He writes:

I have an issue I'm hoping you or the fellow readers can help me out with.

My parents are getting into there elderly years and have become very easy marks for salesmen, financing and buying all sorts of stuff they don't want or need. I have tried to put a stop to it the best I can but nothing has worked, they are stubborn and wont listen to my pleas. My problem is now they have racked up debt greater then their social security can now pay. Being their son and one of the references they put on the credit applications, their creditors wont leave me alone. The worse offender is Conns (http://www.conns.com/) or who ever is there collection agency is.

They call my house, cell phone, office, and they have even started bothering my neighbors. I started out by politely telling them I have no control over my parents finances, and had they called me before they loaned the money I would have told them not to and to please stop contacting me. This has not helped, now the threats have started, and a few want me to pay. They are going to sue me, arrest me etc. I know their threats are B.S. but still the calls need to stop. This has got to be highly illegal, I'm not the borrower or even the co borrower. I'm simply their son they used as a reference.

I have started a log of all the activities but the numbers are blocked. I'm going to head down and file a police report but against who? I think I have 3-4 different ones bothering me but I can't tell as they us different tactics and names all the time for all I know its the same company.

Any advice??

If actual collection agencies are calling you, then they're breaking the law right from the beginning, because collection agencies aren't allowed to call a debtor's friends or family to attempt to collect the debt. You'll want to get the name of each agency that calls, and tell each one not to call you again and that they're in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and that you are going to report them to your state's Attorney General's office if they do it again.

CreditInfoCenter.com suggests you try to get a witness to listen in on the coversation, or if it's legal in your state then record it. Here's a list of what the law is on a state-by-state basis.

If retailers are calling you, ask them to remove you as a reference on the account. Make it clear that you have no connection to it and cannot help them. You may want to have your parents call and remove you from the account, or call on their behalf so that you can provide account information.

However, if on any of these accounts you were listed as a co-signer, then yes, you are responsible for the debt. It sucks, but that's what co-signers are there for. You might want to ask for the documentation on each loan and review it to see what your role truly is, so that your credit isn't hurt and you're not surprised with a lawsuit later on.

You might also want to block unlisted numbers from going through to your phone. If you've confirmed that you're not liable for any of the debt, there's no reason you should ever need to talk to any of these collectors again.

And finally, if your parents can't pay the debt they owe, you need to talk to them about bankruptcy. If they refuse to consider that option and refuse to otherwise deal with the debt, at least take comfort in knowing that their now bad credit should act as a warning sign to other lenders to stay away.

And tell them to stop using you as a reference on purchases and loans.

(Photo: Rev Dan Catt)

I got a call from my mother-in-law yesterday, saying that someone had called her Saturday night (11PM, no less), and asked for my number. When she asked who they were, they said they were the NCO (something) credit claim company. When she asked who they were calling on behalf of, they refused to say, so she refused to give my number, but copied down theirs. I was surprised to hear this, as we are very good with our credit, and going through all my bills, not a single one was late — or even due!

So, I called the number yesterday, and was greeted with, "Hello, you've reached Capital One's Collection Dept. How may I help you?" At this point, knowing it's CapitalOne, I shuffled through my bills to find theirs. I found it, and saw that I had already paid this bill. I told her who I was, and asked what the call to my mother-in-law was in reference to. She mentioned that they were attempting to collect a bill from me. I said, "Are you referring to the bill I just paid? The bill that is not due until November 13th?"

She confirmed that was the bill she was trying to collect, and when I asked her why they were attempting to collect a bill 2 weeks in advance, she said it's just standard policy. I asked her if it was also standard policy to contact my mother-in-law, and how she even got the number in the first place. She didn't answer the question, but just kept sidelining it by trying to confirm my own number. I eventually just gave up trying to resolve this issue, and demanded that she remove all phone numbers from my account except for mine; explaining to her that it was VERY embarrassing to have my mother-in-law be contacted by a collection agency for a bill that isn't even due yet!

Once we cleared all that up, I asked her to make a note on my account to not contact me unless my bill is past due. She said that she would, and as she was doing her sign-off, she said, "And sir, I've made a note on you account to not contact you less than 2 days before you bill is due." I asked her what that meant, and she said, "Well, we may contact you a few days or weeks before a bill is due just to remind you." I told her that I didn't need that reminder, and she said, "Yes, sir, but we also want to contact you to offer protection services and other offers."

So, here's how CapitalOne does business:

Step 1: Harrass extended family members at late hours with collection agency calls on bills not yet due

Step 2: Refuse to answer questions about how numbers mysteriously get attached to accounts

Step 3: Inadvertently confirm that this whole mess was just a ruse to sell me protection services

I'll be paying off, and closing this account next month. I'll be sticking with my credit union for all my credit needs in the future!

Apparently if you sign up for a Capital One credit card, you also agree to monthly telemarketing calls. Remember that by law, any company you have a business relationship with is allowed to contact you for marketing purposes. Maybe it's best to just not do business with the company at all.

UPDATE: By the way, here's an example of the kind of products Capital One is trying to sell: an "emergency payment protection plan" that they'll try to keep you from activating when a real emergency happens.

RELATED
"Capital One Tricks Customer Into Not Activating Emergency Payment Protection Plan"
(Photo: TheTruthAbout...)

He writes:

[The company I worked for, Civic Development Group,] operates out of Austin, TX, behind a nightclub. This is one of those companies that hires people by means of business cards "left behind" at bus stops. There is a severely high incentive to hire your friends on, additional pay being given for any new hires you recommend.

Additional incentive exists to force an upsale from any customer you speak to. The "sale" in question is a donation, with a sticker being given that you can put on your car to show that you supported the companies and organizations that [the company] claims to be representing.

In the company policies, it is demanded that you never refer to any decision or offer being on behalf of "Us" or "We". This is geared specifically towards protecting the company from lawsuit, and allowing the employee to be sued if any customer suddenly wants to.

I know all of this because I used to work there. Three days, actually. The first two were training days, and when I saw what was actually done on the floor, I quit at the end of the day.

