Hello, this is Allied Interstate, Hello, this is Allied Interstate

The Reverend Dr Galactus

I came home today to three identical messages on my answering machine from what appears to be (after some Googling) a debt collections agency. Given the frequency of calls, subtlety does not appear to be one of their strong suits.

The internets, from a quick assessment, said it was probably best not to ignore them as they might escalate their "communication", so I tried calling the number they gave, but got a recording admonishing me to call back during business hours.

I can't possibly imagine what this could be. I'm generally not tardy with bills, nor do I even own any credit cards, so I'm highly dubious that I actually owe anyone any outstanding dinero, and I'm pretty careful about dropping info that could lead to ID theft (though I'm sure some irresponsible party would gladly do it for me). Has anyone had experience with these guys before? Any suggestions on what I should say when I can actually get through to them?

Doc

Just call tomorrow. If you don't have debt, they are probably are looking for someone else and have your phone number for some reason.

Seaborn111

i literally JUST got off the phone with these buggers.

I called the number back that i had been getting 5+ calls a day from, it connected me to a rep who asked for some amanda chick. I told him he's got the wrong number, he said "ok, you're off the list. sorry."

that was it.

TexiKen

This happened to me once. They'll call, you pick up, they may ask for someone (they were asking for someone named Juan, I know no one by that name), you say there is no one here at that address. They'll call back again, you say the same thing, and they'll realize that the person they're looking for just plugged in some local number and are trying to skip out on paying the bill.

supabeast

I had what must be almost every collections agency in America calling my house for about a year because the same person used my phone number as her fake number. Pray that Amanda only pissed off one bank!

The Reverend Dr Galactus

Whew, good to know there's a good chance that this will just be a simple mistake, easily resolved. Hopefully the call tomorrow morning takes care of it.

Shogun

Be aware it may not be a simple as you hope. For you sake it is, but these people have been calling me asking for someone named Johnny Whitehead for the last six years. I get the same calls everyday and everyday I've explained that the person does not have this number. I've escalated it to supervisors and I've been told I'm off the list hundreds of times.

They will not quit. I also get calls about this guy from hospitals, lawyers, banks, etc etc. I don't know who this guy is but I am so glad I am not him.

Al_wat

just call and ask for your number to be removed. all there is to it.

GameHat

Not them specifically, but I did have a debt collection agency contact me out of the blue demanding payment for a newspaper subscription I never had.

Hint: It's in Chicagoland and it rhymes with "Haily Derald".

I called them directly and explained that I never had, nor wanted, a subscription to this paper. They told me to take it up with the "Derald".

I called the "Derald" and raised hell. They meekly apologized and took me off their "collections" list.

I checked my credit scores 2 months later to make sure they hadn't dinged me falsely.

You should do the same. Find out who is claiming a debt, call them directly, dispute it. Get a lawyer if need be. Credit matters for a lot, one entry for "collections" can ruin it.

I'm finding out just how much credit matters right now as I apply for a mortgage.

EvilBadman

I'm going to be up all night. You're like the Goddamn Riddler.

MichaelLC

EvilBadman wrote: »

I'm going to be up all night. You're like the Goddamn Riddler.

Maybe the Goddamn Batman can help you.

Just in case it needs to be said - don't give out any of your information to people who call you. So if they're asking for "Juan Bunitos," don't tell them, "No, this is MichaelLC, at 800-328-7448. You've got the wrong number."

The Reverend Dr Galactus

Well. I couldn't have asked for better. I called them this morning before work, they mentioned the name of some guy who I think is either a neighbor or used to live in my unit, I informed them of this, and they said they'd take my number off the list. I think I spent less than a minute on the phone.

Thanks, all.

Noquar

The Reverend Dr Galactus wrote: »

Well. I couldn't have asked for better. I called them this morning before work, they mentioned the name of some guy who I think is either a neighbor or used to live in my unit, I informed them of this, and they said they'd take my number off the list. I think I spent less than a minute on the phone.

Thanks, all.

Ha! I hate these.

In the last apartment we had, when we moved in the phone lines were all jacked up. We got ours connected, but lo and behold, some house four blocks down had managed to tap in to our line. This was intentional, not some accidental line crossing. We kept getting these collection calls, and calls at all sorts of odd hours. Sometimes, our cat would knock our phone off late at night -- because he chases the red light on it and knows it makes sound when off the hook -- and we'd join in on a conversation. Anyhow, we called the phone company back and said they needed to fix this, right now. The guy came out and spent hours trying to trace all of our jacks. Eventually, he said he followed a line from our telco box down through the ground, along the side of the building and starting to lead down the street. He yanked the line, snipped it, locked our box securely and that was the end of our calls.