need your help. did not know where to go.

There is a promotion agency who called my residence. My wife received the call. I was not at home. The lady on the phone was talking very fast. My wife could hardly understand any thing. The lady said my wife has won a diamond Geneva watch & she would send some promotional magazine. Your order number is this. Some one form our office will call you back. My wife did tell her that she has not placed any order. Then a man called and asked my wife how did the lady talked to her. My wife told him she was talking very fast. then he went over the same stuff. you have won a diamond Geneva watch we are sending this gift along with magazine. you can cancel any time. He then asked for visa card details. My wife said I have not placed any order & my husband is not here. I do not have any card. The person told her to obtain the card details & he would call back. He called when I was at home. He started asking me about my card. He said your wife has placed an order & I need to pay for it. I repeated told him we have not placed any order. Even if she said OK to something it might be by mistake. We did not place nay order. Then he kept saying enjoy your magazines, I am billing you $680. You will receive the stuff in next 3 to 4 days. I told him if he sent anything I will go to court. Then he got angry & said take your ass on the next plane. book a plane ticket. I told him I am not going to pay him and hung up. Then he called back asked to speak to my wife. I gave her the phone. She again denied that and told him she did not place any order. He said he would play a tape. I told my wife to hang up. Then a collection agency person called. He said same that he would play tape. I told him again that we did not place an order & that please do not call us again. Now I do not know what I should do further. Whose assistance should I take?
I do not know what this guy is going to do . He says he will report to credit agency & spoil the credit history.

Please suggest how I should handle this case. I have not received any magazine or anything so far & collection agency is after me already.
The lady claimed she is calling from sweeptakes.
 
Call the Consumer Protection Bureau

Don't remember the phone number but it is a 1-800 number.

As long as you are not receiving the item, you can always dispute it.

This is my 2 cents
 
don't worry

gcgcwhen,

Don't worry, Exactly same thing happened to me two months ago. I was afraid too but nothing happened so far. Probably, it's kind of cheating. It was exactly the same as you mention in your posting. First one lady called and told me I won diamond-watch and was talking very fast and i didn't understand conmpletely. After few minutes another lady called and asked for credit card #. When i didn't give her credit card #, she became angry and told me that she will send bill of $$$$. I didn't care that time and so far didn't get any bill. I belive, they can't report credit histry agency without sending us bill.

So don't worry buddy, nothing will happen. I think that was the bloody way they collect customer.
 
As long as you don't give your credit card number and last three digits on the back of the card, no one can bill you for anything. Even, if they bill you, you can always dispute the charge with your credit card company. Reputed credit card companies will write-off such orders and follow up with the vendor.

Not much to worry.. Have a caller-id and dont lift any promotional or telemarketing calls.

- Sajyra
 
you need a caller id.

Friend,

first of all get a caller id and ask your wife not to pick up unless she recognize the number.

Did you ask the name of person who called you or their phone number? if yes you could do something call them back and say "I WANT TO CANCEL ORDER WHICH I NEVER PLACED".

usually when I receive marketing call, I use to give control of my phone to my 1 year old son. that worked like charm, soon I observed decline in number of phone calls.

Similar think happened to me with a telephone company when we were new in this country. They keep saying my wife placed order, they take advantage of your acent and little low understanding of english. they keep telling me I owe them $157 for long distance. I talked to verious level of managers and finally that was over. I did one smart thing that I wrote down name of person, date of contact and telephone number to call back. Finally it was over in month or so.

Next time you get a phone call, be confident and fluent in english. Increase your voice and that will work.
 
Call this guy

Hi

Call Clark Howard , he likes to kill these kinds of scams and is very helpful. Visit his site www.clarkhoward.com you will get somany info.
He is well knon in Atlanta.

The Clark Howard Show (1-6 EST) : Outside Atlanta 1.877.87.CLARK Locally: 404.872.0750
Clark's Consumer Action Center (10am - 7pm): 404.892.8227 (All U.S.)
 
Such kinda calls are made by con artists posing as tele-marketers. Their plan is to get your credit card number and either misuse it or do some kinda identity theft. Such matters should be reported to the police. If they don't handle such things, call the FBI. You'll find their number in the telephone directory or on the web. As others have mentioned, get a caller ID unit and subscribe for it with your phone provider, for e.g., Verizon, etc. Secondly, they cannot record the conversation without your permission, so if they have recorded anything it's illegal.
 
Do not give personal info unless you initiated the call.

For all those who read this thread, I advice you not to give any of your personal info(anything at all) over the phone unleass YOU INITIATED THE CALL.

First thing do not lift the phone if you can not recognize the number. Tell your friends and relatives to leave a message if it is urgent. If at all you lifted and can not recognize the person just credle the phone.

Once again, PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR INFO OVER THE PHONE UNLESS YOU PERSONALLY INITIATED THE CALL.
 
