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Post by stoner on Jan 28, 2006 21:42:42 GMT -5
Hey all.
Just wondering, do you all check the phone numbers on your long distance phone bill? Seems just about every month there is 1 phone number on ours to some obscure place in the US that me or the wife have never heard of. It's usually only about $.07 or something like that, but if everyone using their long distance service got charged for one of these calls it sure would add up fast. Especially if everyone was like me and just said, it's only $.07, forget it.
Anyone else noticing this?
Ed
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thehawke
freely admits to licking rocks
My Lord and Master
Member since January 2006
Posts: 866
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Post by thehawke on Jan 28, 2006 21:55:15 GMT -5
a few years back, when MCI was still around and we were stupid enough to switch to them, we got a phone bill for over $1200. Well, I only called puyallup and kent because that is where my sister and mom lived. All these other phone calls, and there were HUNDREDS, were to a set of phone numbers. So I called the phone company and told them the bill is wrong. They claimed I am still responsible for the bill. I said turn it over to your fraud department. They declined to do so. So I did some research and most of the numbers went to a modem or fax or something. I called them witht he new info. They still refused to credit my account. I told them in no uncertain terms that I was not paying for calls I did not make.
I had to contact my US Representative who then asked the FCC to look into the matter. About 2 weeks later I got a letter from MCI stating that they were "forgiving" my bill, even though they didn't have to. I didn't care at that point because I'd switched to another carrier and knew I was right and that my rep would take care of it.
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Post by docone31 on Jan 28, 2006 23:22:09 GMT -5
One of the things I do with THOSE companies, is to take a #2 pencil and draw a line through the check routing # in the lower left hand of the check.
What this does, is eliminate the electronic processing from the recipient and they have to manually process the check.
With communism what it is, it takes several people to manually process the check. This totals several hundreds of dollars per check. So, for .07 cents, they spend 99.93$ each time.
I just got tired of getting ripped off, and did some research.
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offbeat
no posts
Member since May 2010
Posts: 0
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Post by offbeat on Jan 29, 2006 0:56:25 GMT -5
Doc, something to also do is collect all the "fall outs" from magazines and junk mail you find in your mail box. When I get in the proper mood I like to sit back with a cold beer and take a marker and write on the fall outs "Don't put this in my magazine" and the junk mail "Don't send me this junk" (nothing else). Then just pop them in the mail box and send them back to them. I would think if enough people might try this they would get tired of paying for the return postage on them.
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Post by Alice on Jan 29, 2006 9:47:35 GMT -5
Hey all. Just wondering, do you all check the phone numbers on your long distance phone bill? Seems just about every month there is 1 phone number on ours to some obscure place in the US that me or the wife have never heard of. It's usually only about $.07 or something like that, but if everyone using their long distance service got charged for one of these calls it sure would add up fast. Especially if everyone was like me and just said, it's only $.07, forget it. Anyone else noticing this? Ed I get that when I dial the wrong number. The phone company charges you a whole minute as soon as the other person picks up the phone. |
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thehawke
freely admits to licking rocks
My Lord and Master
Member since January 2006
Posts: 866
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Post by thehawke on Jan 29, 2006 12:21:43 GMT -5
HAHAHA offbeat. I am gonna have a new hobby now. That's a terrific idea.
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stefan
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Jan 31, 2006 13:00:42 GMT -5
I take all credit card offers- Write across the face "PLEASE REMOVE FROM MAILING LIST" and sent them back in THEIR postage paid envelopes (which they have to pay First Class Postage on!!!!) Stuff everything they send me (Including the original envelope) into it and send it in- Does not take them long to remove YOU!! I used to get 10 to 12 offers a week- Now I get only 1 or 2 a month!!!!!
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Post by Alice on Jan 31, 2006 16:06:22 GMT -5
I wonder how they get your name in the first place.
A few years back we went through a rough time and all of our cards got closed because we couldn't keep up with the payments.
Once we started getting back on our feet again, and had a balance in our bank account, we started getting all sorts of credit card offeres from different banks addressed to us personally.
Is your personal bank leaking out info?
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thehawke
freely admits to licking rocks
My Lord and Master
Member since January 2006
Posts: 866
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Post by thehawke on Jan 31, 2006 16:18:32 GMT -5
yeah I think you have to write to your bank opting out of them sharing your info.
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Post by stoner on Jan 31, 2006 16:38:15 GMT -5
Believe it or not, alot of the offers are generated from the 3 credit reporting agencies.
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Feb 1, 2006 15:17:55 GMT -5
Oh everytime you register something- or order a magazine or products your name gets out there- Hell even my tiny little company purchases and sells names!!! I use a different name on different things (s. ********** or Stephan, or Steve, or Stevie, or Stef, or Steph, or Steven- well you get the idea) just to see where my name comes from- Ha Credit Card Companies buy names from EVERYWHERE!!!!!!
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Post by Alice on Feb 1, 2006 15:40:40 GMT -5
I'm getting the strangest phone calls lately.
The last thing I registered is my Canon photo printer, nothing for about 3 years before that (I used my own last name)...
I'm getting phone calls for Mrs.___ (hubby's last name)... things for lawn care, driveway paving, newspapers, magazines, alarm systems, credit cards, you name it I'm getting calls calls 3 - 4 times a day!
lawn care... It's the middle of winter for crying out loud!
and I rent ... Why would I want lawn care for something that's not my responsiblity?
GRRRR!!!
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Post by hermatite on Feb 1, 2006 15:43:36 GMT -5
I'm telling you...lobby your MP for a nation wide don't call list. It's the best thing that ever happened here in the US (okay there was that whole defeating the british thing...but I digress). We used to get three, maybe four calls a night at home from telemarketers. The list has pretty much stopped that cold.
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Feb 1, 2006 15:43:50 GMT -5
LMAO- Yea my wife just registered us on the do not call list- I get more calls now than before(guess they musta sold the list???) I ripped one yesterday- got her name and address- let her know I was turning her and the company over to my lawyer!!!! Let her Know that it was ILLEGAL to call me- Man you never heard someone apologize and hang up so quickly!!!
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Post by hermatite on Feb 1, 2006 15:48:30 GMT -5
Really? whoa...we get virtually no calls....0f course political parties, charities and busninesses you've dealt with in the last six months are allowed to phone. But even then it's cut our number of pestering calls to a mere percentage. It's woooooderful. If you just registered it'll likely be a while before they catch on...but trust me...you will come to love it. Have I ever steered you wrong?
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Feb 2, 2006 11:34:17 GMT -5
NO- Of course you haven't-
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