Getting Bombarded by Telemarketers and Toll-Free Numbers

Okay, let's start from the beginning:

Preface, we have had the same cell phone numbers for over 10 years and we have not had one telemarketing or unwanted call.

We started with Verizon Digital Voice on August 26th. By September 1st, we got our first telemarketing call. By September 15th, we had enough telemarketing calls to demand a phone number change.

When we got a new number, we demanded that the phone number be non-published (which the first number was supposed to be). We also received asistance with Incoming Call Block. We thought the issue was resolved. Dead Wrong.

To bring things to a head, we are getting cushed by toll-free numbers and telemarketers. Here are the phone numbers that are currently in our Incoming Call Block list: (800) 238-3770 (800) 477-6441 (800) 715-6478 (800) 726-9594 (800) 727-1182 (800) 978-7819 (866) 265-5945 (866) 759-8002 (888) 277-8353 (888) 688-0224

Here is the problem, one of these numbers, (800) 477-6441, consistently gets through the block. I have done the following to try and resolve this issue:

- Removed the phone number and add it back in

- Forward the phone number to a Google Voice number

- Added all personal and business phone numbers to the Federal Do-Not-Call list

We are getting very annoyed with this situation and have even thought about getting something like http://www.digitone.com/ to supplement the phone service. Is there anything that we can do outside of added hardware? Does Verizon offer a way to block all toll-free numbers?

Accepted answers

mhiggins8450

Another Update:

It appears the Nuisance Line and the UCC are the same department. Anyway, I spoke to a very understanding woman but by the end of the call, we both pretty much knew that there was not much more that Verizon could do. The Unlawful Call Center deals primarily with threatening calls and repeat hang-up calls.

She transferred the call to tech support to see why calls that are on our Incoming Call Block log are able to bypass that and still call our home. I am now on hold with that department because the original technician is in Texas and the laws governing telemarketing calls are different in Texas than in my state.

I just got off the phone with a local technician and, bottom-line, there is supposedly nothing we can do. Based on what the technicians stated, the three phone numbers that are getting through probably originate from an overseas service. This may be how they can bypass the Verizon server. However, just like the previous call, the technician stated that there is not much that Verizon can do.

At this point, I am at my wits end. Not sure if spending $99 for the digitone device would be in our best interest based on what the local technician stated. I did not want to cancel the phone service but it looks like I may not have much choice. As I was closing tabs on my browser from all the research I did, I read the UCC description page again. This sentence stood out, "If calls of this nature are deemed excessive, and you are willing to prosecute, we will handle as an unlawful call." I call the UCC again and spoke to Kathleen. She had the notes from the previous call so I just glazed over the major points. She asked me for the phone numbers that continually call. She placed me on hold and called each number. The first two phone numbers were definitely looking for the previous owner of this phone number and promised to take our phone number off of their list within 48 hours. The third phone number was in fact a sales call.

If I could give Kudos to Kathleen I would. She really went beyond what she had to do in order to help with our situation. I will leave the Do Not Disturb function on until at least Monday to see what type of phone traffic we get. I will update this thread for those still interested.

All comments

Hubrisnxs

don't forget to Opt out of verizon marketing too, 866 483-9700

There isn't a lot you can do with toll free numbers unfortunately. I am surprised those toll free's you added are in fact being blocked by verizon, I remember reading long ago on their website that it can't block toll free numbers. in fact the verbiage on your digitone website says

The Original Phone Call Blocker - Block all unwanted calls with Digitone Call Blocker models that can block calls from Cell Phones, Faxes & Telemarketing Numbers 800, 866, 877, 888, 000 not blocked by the National Do Not Call registry or your Telephone Service Provider.

mhiggins8450

@Hubrisnxs wrote:
don't forget to Opt out of verizon marketing too, 866 483-9700
There isn't a lot you can do with toll free numbers unfortunately. I am surprised those toll free's you added are in fact being blocked by verizon, I remember reading long ago on their website that it can't block toll free numbers. in fact the verbiage on your digitone website says
The Original Phone Call Blocker - Block all unwanted calls with Digitone Call Blocker models that can block calls from Cell Phones, Faxes & Telemarketing Numbers 800, 866, 877, 888, 000 not blocked by the National Do Not Call registry or your Telephone Service Provider.

