Telemarketers Prank Call Me - 800-266-9420
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Pick up the phone Almost immediately after receiving my new VISA card in the mail, I began receiving calls from a number that showed up on my caller ID as 800-266-9420. The first few times, when I answered the calls, there was that weird mechanical pause, the one that tells you that the computer is alerting the telemarketing rep that they've got a live one. I waited patiently, and asked the telemarketer on the other end to tell me how they got my number.
They inevitably claimed to be calling on behalf of VISA. They couldn't tell me which VISA card they were talking about. At one point, I claimed not to have a VISA card at all, to which the rep responded "I don't care" and continued babbling from his script about all the rewards that I could earn, if I'd just keep listening to him babble.
I hung up.
The Pranking Begins
A couple of days later, I began receiving phone calls at the rate of four or five per day from 800-266-9420. When I would pick up, ready to give the telemarketer and earful about my number's presence on the Do Not Call list, they would hang up on me.
I'm not sure if it was retaliation for sure, but it sure felt like it. I had already rebuffed their unwelcome and unsolicited advances several times. And now they were calling at odd hours, in meetings. But they never said a word. The computer waited for my hello, and would then connect to a person (I could hear them breathing) and fnally, they would hang up.
I tried calling them back at the number appearing on my caller ID, but only got a busy signal.
I'm not alone in this experience. Go ahead and Google the phone number and you'll find all kinds of rants about it. I wouldn't even be blogging about it, except it started happening to a couple of friends the other day, so I thought I'd go ahead a post a little sum-sump'n on how to get them to stop.
Make It Stop!
If this is happening to you, first of all, I'm sorry.
Fortunately, someone at Who Called has done some sleuthing, and they discovered the number at which the company's managers can be reached.
When you call, they will answer with "Corporate", but the name of the company is allegedly "Platinum Rewards". I called and explained my situation, and the manager (Roxanne?) apologized and claimed that a computer glitch had caused the repeated calling and hang-ups. She also blamed it on young, inexperienced employees, but I seriously doubt that this is the case. I've had a lot of spam-type calls over the years, and none of them have hung up on me AFTER I've said "Hello? Hello? Oh, god, is this one of those stupid...."
The managers all seems quite nice, and if you want them to stop calling you, I recommend just calmly explaining your situation to them. Keep in mind that your information was given to them without your permission. Since I've called, I've been phone spam free.
It's hard to know how they get your number. I was initally convinced that VISA had sold them my info, but the manager that I spoke to told me that they received the info from "usage" meaning that a third party, such as a hotel that I had stayed at, had sold them the information.
That doesn't mean that I'm not filing a complaint against the company with the BBB of Clearwater, FL.
Platinum Rewards
18586 US-19 N
Clearwater, FL 33764
I emailed Ben at Consumerist and he mentioned that filing a complaint with the Do Not Call site is also an option, although you have to have been on the list for 31 days before you can file.
Tagged: Consumer Affairs, 800-266-9420, 8002669420, automated call, credit card, Do Not Call list, phone spam, rewards, telemarketing, VISA
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I worked at a market-research boiler room years ago b/f caller id. If someone pissed us off, or sounded weird, or just because we were bored, we'd pass the person's phone number around the room.
I highly doubt it is the case, but just a thought.
i was getting 3-5 calls a day. in the morning, evening, weekends, all the time. i kept saying "lynn" wasn't home, but then i decided to just answer all the calls, wait until they finish the first part of their reading, and usually when they say something like "can i verify your address so i can send you information" i say "please take me off your calling list." they say "sure, ma'am." and now i don't get calls anymore.
Another thing, if you have happen to have an Asterisk(I use trixbox, which used to be asterisk@home) box, you can have it hang up on them or give specific numbers the 'disconnected' tone so that they think your line has been disconnected and then the computers automatically remove your number. It's the same concept as the telezapper.
This is EXACTLY why I created TeleSpank.com. To combat the constant onslaught of incoming telemarketer calls. ESPECIALLY the ones that target older, easily-influenced individuals. Granted, not ALL telemarketers are bad, but some of them are downright slippery they're so slick with their spiels.
Anyhow, if you want to feel vindicated for all your wasted time but don't want to take MORE of your time exacting revenge, TeleSpank.com is just what you need. :)
Kevin / The Spankster
I used to get calls from a 727 number all the time on my cell phone! The number was 727 683 1126. It got so bad that the police had to get involved, but since it was my cell phone they couldn't trace it or anything.
The new number for Platinum Rewards is 866-491-3930.
The 737-536-8800 is for a DeLosa's Pizza parlor now. The poor guy that answered the phone was very nice and said that he was getting many complaint calls a day from people upset with Platinum Rewards.
Thank you for the update, Don. I've removed the phone number from the article, since I suppose they can change it whenever they want.
call me 519 649 0487
The blackbery, Iphone, and some other telephones have call blockers, or call filters. Certain phone numbers can be auto-blocked if they call you. There are also applications that redirect numbers.
So, if a certain telemarketer is calling you repeatedly, if you get his number, you can set it so that the next time he calls you, it will auto-redirect into 911, or something like that. In that case, the telemarketer will get busted on their own.
I've got another number for you guys. I get them at least once a week and can never catch it in time to ask them to remove me from their list.
4174237869
If your number is purchased from someone "affiliated" with the telemarketer, and you had a "business relationship" with that affiliate, i.e. you called them or bought something or pretty much had anything to do with them, then you can be called by the all of the affiliates of that company for one year from the business relationship's last transaction and DNC can't do anything about it.
LET THEM KEEP CALLING YOU AFTER YOU REGISTER ON THE "DO NOT CALL" LIST AND AFTER THE 31ST DAY..BINGO! EACH CALL AFTER ONLY ONE IS A VIOLATION OF THE "TCPA" ACT AND IS WORTH $1500 PER CALL! KEEP A NOTEPAD TO WRITE EACH CALL,DATE & TIME.IT IS ALOT OF ATTORNEYS THAT WILL SUE THOSE BOTHERSOME TELEMARKETERS FOR YOU ON CONTINGEMCY BASIS. A FRIEND OF MINE HAS BEEN OFFERED $13,000 FOR ABOUT 12 CALLS. IT'S THE TELEMARKETERS WAY OF PAYING THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS.