Heather With Account Services
Hi! This is Heather with account services! This call is to let you know that our special offer of a low introductory rate on your credit cards is quickly expiring. Act now to secure the rate. Press "1" to speak with an operator.
I press "1." This is the third time that Heather has called this month.
Hi, this is _____ (where's Heather?) with Account Services. Can I please verify your name so that I can assist you?
I give my name and she asks how she can help me. I remind her that I'm on the National Do Not Call Registry and I want her company to stop calling me. The bitch hangs up on me.
This episode happened to me this morning and it's been happening around the Nation as well. My Caller ID tells me that the call is being generated from Miami, Florida and that the number is 305-758-9297. I answer it because for one, it's not an 800 number and two, I'm nosey.
You'd think after the third such call I'd get a clue but this morning's call just pissed me off. I was right in the middle of watching a great movie on the LMN (they're all great by the way - I'm so addicted to this channel - it's like reading romance novels in a two-hour period) when the phone rang and that all too familiar number popped up. I answered it, thinking that I'd ever so politely demand them to stop calling, and the above conversation ensued.
The more I thought about this episode, the more pissed off I became. I Googled the number and found information like this.
And this.
And one more.
I actually found a blog and website dedicated to Heather and her mysterious company:
I went ahead and lodged a complaint with the FCC, in regards to the incessant calling, but in actuality, you know these jerks will never be caught. They are able to "spoof" the Caller ID system and so far, my complaints to Dateline are going unnoticed. I guess Chris Hansen would rather trap pervs than telemarketers.
These vial creatures are making thousands of these calls every day and I bet at least a quarter of them are producing fruitful results. Why else would they keep doing it if they weren't making money? Certainly it's not because they're lonely and likely to talk to a variety of different people around the nation. It's really sad how easy it is to get information off of credit reports nowadays, and how legit these scammers can sound to people who may be desperate or otherwise unknowing.
So please, if you get a call from Heather, tell her "hi" for me. And then hang up on her. Err.
Comments
I know your pain - some people call (from Inida I might add) about every other day and when I tell them I'm not 65 or Mrs. XXX they friggin hang up on me EVERY time! OMG if they would listen and just take me off the list they could save some long distance!
Posted by: Tiffany | March 31, 2008 06:52 PM
LMN and Oxygen are both men hater channels. They provoked you thinking when you got that call. You got upset because it was Heather and not a man you could scream at. I do not allow either of those channels to be viewed in my home as they are a form a female chavenism. I know it is spelled wrong but do not want to get up and get a dictionary. Have a nice day and start watching ESPN for a more none violent viewing.
Posted by: Gump | April 2, 2008 10:42 AM
I've been hearing from Heather for two years. I've received dozens of calls and I've tried begging, pleading, and demanding to be taken off their list. They nearly always hang up on me immediately and always hang up if I ask for information about their company, even if I'm pretending it's because I'm interested in their nefarious services. Today I was dealing with a loss when they called and I told them to just leave me alone because I'd already asked to be removed from their list. The man replied patronizingly that it takes ninety days to be removed and I finally had it with them and screamed, "Two years? Two years!" Of course, as usual, they hung up unscathed. If only someone would stop them!
Posted by: Faith | May 15, 2008 06:54 PM
I've been dealing with Heather for over 2 years. Yelling at them, telling them you are on the DNC, asking for info, ect. does not work.
I've finally resorted to screwing with them if I have the time.
I give them a fake name and credit card number and write down the number that I give them as I make it up. Then let them put me on hold as they try to "verify" my credit card info. They come back and say they are having trouble and ask me to read them the number again, which I do and they try to run it again. They ask if the card was closed and I say, "No, I just used it yesterday at Starbucks (or some other place). I can't imagine what the problem is." They then stick me on hold and usually don't come back. By then I'm pretty sure they've figured out that I'm messing with them and that they either disconnected or decided to place me on hold for a while to punish me for it, so I hang up.
It doesn't stop the calls but I figure if I keep them on the phone as long as I can then maybe it will spare someone else an annoying phone call or possibly prevent someone from losing money to these bastards. What pisses me off the most is that they target elderly people, and many times they give information simply because they don't realize that someone would stoop so low as to rip them off.
Posted by: Erin | February 8, 2009 12:28 AM