Thank you for that suggestion. I called the automated number and restricted Verizon's access. Unfortunately, it may take upwards of 30 days to take affect.

As for Digitone, I have no definitive way of determining whether or not this will actually work but I have to try. The only thing I saw was a post from someone who submitted an user review.

As for Verizon blocking toll free numbers, I am not sure what you read but thankfully, the vast majority of those numbers are getting blocked. I check my call log on a regular basis and constantly see these 12 numbers. We even debated getting rid of FiosVoice altogether but it does feel good having a landline (yes, I know this is not a traditional landline but you get the idea).

mhiggins8450

An Update: We continue to get pestered with unwanted telemarketing calls. Since the Incoming Call Block log only holds up to 10 phone numbers, we really have limited options at this point.

Here are the only things we can think of doing:

- Get rid of the phone service (very likely a possibility if Verizon cannot resolve this issue)

- Get that digitone hardware I referenced in a previous post. There is no guarantee this will work and it will cost $99 just to find out.

- Get a new phone number (third number since we set up the service in late August)

- Block all but a select group of numbers using the Do Not Disturb feature

We are currently using the Do Not Disturb feature but, quite frankly, this is utterly ridiculous that we have to resort to such extreme measures just to make sure that unwanted calls are not received. If this does not work, we are pulling the plug on FiOS Voice and going back to using cell phones as our primary phones.

If anyone has any other ideas, please post them. FYI, we have already signed up for the Federal Do Not Call list as well as the Verizon Opt Out Program.

prisaz

If you spend the $99, let me know how it works out. I have the standard POTs on FiOS and did not switch to digital voice. Considering the same. I pay for 4 cell phones. Everyone has one. Last year I wanted to drop voice, but was given an offer I could not refuse. But perhaps if I just unplug at the ONT and not bother with the ETF, that too will fix my problem. But starting next month the offer I could not refuse expires, and it is back to full price. ETF for 2nd year of agreement and drop voice, or $99 for the device you mentioned. Either way I am looking to make bundle changes to keep costs down. Keep all three drop speed and tv content and unplug? That would prevent the ETF.

Mike_VZ

Hello,

Phone numbers are much like email addresses. Once you use the phone number or email to register a product or service the recipient of that information has the ability to sell that data to marketers. It only takes one to start the cascade effect. You stated you have placed your numbers on the Federal Do Not Call Registry. If you are still getting harassing calls from the same numbers you should file a complaint on the official registry website if it has been 31 days since you registered.

https://complaints.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx?panel=2

mhiggins8450

Hi MikeVZ and thank you for your response. We have already filed complaints regarding three (3) of these phone numbers. Here is the problem as I see it:

When I initially called Verizon regarding the phone service, I was very adamant about two things - (1) the number we received be brand new...not refurbished and (2) the number be unlisted. Neither request was processed. When I called to demand that we be given a new phone number and that number must be unlisted, we got half of our request. The number is unlisted but it definitely is not new.

The majority of the calls we receive are telemarketing calls but there are several calls that we receive for someone that had the phone number before us. They (presumably bill collectors) call here at all hours asking for this individual. At first we were upset but we just wrote it off. As the calls continued, we became more frustrated and eventually just added the calls to the Incoming Call Block list.

This helped for a bit but then this one phone number kept getting through. This is when I decided to post my concerns here. There are now two phone numbers that have broken through the call block feature. As an example of how bad things are now, please take a look at this uploaded screen shot:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd141/mphenterprisesnj/Verizon.jpg

Every single call on that call log, except for the latest call, is a telemarketer. Notice how one telemarketer tried to call seven (7) times between 10:45am and 12:15pm. This is just a small sample of the frustration that we have to deal with on a daily basis. So, with Do Not Disturb on, everything is quiet. However, as I mentioned, I think this is a horrendous way to maintain this phone service. If there is an emergency and someone has to call us that is not on the exception list, we will not get the call.