Nowadays telemarketers use computer to dial your phone line. It is easy to recognize that. When you pick up the phone and there is no voice on the other side, just hang up. And if I know it is a telemarket who is talking to me, I just tell them that "I am not home".

For the ones start to be abusive, take down their name, number, and the company they work for, and call your state's atterney general's office.

And you can always tell them to f**k off.
-- GG
 
Get their Info

Hi,

The next time they call you, get their info such as the company name and their phone number.
Note the date and time when they call. Then file complains at your local BBB and/or Consumer Affairs. You can also call the FBI. All this information is available on the web.

Hope this helps.
 
Another thing to remember is that most state laws allow you to cancel an order or return a product within one day from delivery. So, even if your wife placed an order by mistake, or somehow they tricked her, then you have legally cancelled the order when you say specifically that you dont want the product/service. If the product has been delivered to you, then you have one day to return the product. This is valid even if the company policy doesnt say so.

An unfortunate thing happenned to me, when I was buying my car, where this rule was useful. Me and my roommate were buying new car for each of us together. So, we went on a test drive in one car, and then started bargaining for the price. I didnt like the color of the car we test drove, so my roommate bought that car. So, after the price was set, the dealer told me that, because it was late, he didnt have keys for my car, and he will give the car to me next day. It was dark in the parking lot and I couldnt see inside the car. So, next day, I took the car, and in my excitement I drove away without noticing that the mileage was 12000!! on a new car!! that's like 3 oil changes!! My friends noticed it when we were driving around, and we returned the car to the dealership the very same day. The dealer was trying to make me keep the car for one day more, but we made a scene and other customers started running away. so, to shut us up, the dealer took the car back, and I got my money back!! :)

Well, the moral of the story is that you can always return stuff. They can play as many tapes as they want. If you say that you dont want it, they cant force it down your throat

Jayesh
 
As long as you didn't give them your social security info, they can't put any negative comments in your credit report
 
I think it is a fake. Next time when they call you get their phone and some names write it down, and trying calling them back and find if they are existing.

YOU can write cancel when you get the bill and send it back. And ask your wife not to pick up any packages from postal services and sign any delivery notices.

As far as you have explained they just want your Credit Card number.

JUST DON'T WORRY....
 
*///////Then a collection agency person called. He said same that he would play tape. I told him again that we did not place an order & that please do not call us again. Now I do not know what I should do further. Whose assistance should I take?
I do not know what this guy is going to do. He says he will report to credit agency & spoil the credit history. *///////


You said Collection agency person called. Collection agency persons will never make a call they will send you a letter (happened with me on a magazine subscription) then I wrote back asking for proof that I am signing up for the subscription (it was free sign up for 3 months after that I can cancel). The laws in this country protect the consumer not the company.

JO DARGAYA YO MARGAYA…


SO once again NO WORRIES.
 
Friends

When we are new to this country, we try to be too courteous and listen to the s**t these guys say. Everyone knows these telamarketers, even if you try to interrupt them when they are speaking like a tape, they keep going. So, do one thing as I do :-

JUST HANG UP.

You don't have to listen to them at all. As soon as I find out, he is telemarketer, I just say "Not interested" and hang up.

Another thing, even if these charity guys call, just tell them to send something in mail and tell them " I don't do these things on phone". Believe me, you will never get anything in the mail.

It happened to me too. A magazine like TIME sent me 2-3 books which I never ordered. They kept sending notices to me in mail whihc I never replied. They sent " Final Notice or Face Collection Agency", still did not reply. And never heard after that.

So, don't worry. As somebody just wrote, Collection will never call you, they will send notice in mail.

Good luck.
 
If anything is too good to be true, it sure is. In your case if they call again (be it the collection agent/telemarketer) ask for their contact info. It is just a scam and they are trying to fool you.

Never give your credit card numbers, social security number, etc. for a call received. Also, some places like blockbuster, etc. ask for SSN, challenge the reason required and avoid giving it. Never accept an ID same as your SSN (including insurance).

Even if you do not have caller ID, once you pick up the phone mention "I do not want to do business with you" to the telemarketers. Once you say that (I believe it is something legal), they cannot promote further as most telemarketers are aware of it. Also, if you are not interested why continue to listen?

If something seems too good, ask for the person's name, company information and contact number. You can call back to confirm the deal if interested. If they provide that, you know whom to file a BBB complaint if needed. (Be careful with 1-900 numbers).

This may help to opt-out...
http://www.consumerprivacyguide.org/howto/optout.shtml
http://opt-out.cdt.org/

The DMA (Direct Mkting Assoc) itself provides ways to opt-out.
http://www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html#mail

If some company sends a product without seeking your permission and asks you to return it or pay up, you can still keep it (it is the postal law).

Try this too 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (Credit bureaus).
 
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Register your phone and email

Another way is register your phone number and email. so those telemarketing persons can't make calls. I wrote it to an address. I don't know now, but you can find it in your yellow book. After that I got much less calls. You can search web about Email. If anyone know how, please share your info.
 
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