We don't know if our tipster really worked for CDG, but it got us wondering about the company itself and its relationship to Oregon. Through Google we found a mention of Civic Development Group, LLC, in a 2005 report (pdf) on charitable giving released by Oregon's Department of Justice. Page 9 shows that CDG was a recognized telemarketer soliciting contributions for the Oregon Volunteer Firefighters Association, but that the net proceeds to charity were only 13 percent—one of the lowest percentages of any of the organizations listed in the report.

By contrast, the organization cited in the article we posted about earlier this week—which Oregon's Attorney General has banned from the state for three years for misleading consumers—had a 50% net proceeds to charity rate in 2005 (see page 12).

Our take? Consumer Affairs was right—you shouldn't do business with these telemarketers. The amount of your donation that actually ends up going to the organization is paltry, when you could just as easily contact the organization yourself—or some national group like the Red Cross—and donate.

"Charitable Giving; It Makes a Difference" [Oregon Crime Victims Rights]

RELATED
"Don't Donate Money To Public Safety Organizations Over The Phone"
(Photo: StephenMitchell)

"Oregon Warns Against Bogus 'Public Safety' Solicitors" [Consumer Affairs via LA Times]
(Photo: smudie)

We're contacting you to let you know that due to a technical error you were billed incorrectly for certain calls you transferred from your Vonage phone to another phone.

Rest assured we have already resolved the issue that caused the erroneous billing, and all calls after June 3, 2009, are being charged correctly to your account. Additionally, we are issuing a credit to you in the amount of $8.85 plus applicable taxes for the calls we charged incorrectly.

At Vonage, our goal is to provide you with a great customer experience. We apologize for any inconvenience this error may have caused and hope that we have resolved this problem to your satisfaction.

If you have any questions please contact us at 1-VONAGE HELP (1-866-243-4357). And remember to access your online account to keep track of your charges and phone calls, and explore our many fantastic features than can help you stay better-connected to friends and family.

Thanks for being our customer.

It's great that Vonage is now able to distinguish Africa from California, but it would have been nicer if they hadn't taken almost three months to roll out a fix.

PREVIOUSLY: Why Is Vonage Billing Domestic Calls At International Rates?

I went to a Subway restaurant in Warrenton, VA for lunch on 6/2/09, which I do a day or two per week. On this particular day, there was quite a line, so while waiting I noticed this "Vacation Giveaway" kiosk by the entrance. So, since I was already standing there, what's the hurt of entering. I would soon find out.

The evening of 6/10/09 I received (3) phone calls from a number I did not recognize (757-821-0166), so I didn't answer. Well the last call the guy actually left a voicemail. The message went to say that where I had entered the contest at Subway, they had a $125.00 Visa gift card and they were trying to contact me to collect. I thought to myself, what dumb luck that because of a line at Subway, I actually won something.

I called back the next day and was told that I had to speak with the gentleman that contacted me, and he comes in a 5pm. So a little after 5pm I called to collect my gift. While speaking with Fred, he informs me that not only did I win a $125.00 Visa gift card, but I also won a $25 Subway gift card and trip to Orlando Florida for 3 days and 2 nights. This is when I got suspicious. It sounded to good to be true, so I asked, "What's the catch?"

Fred then told me that all I had to do was spend 90 minutes of my time "getting acquainted" with the resort (aka timeshare sales pitch). He then informed me that in order to get the items I had "won" I needed to authorize them to deduct a $75.00 reservation fee, which would be returned once I was at the resort. I read your blog daily, so immediately "SCAM" jumped into my head. So I told Fred that I needed to think about it, and spent the next bit of time looking up his information on the internet—which was filled with horror stories.

When Fred called back, I told him I was not interested, which I had to tell him at least 10 times before he would give up. He has since proceeded to call me 4-7 times per night between the hours of 5pm and 11pm trying to get me to reconsider. This is totally unacceptable. I am not sure if this company was sold my information, or stole the information. But regardless, beware.

(Photo: Aidan Wojtas)

This time around, the caller was arrested and spent the night in jail. According to the AP,

Sheriff's Sgt. David Thompson said Osman ignored deputies who told him the emergency number isn't to be used for straightening out fast-food orders.

Some people really take this fast food stuff seriously. (See the Florida Chicken McNugget Lady and the Burger King Won't Make It My Way Caller.) Maybe we should implement a special emergency channel just for those calls—something like 7838 (STFU).

"Ore. man calls 911 over orange juice at McDonald's" [Associated Press] (Thanks to /u /u!)
Aloha man calls 9-1-1 over botched fast-food order [OregonLive]

(Photo: hoyasmeg)

According to the Los Angeles Times, Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Mark Warner (D-VA) have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the scammers, and they expect that charges will be filed in a few days. The FTC also added an auto warranty scam alert on its website, with a link to report the caller.

After a Reddit user got the phone number for the company and posted it online for all to see, we figured that the car warranty scammers would be subjected to all the fun things we read about on Encyclopedia Dramatica. That apparently wasn't enough, though, and the robocalls continued, eventually interrupting Senator Chuck Schumer during a meeting. We're hopeful that with the FTC taking it seriously, these robots will finally be defeated.

(Photo: Jeff Sandquist)

J.R. writes:

I transfered a call from 213-520-XXXX to 817-284-xxxx. To my surprise when I got my phone bill I saw the following:

International Calls For 1-(254)-XXX-XXXX
Time: To: Rate: Duration Amount: Transaction ID:
12:42 AM 1817284XXXX $0.22 02:57:00 $38.94 XXXXXXXX

After being transfered 6 times from overseas customer support representatives that repeatedly claimed different reasons for why I was being charged that ranged from "Vonage charges for transfered calls"(They don't!) transfered from the "213" Area Code which is "Algeria", or Country Code 81 is Japan(referring to the 817 number I called) and repeatedly asking for a US representative, as almost everyone in the US would recognize that 213 is Los Angeles and all you have to do is google to verify my claim, I finally got transfered to a technician in the US who explained what happened. You see there is a glitch in Vonage's system where if you TRANSFER a call and any of the 2 numbers (the first number you called or the number you transfer the call to) were not dialed with a "1" in front of it, but instead with 7 digit or 10 digit dialing, vonage's billing system will not see the "1" for country code 1, North America, and assume the call is international, and as such since the first number I called in Los Angeles, I only used 10 digit dialing on, Vonage saw the call as Country Code 213, Algeria. So Vonage customers, remember to dial 1 first!!!