As I mentioned in my first post, in over 10 years, neither one of us has had any issue with our cell phones that can even remotely compare to this. We want to keep the FiOS Voice service but unless some drastic steps are made soon, our other options are running out. Thanks again for taking the time to respond and please provide any further information you can.

prisaz

Unlisted is just that, unlisted in a phone directory. Old term and possibly obsolete. If I recall Unlisted can still be obtained by use of 411 and other methods.

Unpublished means it is not listed and can not be obtained unless given out by the customer. Unpublished means it is not available in the 411 or operator directory. Back in the 1980s I left my mothers new unpublished number at home on a trip to CA, and the local operator in VA said the only way to contact that person is possibly have a law enforcement officer go to the property if it was a life or death emergency. I felt really bad because my son was staying with grandma. Eventually I contacted another family member that had the new Unpublished number. It started out years ago as $2 charge and now I think I pay $2.59. But as mentioned, once the number is out it is out. Over the years my wife has given it out to this company or that, and now it is almost a $2.59 monthly waist of money. I used to tell people no you can not have my number it is unpublished. I could never get my wife to do that. Same number for many years now.

Call the number and tell them to take you off of their calling list immediately and if they do not, you will file harassment charges. If you do this and they refuse to stop calling, even if you have dealt with the organization before, they MUST stop or it is unlawful harassment.

I will look for the information I posted once before.

http://forums.verizon.com/t5/Home-Phone-Landline-or-Digital/Reporting-harassing-phone-calls/m-p/219124/highlight/true#M3654

mhiggins8450

@prisaz wrote:
Unlisted is just that, unlisted in a phone directory. Old term and possibly obsolete. If I recall Unlisted can still be obtained by use of 411 and other methods.
Unpublished means it is not listed and can not be obtained unless given out by the customer. Unpublished means it is not available in the 411 or operator directory. Back in the 1980s I left my mothers new unpublished number at home on a trip to CA, and the local operator in VA said the only way to contact that person is possibly have a law enforcement officer go to the property if it was a life or death emergency. I felt really bad because my son was staying with grandma. Eventually I contacted another family member that had the new Unpublished number. It started out years ago as $2 charge and now I think I pay $2.59. But as mentioned, once the number is out it is out. Over the years my wife has given it out to this company or that, and now it is almost a $2.59 monthly waist of money. I used to tell people no you can not have my number it is unpublished. I could never get my wife to do that. Same number for many years now.
Call the number and tell them to take you off of their calling list immediately and if they do not, you will file harassment charges. If you do this and they refuse to stop calling, even if you have dealt with the organization before, they MUST stop or it is unlawful harassment.

Definitely appreciate the info. I gave you Kudos in the other thread for the information you provided in there. I misspoke. Our number is unpublished and not unlisted.

Here's the thing, we never give out our home number. We both have multiple GoogleVoice accounts that link to our home and cell phones. Not even my mother has my real cell phone or home phone number. If we ever have to give personal information which includes a phone number, we choose one of our GoogleVoice phone numbers instead. That way, if the calls because harassing, such as in this case, they can easily be blocked.

As to your suggesting about calling the numbers, we have tried that...sort of. Just before I set the Do Not Disturb function, we received a call from another unsolicited call. This time, I answered the phone and said hello twice. On the second hello, an automated message asked me to hold on to get information about the estate of Jeffrey Smith. I have no idea who Jeffrey Smith is or how he relates to this phone number so I just hung up. When I called the number back, the number was "not in service."

There have been times when my wife has answered the phone and told the representatives that whoever they are looking for does not live here. One time, the representative told her, "Fine, we will just call back until you change your mind."

