Collection agency; stop calling me!

[Kestrel]

Dear assorted collection agencies...

I have been divorced for over twenty years now. I haven't seen or heard from ex-DH in 18 years.

So... I really have no idea where my Ex's youngest brother's ex-wife is, nor do I care! My Ex was the oldest in his family; the last time I saw the brother in question, he was 9 or 10 years old. I couldn't help you, even if I wanted to. And I sure don't want to after you wake me up at 8am on Saturday morning, after being up most of the night with a sick child.

Thank you, and don't call back.... ever.

[lalasmama]

UGH! How annoying!

I used to have a Cricket (pay as you go, no contract) phone number. I would get collection agency calls for "RJ" every week or so. Best I can figure, RJ either doesn't know his own phone number, or his phone number is maybe one number off mine or such. All I know is that when they ask for RJ, I point out that I've had the same phone number for 7 years now, so there's a fair chance he must have given them bad information... and they still don't believe me! UGH!

[lizzywednesday]

Ugh.

Practice this for me:

"You are in violation of the Fair Credit Collections Act by continuing to call this number. If you call again, I will report you to the authorities for harassment."

So sorry, OP and Mimi.

My in-laws get collections calls looking for my dad all the time and I tell them to say the same thing. It's true - they are violating the law by continuing to call you in pursuit of a debt that is not in your name.

[ShanaMama]

Ugh.

Practice this for me:

"You are in violation of the Fair Credit Collections Act by continuing to call this number. If you call again, I will report you to the authorities for harassment."

So sorry, OP and Mimi.

My in-laws get collections calls looking for my dad all the time and I tell them to say the same thing. It's true - they are violating the law by continuing to call you in pursuit of a debt that is not in your name.

I should write this down & use it! Apparently, the people we bought our house from were running from debtors because tey never forwarded their mail, etc. Every 6 months or so the old debt must get sold to new companies because we suddenly get a spate of harassing phone calls. They always stop once I get a person on the phone who can understand that I have no relationship with the person they are looking for & no clue how to contact them. But I have to endure many calls at crazy times till I get the patience to sit on hold & get an operator. Sure enough 6 months later a new company gets the brilliantly innovative idea to reverse search my address & harass me! OP I feel your pain.

[belovedgandp]

Yep, I'm having a recent round with BIL. Sadly they just keep leaving messages on the machine. I'm either not home or busy so I don't answer the phone. I need to catch the person one of these times, but for now I just get an obnoxious message about once or twice a week.

Fortunately no annoying times yet. Our last name isn't common and most of DH's family have had their share of issues so we have had several rounds of this through the years.

[carolinacool]

Ugh, I'm sorry.

At my old job, I would get calls for the the woman who had my work phone number before me. I never really thought about the debt getting sold, but that makes sense because I would go several months and then they would start up again. When I left, I had been there almost nine years and I was still getting random calls a few months before I left.

[Kestrel]

Yep, every six months or so, we do it again with a new agency. Until I actually manage to catch the phone when they call, they keep calling and filling the voice mail.

I refuse - just refuse - to call them back and pay long distance charges to be on hold, in order to tell them to get lost.

Frustrating.