Update: They did eventually credit me when I finally got the rep in the US who, by the way, said this was a known issue and any of the other reps who also have access to the SAME NOTES HE HAS, would have been able to recognize right away that 7 and 10 digit dialing without a 1 on transfered calls causes a billing glitch!

The Notes on your account are meaningless to you. In theory, they should provide some institutional memory of your calls, so any CSR can pick up where you and the company last left off. In practice, they've taken on the status of sacred text, with call center managers positioning themselves as the high priests and priestesses—after all, only they can see these Notes, and relay the information back to you. The Notes are Law. The Notes are Truth.

Except no, no they're not. You have no say over the Notes. You can't even see them to confirm that the correct information was recorded. There's only one real record of your previous calls, and that's any audio recording that may have been made. Wait, let's clarify that: any audio recording that you may have made of the call, since the company will almost certainly not bother to retrieve or share their recordings with you in a future dispute.

On many smartphones, you can install applications that let you record calls. The iPhone has some options if you jailbreak your phone. There are services you can use as well, like RecordMyCalls.com, which I personally don't like because it requires a subscription as well as per-minute rates, or Google Voice. If you didn't get a Google Voice membership back when it was GrandCentral, add your email address here to eventually receive an invitation. Refer to the post below to determine how to legally record any customer service calls in your state:

"Is It Legal To Record My Customer Service Calls?"

The Notes issue could be resolved if companies would make the notes visible to customers, and give them a way to sign off on them at the end of a call. Yes, it would require additional work on the company's part to set up a visible "notes" section—but if you can log in and see your latest bill, or receive messages from the company from within your account view, then they've already proven they know how to share data with you.

Until that happens, the next time a CSR refers to the Notes, we suggest you politely remind them that you can't see those notes, you didn't sign off on them, and you have no idea if the previous CSR actually entered what he said he would. It's time to let companies know that as long as these fabled Notes are off-limits to customers, they're off limits in the conversation as well.

(Photo: Eustaquio Santimano)

Evan says:

Recently, I was forced to cancel my Comcast service (I am moving and our new building has an exclusive deal with another service provider). "Forced" here is a loose term, as I would have gladly told Comcast where to stick their shoddy service had I had an alternative at my old address. But I digress. The cancellation went smoothly, as I explained I was canceling due to a move (I didn't feel like giving the strangely friendly customer service agent my diatribe about why I hate them).

But within a few hours, I received a phone call from a number I didn't recognize. I figured if it was important, they would leave a message. They didn't, so I shrugged it off and continued with my day. Well, a few hours later, the same number calls. Curious, I picked up. Nothing. This was odd to say the least, so I Googled the phone number. Sure enough, 630-288-1777 was listed as a Comcast number. Upon digging, I found stories of other people who had recently canceled their Comcast service and were being constantly called by this number. No one had any solutions.

Well, that was earlier this week. Since then, I have received phone calls from that same number daily every few hours.

This seems like customer abuse, but I'm sure calling their customer service center will result in them denying ownership of the number. So what can I do? Can they really get away with harassment like this?

Companies that had a business relationship with you are allowed to call you for several months after you terminate the relationship—- unless you tell them not to. Since there's no one on the line when they call, why not try calling Comcast's customer service number? Ask them to place you on their do not call list.

Once you've done this, the calls should stop. If they don't, they're probably in violation. Click here to file a complaint.

You can also report them to your state's attorney general.

(Photo:diaper)

According to the suit, Feature Films made about 500,000 calls in a 10-day period earlier this month to Verizon Wireless customers and employees from the phone number 917-210-4609. People who answered either heard an automated message or an individual encouraging them to see the movie.

...

Verizon Wireless suspects the use of an auto-dialer since many of these calls came in rapid succession. Between 4 PM and 5 PM on Feb. 13, for example, the same number placed 11,000 calls, Verizon said.

Verizon Wireless is seeking a preliminary injunction against the company, which may not mean much since the movie is opening in really, really limited release tomorrow. However, the carrier is also seeking $500 in damages for each call made to a Verizon Wireless customer, which is a punishment we like very much.

Although this is great news, you shouldn't let it stop you from filing your own complaint with your state Attorney General and the FTC if you received a call on behalf of the company. The best way to send a clear message to unethical telemarketers—and Feature Films For Families was caught doing this exact same stunt two years ago—is to throw every resource you can at them.

"Verizon Sues Telemarketers Pushing Kids Film" [PC Mag] (Thanks to Brian!)
"Verizon Wireless Hunts Rabbits" [WSJ]
"Bad Rabbit!" [Radar Online]

RELATED
"This 'Velveteen Rabbit' Teaches You The Triumph Of Love. Also Of Telemarketing."
"How The "Velveteen Rabbit" Company Is Bypassing The Do Not Call List"

Kevin writes,

So apparently some marketing company is spamming phone numbers (they claim "at random") with what is either an army of impossibly determined and stoic cold calling employees, or a series of computerized recordings, advertising on behalf of the production company for some new movie "The Velveteen Rabbit." They're also trying to include any number of suspicious guarantees and special "side deal" offers. They're even brazen enough to talk about it in their manufactured "comments" section and mention it on their own animated short.

It seems like this has been going on for at least two weeks, judging from forum posts I've seen around the net while trying to research this and find out who called me, why they called me, and how the hell they got my cell phone number.

whocalled.us/lookup/4357879018
whocalled.us/lookup/9172104609
forums.wdwmagic.com

I immediately called the number back, and got sent to some "Your call is very important to us" queue, and after about twenty seconds it SOUNDED like I got a real person, but they refused to acknowledge my questions and immediately launched directly into another preprogrammed speech routine while ignoring everything I said, so it was probably just another computer recording. In any case, it's annoying and frustrating, not to mention a blatant violation of my number being on the do not call registry.

On the forum Kevin mentions above, several people say they tried calling the number back only to get routed to a full voicemail box that prevented them from leaving any message, which we're pretty sure goes against the rule that requires telemarketers to provide a way for you to reach them during normal business hours to request they take your name off of their list.