To prove that point, I just checked our call log. Between 9:20am and the time that I set the Do Not Disturb function (about noon), we received four (4) unsolicited called of which three (3) were from the same number. Since the Do Not Disturb has been turned on, we are not receiving calls from anyone except those on our exception list; however, we received 13 unsolicited calls of which ten (10) were from the same number. Right now, the main culprits are (800) 978-7819, (866) 689-4790, and (800) 477-6441. I have checked Google on all three of them and they range from credit card debt relief to estate debt collection. Mind you, these are only the major nuisances. This does not account for the numerous one-and-done calls we have received.

After looking at the other thread you linked, I think this may be a perfect situation for the Unlawful Call Center. I do have one question about the UCC. In the description, it states, "If you want to establish a case, call the Verizon Unlawful Call Center...with your complaint number to open a case." It doesn't reference how I go about getting a complaint number. In the Call Trace description, it references that I have to get a successful trace first before I can contact the police. Is that possible here? Can I just call the UCC and have them initiate the criminal complaint on my behalf?

mhiggins8450

Here is something that I did not notice previously. I just filed another complaint against one of the three numbers that continually try to call. I do not believe filing a complaint is as cut and dry as one may think. Here is the confirmation message I received:

"Do not call complaints will be entered into a secure online database available to civil and criminal law enforcement agencies. While the FTC does not resolve individual consumer problems, your complaint will help the agency investigate the company, and could lead to law enforcement action."

I guess this is going to be one of those things where one person complaining will do nothing but multiple complaints may get the ball rolling.

charliebarrett

The FTC sounds as useless as the BBB - just make note of the problem on their web site, but never help with stopping and prosecuting them

El-Flippo

Block 10 additional numbers using Verizon's "Selective Call Forwarding" Option. I am forwarding some *bleep* to a Texas tv station's "Breaking News" fax machine. 10 other number's I simply Block...so that's 20. I had issues similar to the OP's. With Comcast, then FIOS, at my previous residence there was heavenly peace with our unpublished phone. However the VERY FIRST DAY WE MOVED WE RECEIVED 2 TELEMARKETING CALLS!!...even though we carried over the same number, and also finalized our move with Verizon 2 WEEKS EARLIER. It never stopped. I complained after a month. Customer Service attempted to cover its *bleep*...first telling me I was actually listed, then reversing itself. I think CS corrected my status on the spot without admitting their Error. At least Tech Support conceded that there may have been a "gap in Service". Only reason I continue to pay for an "Unlisted" # is that I fear even MORE calls if I opt out. The Block and Selective Forwarding Options have resulted in significantly less calls, and also less repeat calls. Many days there are no calls for up to 5 days straight. But so many new bogus #'s pop up that I frequently juggle my Block/Forward Lists. And for the last 3 weeks, it's been a splattering of 800, 855, & 877 calls. So I add them to the list, and remove older #'s. The technology exists to block these numbers easily. Phone Companies could increase revenue by adding LEGITIMATE Call Blocking features and charging for them. People would PAY! Hell, The Internet operates through the same lines as the phone monopolies, and the outdated Outlook Express could delete unspoofed Spam at the Server so you'd never see it. A previous poster was correct in regards to the Brotherhood Of Businessmen who'd rather circle the wagons than snitch.

jfl212

I am receiving numerous calls from {edited for privacy} When I or other family members answered this call there was silence on the other end every time. I called this number and received a recording that started with three tones and said "the number you dialed is not in service". How can this be?????????? How can I receive a call from a number that is not in service? Who does this number belong to?

PJL

@jfl212 wrote:
I am receiving numerous calls from {edited for privacy} When I or other family members answered this call there was silence on the other end every time. I called this number and received a recording that started with three tones and said "the number you dialed is not in service". How can this be?????????? How can I receive a call from a number that is not in service? Who does this number belong to?

The caller is spoofing the caller ID information, and it is using an invalid number. This is illegal, but there isn't much you can do about it.