That's it, I'm suing Verizon!

[Sapper PE LS]

Okay, no I'm not really suing them but damn it if they don't stop calling me I just might! So, I've been getting automated calls from Verizon on my cell phone two to three times a day for the last couple days saying something along the lines of "this is a reminder, your verizon bill is past due by x days. Please log on to the website and pay immediately or contact customer service at number".

So the first time I ignored it, the next time I ignored, the third time I listened to the whole thing to see if it would give me an option to talk to somebody, it didn't.

The thing is, I don't have any Verizon anything and haven't for about 16 months. I last had Verizon in June 2012. I paid the final bill and moved to San Fran. I called customer service and they couldn't even find my old account because after an account has been closed for a certain period of time, they purge it as long as it was paid and in good standing when it was closed. So I deduced with the customer service rep that obviously somebody accidentally (or maybe fraudulently) put my AT&T cell phone number to set up their own account.

I say, great, well can you search for that account and remove my number, because it isn't me. The lady says, "No, I can't access somebody else's account without them being on the phone." I responded that they also can't knowingly leave my phone number in their system when they know it's not correct. She wouldn't budge. This went on for about 10 minutes with me trying to explain that she doesn't have to do anything but delete my number from somebody else's account. Nope, she can't do it. Just told me to ignore the calls.

Damn it, I don't want to be getting three calls a day until some asshole who has my cell phone number on their account decides to be an adult and pay their damn bill.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

Are these phone calls using up minutes on your current cell phone plan? If so, I'd put together an invoice every month for the number of minutes they have used of your current plan. If they don't pay it, send it to a collection agency.

 

[Sapper PE LS]

Yeah, I mean a minute or two, plus the half hour I was on the phone with them tonight (hold and conversation). I thought about sending them an invoice with my hourly rate on it.

 

[nsgoldberg]

I hate Verizon. If Fios wasn't so awesome, I would ditch them in a second.

 

[blybrook PE]

I get similar calls for the guy who had my number 3 years before I got it. Usually auto insurance and credit cards. The doofis still uses my number to prevent getting any calls when he's delinquent (which is fairly frequently).

The last customer service rep was very helpful in removing the errant number from his account and putting it on a "special list" where they can't add it without the current number holders explicit written permission (credit card company). Was told they would call the number prior to any attempts to add it to their system again. Have had 0 calls from that company since.

Good luck Sap, i'd start billing them.

 

[solomonb]

I have had this with a landline. I am with Charter-- we started getting bill collection calls 3 minutes after the service got hooked up. 14 months later, we still get them. For grins, I will play along, sometimes with the call, "push 1 to talk to a rep, etc. I push 1, get someone in the Phillipines, tell them that if they don't take immediate action to remove my number from their list, I will sue, etc. etc.etc. Most of the time, people are pleasant, but it is a royal pain in the ass to get all of these errant phone calls. We still get bill collectors trying to find the gemoke that had this number previously.

 

[engineergurl]

call your congressman and see if they can help.

 

[Ivory]

When you get a phone call from an unwanted solicitation such as someone wanting to sell something to you or for you to take a survey. Tell them that you charge for your time to listen to what they have to sell or for surveys that your price is $4.99 per question. Tell them time is money and you are not some socialist and things are not free. Then tell them, will that be visa or mastercard. What you will hear next is them hanging up, but sometimes they laugh first then hang up, or at times they steep low and call you something. This works well and you usually get taken off their call list.

 

[maryannette]

call your congressman and see if they can help.

Surely they would not be able to help if they cannot even do the jobs they have been elected to do.

 

[goodal]

Can you block the number?

 

[knight1fox3]

Can you block the number?

+1. My thoughts exactly.

 

[Sapper PE LS]

Of course I can block the number. Of course I can ignore the calls. I can even not rant about it online, but what the hell satisfaction will any of that nonsense get me? I much prefer to make big deal out of a molehill because that is what we do in. America, and by god I'm entitled to my rights!

....humbly admits he didn't think about call blocking...

 

[goodal]

Anything else I can help you with today?

 

[Sapper PE LS]

You have just blown my mind... you are good now? Come back to the dark side!

And, um, no. I'm good, thanks for the offer.

 

[Supe]

When I had Verizon, you couldn't block calls or messages from individual numbers. You either had to turn off all text messages, or change your phone #...

 

[Sapper PE LS]

But Supe, that's the thing. I don't have Verizon!

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

I used to have a company-issued crackberry where the phone number previously belonged to someone who was completely unable to pay any bills. I would get 2-3 calls per week from various collection agencies. I would tell each of them that the phone number has been reassigned to a new owner (a government agency), and that they would be ineffective if they continued calling. About the time the calls stopped, I cancelled the company phone and instead opted to go with the stipend so I only have to carry one phone (mine).

 

[goodal]

I'm practicing that line for my next job...at the home depot.

 

[knight1fox3]

When I had Verizon, you couldn't block calls or messages from individual numbers. You either had to turn off all text messages, or change your phone #...

Now you can log in to their online portal and have blocked numbers added as you see fit.

<---has a few blocked ones on the list.

 

[sycamore PE]

You can report calls to the FCC (not that they're likely to do anything now). I was getting an absurd number of debt collection calls for a couple different people. They left amusingly threatening calls on my voicemail. I'd let them call 3-4 times, then fill out an online complaint with the FCC, then the calls would stop for a little while. Then they'd start with a new number, until some rude guy called me from an unknown number. However, the calls have to break one of the FCC's rules, which Verizon might not since they identify themselves and you used to have an account with them. But if they're breaking at least one rule, you might be able to get them to stop.