There's also the question of whether these are robocalls. If they are, as of December of 2008 they have to provide a clear and easy way, during the phone call, for the recipient to opt out of any future calls from the company, which we're not sure is happening.

We contacted Feature Films For Families on Tuesday and asked them about the telemarketing, specifically whether or not they were following the Do Not Call Registry and the related guidelines for opting out of such calls. We also asked them to provide a working phone number where people can call to request that their number be removed from any calling list. As of the time of this post, we have yet to hear back from them.

If you need to file a complaint against a telemarketer who's not following the law, here's how to do it.

TheVelveteenMovie.com [Feature Films For Families]
FamilyTV.com

RELATED
The Do Not Call Registry - Business Information [FTC]
August 2008 Telemarketing Sales Rule Amendments [FTC]

I got my AT&T bill yesterday, and it was more than usual. I examined the billing summary and found a $18.87 charge I did not recognize described only as "The Billing Resource 1-888-296-8079". I called that number, and a recording directed me to call "OSP Communications" at 1-866-460-0837. Their office was closed, natch.

I called AT&T and their rep seemed familiar with the problem. In fact he said, he just got off the phone with another customer with the same issue. My own google seaches for "OSP Communications" yielded many hits on the "rip-off report" website, among others.

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/333/RipOff0333589.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/332/RipOff0332530.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/341/RipOff0341480.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/352/RipOff0352588.htm

The AT&T rep said it appeared to involve a charge for a collect from some town in Arizona to Milwaukee. I am certain that I authorized no such call. He said all he could do was to "pend" the charge for 65 days, and that in the meantime I would have to call this other company to dispute the charge, since they were a "third party biller".

Help, consumerist!! This is total bullshit that I should have to spend any time fighting this fraudulent charge! Where is the damn FCC?!?

Ralph, we suggest you try calling AT&T again and explain that you're a victim of cramming, and that the company billing you does not exist or has no way for you to contact them, and ask them what their policy is for addressing the fraudulent charge. If they refuse to remove the fee, don't pay it. Dispute only that portion of the bill (pay the rest of it, of course) in writing, and then file a complaint with the FCC at 1-888-CALL-FCC or 1-888-TELL-FCC (TTY).

[FCC]
(Photo: Marcin Wichary)

We're particularly amused by how the current economic climate influenced this encounter from both sides. The scammer promised Idolina a $5,000 government grant (whereas Laurie was threatened with arrest back in October), and Idolina demurred by lying that she had just filed bankrupcty and consequently had no bank info to give him. In fact, she sort of made up an implied family drama just for his benefit. We have a feeling Idolina liked to tell elaborate stories as a child.

You can read her account below, but just in case you don't, here's an important takeaway about a common scammer trick that works really well, because it taps into that natural desire to be helpful or to solve a problem: the scammer will call out your SSN, bank account, or telephone number, only it will be incorrect, and when you tell him he's wrong he'll ask you to please correct it for him. Don't. (Or better yet, make up a new number!)

My name is Idolina ___ and live in the state of Washington in a little town called Wapato. Just this morning, 1/23/09 at 11:15 am, I received a call from a fellow with a foreign accent telling me that he was returning a call, because he had talked to me the week before and I was suppose to get my bank account routing number and checking account numbers so that the US NATIONAL BANK could in turn deposit $5000 into my account, because I had been selected to recieve this federal government grant.

He went on to tell me that the reason that he needed that information was that... I had been selected to receive this grant because the reports showed that I had not filed bankruptcy within the last 3-months.

I told him that I did not have a checking or savings account anymore because I had just filed for bankruptcy last week. He kept insisting that I get then maybe a debit or credit card and give him the number, because that would be the only way that the National Bank could deposit the $5000.

I told him, "I already told you that I don't have any of that, because the lawyer took everything away from me now that I have filed for bankruptcy," (which I did not). Then he goes on to ask about my family, does anyone in your family maybe have a checking/savings or a debit/credit card that you can give me the numbers to? I again told him, "I don't know if they do or not, but I am sure that they will not let me borrow something like that, besides I'm not in good standing with my family." Which is not true, but I just did not know how to get him off the phone, because when I hung up before he called back.

I just wanted to take the call and tell him that I was not interested in receiving that money, especially since I had not applied for it, then he says, that is why I am telling you, that I need those numbers because you did not apply for the grant but you were selected to receive this $5000 because every year the bank runs a random report of all citizens that have not filed bankruptcy and your name was selected as one of the candidates to receive this free money.

I kept insisting that I had nothing to give him. He even put his supervisor on the phone, who asked me why I was not cooperating, because his representative had informed me that I had been selected to receive this $5000, and all I had to do was give him the information that he was requesting and that within 48 hours I would have $5000 in my checking/saving or credit card which I preferred.

I told him, "Well I just told your representative that I don't have any information to give him, because I just filed bankruptcy last week." He starts up with "If you can get your family to cooperate and let your use their checking account, surely someone in your family must have an account."

They both went on and on, until finally I just told the man, "You know what? Why don't you just send me a check in the mail," because he had my address, the last 4-digits of my social, my phone number and supposedly my checking account number with my bank. He read it off to me and I guess he just gave me numbers of the top of his head, and I said, "No, that's not my account number." So he then says, "Oh, it's not correct? Okay, can you give me the correct number?" I said "No, because I have been telling you that I no longer have an account number because I closed everything and put everything into bankruptcy."

He finally says, "Okay so how do you want to receive the $5000?" I said, "Well if you can't send it through the mail to me, then I guess that I will lose out!" He then said, "Well okay. You don't want to receive the $5000, then I will just hang up."

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US National Bank stories
(Photo: Benimoto)

My TimeWarner cable installer did not show up at the appointed time, and when I called them, they said the installer had logged a call to me and said I did not respond. My cell phone has perfect reception and shows no call in my log. When I talked to someone else, they said the exact same thing happened to them. In both cases, the installer logged the call at the very end of the window. I'm not normally a conspiracy theorist, but is this maybe some clever ploy to keep up their ontime installation statistics somehow? The ensuing wasted day where TimeWarner kept promising to call back, failed to do so, and then refused to make any concessions for their screwup didn't help anything either.

We're working on a theory that in another universe, people are getting calls from Time Warner every day. Those people probably complain about having too much cable installed.

Update: Check out this explanation from a former Time Warner employee, and the follow up comment by chris_d. If this is happening to you, you might want to double and triple-check that TW has your correct phone number.

(Photo: Pink Sherbet Photography)

The association has paid outside lobbyists about $50,000 so far this year to defend it in communities across the country. Two main points the group tries to get across are that phone books help promote local businesses and that they are made almost entirely from wood scraps collected at saw mills and recycled paper.

In Albany, city councilman Joseph Igoe is trying to build support for a law that would limit the distribution of phone books and require publishers to make it easy for people to halt delivery. Igoe said the issue came to his attention while campaigning door-to-door last spring and saw phone books wrapped in plastic littering sidewalks, driveways and lawns.

If Igoe succeeds in passing legislation, it will be noteworthy. Proposals have been floated — without success — by state legislatures in Alaska, Hawaii, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina and Washington.

Phone book publishers peddle the usual free market babble to defend the proliferation of yellow doorstops, saying it's a "sign of competition in a healthy business."

Even residents who do want more than one phone book — such as 81-year-old Jean Angell, who lives in Igoe's district and likes to keep a phone book by each phone in her house — get fed up with the extras.

"They delivered two to the house across the street, and it's been vacant since last October," she said.

What do you think?

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

As phone books multiply, so do consumer hang-ups [AP]
(AP Photo/Bill Sikes)

My phone was thankfully on silent, so I didn't notice the missed a call until the first intermission. When I got home, I looked up the strange number: (212) 875-0583. To my shock, here's what I found:
The Philharmonic called again on Thursday. Here's approximately how the conversation went.

New York Philharmonic: I'm calling to invite Mr. and Mrs. Greenberg-Berger to subscribe to our 2008-2009 season.
Me: Do you realize that you called on Tuesday when I was at the Philharmonic?
NYP: Really? Oh no. But your phone wasn't on, right?
Me: No, it wasn't. Because that would have been inconsiderate.

Concerts usually start at 7:30 or 8:00, but the Philharmonic makes solicitation calls until 8:30. Apparently, they don't check purchase histories to make sure that their marks aren't already in the audience. Nor do they care if people have repeatedly, expressly, asked not to be called.

This wasn't even the Friends of the New York Philharmonic, with whom I've previously expressed my displeasure and frustration, but the Philharmonic itself.

I understand why the Philharmonic is a vicious fundraiser: renovating Avery Fischer Hall won't be cheap, and the youngins just aren't flocking to hear the orchestra's stunning performances. I empathize. Really, I do. But please, again, I beg of you—stop calling me! Especially if I'm already there!

It all started in the '80s, when corporations birthed the phone tree out of a desire to cut costs and, understandably, gain some distance from their outlandishly outfitted customers. They took the need for space too far, even as America cleaned up its act, forgetting that bad customer service is a bad business decision.

“I’ve listened to thousands of people interacting with machines,” Mr. Rolandi said. “You hear sighs of resignation. You hear people swear. If businesses knew what I knew, they would not design them this way. Many people do not take into account the emotional state of the customer. When you call someone for customer service, you’ve got a problem and you’re probably in a bad mood. You hear someone telling you your call is so important that we won’t let you talk to a human. Then they slap people with too many options, and eventually, you’re in a fight with the system. When you do get a customer representative, you’re loaded for bear.”

The popular conception of outsourced call centers ruining our lives isn't quite right. Fewer than 10% of call centers are based offshore. As Americans, we can all be proud of the more than 100,000 call centers we host, excluding telemarketers.

The Times thinks the tide is slowly turning in our favor.

For the first time, American corporations are acknowledging “customer service as something worth paying for rather than just red ink,” said [Jon Anton, director of benchmark research at the Center for Customer Driven Quality at Purdue,] who looks at call centers worldwide and, using a number of criteria, compares how well they work. “If you can satisfy customers and keep them buying, it’s as important as marketing.”

He said that in the last year or so some large companies have been creating a chief customer executive, whose success is measured not on profit, but on customer retention.

Another reason for this change is that the very technology that is driving us crazy is helping people fight back.

Consumers are posting their experiences with customer service online and warning people away from businesses that do not offer a good follow-up with customers. Secondly, there are Web sites that tell customers how to get around an automated system.

The Times cites Netflix as one example of an enlightened company switching its emphasis from automated support to well-trained, empowered call centers. We've lauded Netflix before, but don't know of many other companies that are cutting down phone trees in favor of quality support.

What do you think? Are companies slowly improving their service, or are consumers just getting better at biting back?

Far From Always Being Right, the Customer Is on Hold [NYT]
(Photo: Getty)

"The aim is to get in touch with our customers because they are more than just numbers," said Doug Betts, vice president and chief customer officer for Chrysler, which means he's in charge of ensuring quality.

"When a person is happy with his or her car, they tend to tell five other people,” Betts said. “But when they’re unhappy, they tell 50 people — friends, relatives, neighbors and fellow workers. A positive experience obviously sells more cars. An unpleasant experience doesn't. If a person we call has a problem, it's up to us to make it right."

Sure, it's a stunt—but in a week they're opening up a short-lived line of communication with 2,100 customers instead of hiding behind dealerships and call centers.

We're curious to see how this turns out, so if anyone receives a call from a Chrysler executive in the coming days, please let us know how the call goes.

"Chrysler Execs Phone Your Home" [Kicking Tires]
(Photo: Getty Images)

Tom's email:

Hi Consumerist -

I recently disconnected my AT&T home phone and DSL service. I received a final bill in the mail shortly thereafter for $118. Checking the due date, I noticed that it says "due upon receipt," and I thought, "Wow, I'd better run IMMEDIATELY to the nearest AT&T store and pay this bill because I received it 2 hours ago and IT'S ALREADY PAST DUE!"

