Rude telephone re-sale solicitations

earleb · Feb 17, 2011

Is there any way to stop, report, or make telephone re-sale solicitors from calling? I get 3-4 calls a week, with ALL caller id numbers fake. I ask they to put me on a do not call list, to no avail. One of the resellers even goes so far as to spoof caller id numbers in my local area code!!
I have even told them that I have sold my timeshare. Still does help!!

Please HELP

Earle

Rent_Share · Feb 17, 2011

When your business model is to "steal" an upfront fee by lying about a pending buyer, what agency are you going to be afraid of when you have already taken steps to hide your identity from those wise enough to know what you are doing ?

earleb · Feb 17, 2011

Yep, I am aware of that! I was just hoping someone here was way smarter than me on how to deal with these morons. I have gone so far as to play along to get a name or phone number, but to no avail. They are definitely smarter than me
You would think there would be some way to get they to stop!!
Thanks anyway.

Earle

Passepartout · Feb 17, 2011

I tell 'em I'm a lonely old guy and thank them for calling and wish they'd call more. My kids never call and you thoughtful people really care about my well being. No, I already gave away my timeshares..click.. silence. It took a while, but I'm no linger bothered.

Jim Ricks

John Cummings · Feb 17, 2011

We have never been bothered by phone calls from any timeshare business. We have both phones on the "Do not call list". Maybe we have just been lucky.

Kay H · Feb 17, 2011

"Excuse me for a minute" and laying down the phone and walking away may work. You can do that as many times as they call.

rickandcindy23 · Feb 17, 2011

Keep a loud whistle by the phone and be prepared to scare the cat and dog, but it works.

Usually a timeshare salespitch is about how great their website is, and how easy it is to pull it with a Google search. Ask where to go to see the site, so you can make a more informed decision, you now have the site to report.

Maybe these are just out and out scammers without a site, I don't know, but I have also gotten calls from our own area code, and they were trying to get me to send money to Jamaica for a large prize I won (something like that). Most of my scam calls have been from timeshare upfront-fee companies, so I turn them in to the FL Attorney General, after I search to make sure the business number is in Florida (all seem to be in FL).

DeniseM · Feb 17, 2011

Use your caller ID - if you don't recognize the number, let the answering machine pick it up.

John Cummings · Feb 17, 2011

DeniseM said:
Use your caller ID - if you don't recognize the number, let the answering machine pick it up.

That is the smartest thing to do. It is called "call screening".

Cheryl20772 · Feb 17, 2011

John Cummings said:
That is the smartest thing to do. It is called "call screening".

I have made a hobby of "playing" with them. If they tell me they have a buyer for my TS, I ask them where they saw mine for sale? After a bit I tell them that they should tell their "buyers" about the great TS buying opportunities on eBay. Then I just say Good bye and hang up.

We've had at least a dozen nuisance numbers calling us over and over (some with no one on the other end - robocalls?). If you have a Panasonic wireless phone, you may have a block calls option in the menu. I think I've put 14 in that list by now. Not sure what the limit is. These calls now appear as incoming calls, but, for them, the actual phone never rings! Take a look at your phone and see if that's a menu option. It's a great source of peace here.

jlwquilter · Feb 18, 2011

I started screening calls several years ago. I let the machine get everything and if it happens to be a friend/relative, I then pick up. Mostly people I want to talk to call me on my cell anyway.

Consistant screening (let the machine get it) does seem to eliminate most calls after a while. I get very few calls now. And I can be just about anywhere in the house and hear the machine pick up so I don't have to stop what I am doing in order to go listen.

sfwilshire · Feb 18, 2011

I love the ones that "have a buyer for my timeshare". When I ask "which one?" they never have a clue what I own.

Sheila

IngridN · Feb 18, 2011

jlwquilter said:
I started screening calls several years ago. I let the machine get everything and if it happens to be a friend/relative, I then pick up. Mostly people I want to talk to call me on my cell anyway.

Consistant screening (let the machine get it) does seem to eliminate most calls after a while. I get very few calls now. And I can be just about anywhere in the house and hear the machine pick up so I don't have to stop what I am doing in order to go listen.

That's what I do. My machine is set to pick up after the 2nd ring and family and friends know to start talking and if we're home, we'll pick up. Like quilter, we don't get a lot of them anymore.

Ingrid

John Cummings · Feb 18, 2011

jlwquilter said:
I started screening calls several years ago. I let the machine get everything and if it happens to be a friend/relative, I then pick up. Mostly people I want to talk to call me on my cell anyway.

Consistant screening (let the machine get it) does seem to eliminate most calls after a while. I get very few calls now. And I can be just about anywhere in the house and hear the machine pick up so I don't have to stop what I am doing in order to go listen.

That is exactly what we do. We can hear our answering machine on all 4 of our cordless phones ( Panasonic ). If I am near the phone I will look at it to see if the Caller ID is somebody I know, otherwise I will let the answering machine pick it up.

However, as I said, we do not get any calls from timeshare people.

Talent312 · Feb 18, 2011

1. The National "Do Not Call" Registry for all phone #'s will help some.
2. "Call Block" helps, too... but try not to block yourself, as I did.

3. Use Caller ID and pick up only if you know its a relative, friend or doc
.... if you want to talk to them ....
Otherwise, it goes to voice-mail... If its important enuff, they'll leave a message.

kanerf · Feb 18, 2011

I let all the callss go to the answering machine. It is across the room from me in the living room and I can here incoming calls and pickup if it is someone I want to speak with. I have registered all of my phone numbers with do-not-call and it does not help with these people.

I was working in Orlando and rented a mailbox from UPS. Guess what, I got dozens of cards and letters from these kind of companies. There was nothing to connect the fact that I was a timeshare owner to that mail box.

earleb · Feb 19, 2011

Thanks guys for the ideas I am on the dot not call list, they are not!! I've tried most of the ideas, the problem is some of my family and doctors come up unavailable or blocked. There is one moron with any Indian accent that keeps calling every 2-3 days. I keep telling the idiot I sold my timeshare 6 months ago, but the voice from all the calls seem the same! Oh well! Maybe he'll get tired someday!!:annoyed:

LannyPC · Feb 20, 2011

Cheryl20772 said:
I have made a hobby of "playing" with them.

I do that too. Here's one funny, but pathetic, call. He calls and asks me about our timeshare. At this point, I'm 99% sure it's an upfront fee scammer. I answer his questions. He then "puts me on hold" while he "figures out the resale value of my timeshare".

While I'm "on hold", my wife asks me who it is. I respond, "It's another one of those upfront fee scammers. I'm just giving him enough rope to hang himself."

As soon as I said that, he quickly retorted, "I'm not an upfront fee scammer, Sir! Just because you're on hold, it doesn't mean I can't hear you."

Bottom line, he tried to convince me that our property was worth [1.5 times what we paid the developer] and I told him good-bye.

Rude telephone re-sale solicitations

earleb

Rent_Share

earleb

Passepartout

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

John Cummings

Kay H

rickandcindy23

TUG Review Crew: Elite

DeniseM

John Cummings

Cheryl20772

jlwquilter

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

sfwilshire

TUG Review Crew: Expert

IngridN

John Cummings

Talent312

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

kanerf

earleb

LannyPC