Just kidding. What I actually thought is, "Due upon receipt, my big fat white ass." And I scheduled it for payment 27 days later. Since AT&T was not capable of indicating a reasonable due date, I came up with my own, and for no particular reason, 27 days seemed about right. Seemed like the outer limit of right, but still right, still OK, still within reason.

Exactly three weeks after getting that bill, I received an extremely aggressive "collection" notice warning me that I was a delinquent and a menace to society. I honestly assumed I must have missed an earlier payment, because I couldn't fathom receiving such an aggressive collection notice only 21 days after receiving a bill from a company I've never paid a day late in my entire life (I have perfect credit).

I called AT&T and was, indeed, transferred to their collections department. FANTASTIC. A collections specialist named Barry picked up and wanted to know if I've called to make a payment over the phone to settle this unpleasant matter. And I tell him, no, I did not. I tell him I'm calling to complain about getting a rude collection notice a mere 21 days after getting a bill.

And he says, "Sir, many times we send collection notices 10 days after the bill has been sent."

And I say, "Wow, really? Doesn't that seem kind of rude and stupid?"

And he says, "Sir, I apologize but apparently you are not on our schedule, and that's when we send collection notices."

And I say, "No, Barry, YOU are not on MY schedule, and when you fail to give reasonable and specific due-by dates, I make up my own."

The Consumerist website has rightly counseled its readers never to be rude or disrespectful in situations like these, and I completely agree. I have always followed this advice and it's worked well, and everyone should always follow it. You can't always blame the underlings for the moronic and offensive decisions of its brainiac executives. There is never any excuse for abusive language, and nobody should every use it under any circumstances, ever.

But in this case I thought, screw it, enough with the executives hiding behind of the underlings who invariably tell me it's not their fault. And I let loose with an offensive and totally inappropriate insult that surprised me even as I began to speak it.

[offensive and totally inappropriate insult]

My question is, what is the official Consumerist position on bills that are "payable upon receipt" for no reason other than vendor churlishness? Do your readers actually feel obligated to snap their heels, salute, and rush out a payment immediately? What's a reasonable period of time?

She recently sent us the Executive Email Carpet Bomb she lobbed towards Dell's headquarters:

To: tips@consumerist.com
Cc: michael_dell@dell.com, donald_carty@dell.com, ronald_garriques@dell.com, michael_cannon@dell.com, mark_jarvis@dell.com, lawrence_tu@dell.com, susan_sheskey@dell.com, andrew_esparza@dell.com, paul_bell@dell.com, stephen_felice@dell.com, david_marmonti@dell.com, brad_anderson@dell.com, jeffrey_clarke@dell.com, martin_garvin@dell.com, alex_gruzen@dell.com, joan_hooper@dell.com, william_gray@dell.com

Good Morning,
This is my last resort. I am writing today to share with you a problem that has become so excessive over the last eight months that I no longer know what to do with it. I have given up the idea of ever having a Dell hassle-free life so I am just trying to live mine by minimizing their interruptions in my day to day life. Here is my story:

I am not a Dell customer. I DO NOT OWN ANY DELL PRODUCTS (AND I NEVER WILL). I got a new job last July and for my job I inherited a very important phone number that all of my clients have used for the past seven years. I work for an extremely small non-profit (i.e. I am the only paid employee) and I work with youth and their families. I have 30 families who move around often and the only way we keep in contact is through this stable phone number so changing my number was not and option.

In August 2007 I started receiving calls from the Dell collection center in India. The calls were not for me or my job, they were for the man who previously had my job and phone number. He linked his personal Dell account to his then work phone number. The first ten times Dell called I gave them the previous employee's new phone number and asked them to remove my number from that account as it was no longer current... But the calls kept coming....

Steps I have taken to avoid hearing from Dell:

1) I notified the person they were trying to reach. I had him call and change his contact information. He did that and Dell assured him the problem was solved and that they would not call me again. But the calls kept coming...

2) I had 6 lengthy conversations with supervisors at the Dell Call Center in India. Sometimes they would give me a badge number, recording ID, their name and one time in a thick Indian accent I was told I was speaking with a "Michelle Woodward" for the record. Dell promised the problem was solved and that they would not call me again. But the calls kept coming...

3) I called the customer service line on Dell's website. Since I am not a Dell customer and I don't even know what item they want me to pay for that I do not own, it was a long and frustrating call. In the end Dell assured me the problem was solved and that they would not call me again. But the calls kept coming...

Now, 8 months later, Dell calls my work phone up to three times daily. I finally bought a new phone (but I can't change the number because I need it to do my job) just so I could set it to ring silently when Dell calls. I try to ignore the calls the best I can, but recently the calls have started coming from local DC numbers as well as the Indian 800 number. I am sometimes fooled into answering the local calls only to find that I am again on the phone with a company where I am not a customer.

Now I understand that people must lie and give fake phone numbers to dodge paying for their stuff. I am sympathetic to a point about how hard it must be to streamline a system. But I have done everything in my power to point Dell in the right direction, but they refuse to take my number out of the system. Dell you don't want me. Please leave me alone.

Finally someone suggested that I write to consumerist. I saw the Dell executive emails on your site, so I will be CCing this email to them as well. All of them. We will see if they respond. Maybe I will start calling them three times a day.

Sincerely,
Dell's used up call girl
Kat

Except as provided in section 1692b of this title, without the prior consent of the consumer given directly to the debt collector, or the express permission of a court of competent jurisdiction, or as reasonably necessary to effectuate a postjudgment judicial remedy, a debt collector may not communicate, in connection with the collection of any debt, with any person other than the consumer, his attorney, a consumer reporting agency if otherwise permitted by law, the creditor, the attorney of the creditor, or the attorney of the debt collector.

(Photo: publicprivate)

I learned that when they say, "Your call may be recorded for quality assurance purposes," that's only partly true. They also record your calls so they can pass around recordings of the funniest ones.

The agents gave him a CD of their favorite calls, and he transcribes a few of them in his column. We like this one:

A Canadian customer was calling to find out if there was a faster way to trigger menu commands than mousing up to the menus.

Agent: Certainly, sir. There are keyboard shortcuts for many of those commands. For example, suppose you want to trigger the Select All command...

Caller: Yes, I use that one all the time! How do I do it?

Agent: Well, you just press Control-A.

Caller (after a pause): Well, that's not working for me.

Agent: Do you have a text document open in front of you?

Caller: Yes, I sure do.

Agent: OK, now press Control-A.

Caller: I am, but nothing happens.

Agent: The text isn't highlighted?

Caller: No, there's no change at all.

Agent: That's odd. If you press Control-A, the whole document should be highlighted. Try it again. Press Control-A. Tell me exactly what's happening.

Caller (nearing his Canadian breaking point): Listen. I'm pressing Control, eh? And nothing's happening, eh?

Here are tips 1-9, from the "Numbers to Call" section:

1. "Read The Consumerist."
Done.

2. "Go to the collections department."
This is a department companies will actually devote resources to, so your odds of reaching a live person can jump dramatically.

3. "Search EDGAR."

4. "Find important numbers through Whois.net."

5. "Call the number for new service."
As with the collections, companies have a strong incentive to provide efficient customer service to possible new customers, so pretend to be one.

6. "Find the right number."
VOIP-News writes, "If you find a specialized number, you're more likely to get through quickly." We agree only if it's truly a special, not-revealed-to-the-public number—otherwise you risk falling back into the company's automated system and miss your chance to game it.

7. "Call the retentions department."
See #2 and #5 above.

8. "Do a Web search for the company."
"Hit your favorite search engine and enter the company's name, plus terms such as 'president,' 'investor relations' or 'executive service.'" You should also try similar searches on Consumerist for past contact info posts.

9. "Find disgruntled customers."
"Again, search engines can help you locate numbers if you enter phrases such as 'I hate company X' or 'company X sucks.'"

(Thanks to Andy!)

"PBX Hell: 50-Plus Hacks and Tips to Get to a Real Person at Any Corporation in 10 Seconds or Less" [VOIP-News]
(Photo: Getty)

We love this call partly because of the war of accents, with Howard Beasley's slow Virginia drawl going head-to-head against what sounds like a young Indian man— we like to pretend Howard is a cartoon basset hound and the phisher is a cartoon weasel.

Howard Beasley told the caller he was being recorded, but the man didn't hang up.

The caller said, "I'm a representative of the United States Banking commission and by mistake we took $481 out of your checking account.", says Howard Beasley.

Howard Beasley started recording.

Howard: The government cannot take money out of your account. So I know this is nothing but a scam.

For ten minutes, an extremely persistent man tried everything he could think of to get Howard's account number, the man said to give back the money.

Caller: What's your bank account number?
Howard: If you got it out, you've got the number.
Caller: Please verify me your account number.
Howard: No way.
Caller: Please verify me your account number.
Howard: No way.
Caller: You don't want the money? You don't want your money?
Howard: I don't want to be scammed.
Caller: Sir, you are not a scam. You have no right to talk to me like that.
Howard: I can tell you to take the $480 dollars and shove it up your *** that's what I can tell you.

The tape continues to roll as the caller spits out Howard's address and threatens to pay him an unwelcome visit.

Caller: I'm just coming within two days with two FBI agents, OK.
Howard: Well, you come down here with two FBI agents.
Howard: I'll have them same two FBI agents on you.
Caller: OK, you just wait and watch. I'm coming within two days.
Howard: Well, you bring 'em here. I've got a 357. I'll put your name on it.

Another brilliant moment: about three and a half minutes in, his wife calls out, "Who are you talking to!?" right after he tells the guy he has a 357. Then she starts yelling at the scammer that her husband has a heart condition. We're pretty sure the scammer had no idea what he was in for when he called this number.

(Thanks to Nicole!)

"Scam Scanner" [WSLS]
(Photos: Weasel: graham; Hounds: Chrys Omori and C Maranon; Goose: ~Sage~)

The Sipera website provides more details:

Sipera VIPER Lab determined the Vonage VoIP Motorola Phone Adapter (VT 2142-VD) and Vonage service implementations leave users vulnerable to a form of VoIP identity theft, allowing hackers to take over a user's phone service with a "registration replay attack," then make and receive calls while impersonating the victim. Incomplete security practices, such as not encrypting traffic, open Vonage users to eavesdropping on private voice and video communications. Hackers can also send multiple SIP INVITE messages to a user, an Internet version of "ringing the phone off the hook" which creates a DoS attack. Leveraging these vulnerabilities, remote attackers can also send malicious messages directly to Vonage users, subjecting them to spam, social engineering and VoIP scams.

"Sipera VIPER Lab Reveals Vonage Users Vulnerable to VoIP Identity Theft, Eavesdropping and Other Exploits" [Sipera]

RELATED
"Hackers can divert Vonage calls: security firm" [Reuters]
Sipera Threat Advisories Page
(Photo: Getty)

Yet another reason to go with unlocked cell phones, or to ask your mobile carrier to unlock yours: a small Irish company called Cubic Telecom has created a $40 sim card that works in most phones built in the past 4-5 years, and that will let you make and receive calls anywhere in the world for rates that are 50 to 90% lower than current telecom rates.

One example: a 20-minute call from the Bahamas to the U.S. costs $60 on T-Mobile, but with this SIM card, the same call would cost $5.80. You can also request free local phone numbers in other cities, so you can give out your Paris or Sydney number, then go buy a copy of Wallpaper and pretend you're a jet setter.

Now for the drawbacks: your calls will be carried over Internet connections, so you can expect lower audio quality and slight delays. And oddly, domestic rates are fairly expensive, so you wouldn't want to use it to replace your current domestic plan. However, if you're a frequent traveller, this can save you hundreds of dollars very quickly—or finally give you a way to keep in touch with friends, family, and co-workers on your limited budget.

"A Cellphone Without Borders" [New York Times]

RELATED
MaxRoam from Cubic Telecom

Police say the scam is not new, nor is it a local phenomenon. In 2005, the Arkansas attorney general issued a consumer alert addressing the call-forwarding con. And a few years ago, a group of inmates in Florida bilked residents of that state, making $50,000 in long-distance calls billed to their unsuspecting victims before they were caught, police said.

The scheme has many variations, authorities said. Sometimes the caller poses as a telephone company technician and claims to need access to check a telephone line. He or she then asks whoever answers to input a code that is supposedly designed to give the "technician" remote access to the line, police said.

Telephone scam in Lake Saint Louis [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
(AFP/Getty Images)

From the New York Times:

Hilton, Marriott International, W Hotels and Wyndham Worldwide are introducing, or have done so, alarm clocks they say are easy to use. Crowne Plaza Hotels, a brand of the InterContinental Hotels Group, guarantees wake-up calls in the lodging industry version of the Domino's Pizza guarantee — one night free if the call fails to come within five minutes of the requested time.

Global Hyatt permits members of its Gold Passport loyalty program to personalize wake-up calls with a greeting recorded by a family member or friend. The Four Seasons Hotels chain offers iPod docking stations so guests can be awakened by their own favorite music. "Inspirational" calls that awaken guests with a proverb or thought for the day are offered by W Hotels, as well as the Muse, a New York boutique hotel owned by the Kimpton Hotels and Restaurant Group.

And defiantly bucking the trend toward automated wake-up calls, an actual person calls guests in Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental Hotels, and in many independent hotels. The Adolphus, an opulent Old World-style independent hotel in Dallas that was built in 1912, even sends a security person to a guest's room if three wake-up calls are ignored.

Guests, Running Late, Wake Up Hotels [NYT]
(Photo: daniel_cosman)

Ryan writes:

I recently changed from Best Buy to Circuit City. I figured if Circuit City isn't cheaper, I'll just bring the Best Buy ad and still get the cheaper price (plus 10%). Besides, this Circuit City is closer to my home. Anyway, a few weeks back I went in to the Hicksville Circuit City to get a couple of $9.99 CD's (as advertised by Best Buy) which were 12.99 or so at Circuit City. The cashier price matched both CD's at $9.99. I said, what about the extra 10%. She said, we stopped doing that. I said, OH, and went home. Not much to fight over anyway.

Now last week I go to a different Circuit City (Westbury, NY) and attempt to price match the Arrested Development seasons on DVD which were $14.99 at Best Buy (advertised) which beats Circuit City's $34.99 by a long shot. They matched it and the computer calculated the extra 10% without a hitch. I was happy and figured something was up at Hicksville. Lucky for me, I still needed 1 more season.

So, back to Circuit City of Hicksville the next day... I am now armed with a printout of the pricematch policy from the web. I bring the DVD up to the cashier and I know what the total cost should be after price match. It's off by the $2 or so, as expected. Why did I not get 110%? Again, "We don't do that anymore". I said, "The web site states that you do". She turns to the manager for approval. He says, yeah we have to until they take those signs down and he nods toward the big yellow pricematch sign. She manually figures out 10% on a calculator and adjusts the price.

SO, one of two things is going on. The Hicksville Circuit City hasn't been giving customers the 10% back in a long time and modified the systems to behave as such. OR, Circuit City is pulling the 10% price match policy and this store is a pilot for that (unlikely).

The Consumerist: We heard that the price match policy is about to end and that you are about to take down the big yellow price match signs. Is that accurate?
Circuit City: When they take it down, then that will be in effect, but it's still up.
TC: Are they taking it down?
CC: Um, it's still up right now.
TC: Are they taking it down?
CC: Not that I know of.

Well that clears up nothing. If Circuit City refuses to honor the "unbeatable price guarantee," immediately call corporate. If you see any stores without the big yellow price match signs, let us know at tips [at] consumerist dot com.

PREVIOUSLY: Circuit City Refuses To Honor "Unbeatable Price Guarantee" Because Competitor's Price Is Too Low
(Photo: heartburn)

When AT&T's average monthly bill to one such Iowa telco, the Superior Telephone Cooperative, went from $2,000 to $2,000,000, it was time for Ma Bell to call the fine-suited folks at Sidley Austin LLP5 to try to close the loophole down....Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Central Division, AT&T's lawsuit seeks to stop FuturePhone as well as the telcos who provide local infrastructure from continuing with their operations that use regulatory-fee arbitrag1 and VoIP to provide international calls for only the price of a long-distance call to Iowa. Though the case was just filed on Jan. 29, it has already apparently caused FuturePhone to shutter its service, and has produced nothing but "no comment" replies from the Iowa LECs we contacted who were also named in the suit.

AT&T's Free Call Bill: 2 Million [GigaOm]

It's the usual story: Susan scheduled DirecTV to install her dish. They didn't, then blamed her. She rescheduled and had the dish reinstalled, only to discover it didn't work. She scheduled a repair appointment, which took two weeks, then had to fight tooth and nail to get reimbursed for the money she was spending for non-working cable.

Of course, it didn't end there: DirecTV then decided to spam her with phone calls from their sales team. Did Susan get off of their call list? What do you think? Susan's email, after the jump.

So here's my saga about my very unpleasant interactions with Directv to date. Sorry for the length ...

I had been a long-time customer of Comcast when I decided it was time for a change — mostly because the cost of their services had gone up an estimated 68% in the 7 years or so since I had been a customer.

So I did some due diligence. I work for a high tech company and talked to several of my friends to see what service they used. The general concensus was that the people who had satellite television recommended Directv over The Dish. I did a search on the web — and it seemed that Directv got better reviews than The Dish.

So I called them up and arranged to start my service. Because of my busy work schedule, I couldn't schedule an installation appointment with the salesman on the phone. Two or three days went by and someone from Directv called and left a number to call to schedule. Five days from the date when I first ordered their service, I called to schedule an installation appointment and was told that they had cancelled the appointment because they had called three times and had been unable to reach me. They only left the single message. They told me that even though I was calling to schedule an appointment, since the order had been cancelled (by them), I would need to re-call the sales office and set it all up again. I fired off an angry e-mail.

A week or so went by and then I was contacted by someone at Directv — whose job it was to placate me. I decided to go ahead with the order at that point — and I've regretted it ever since.

The service men arrived to do the installation. They installed the stuff and left. After they were gone, I discovered that I only got a few local channels. All other channels began to flash and go to black intermittently after a couple of seconds. I called - and after being on hold over 30 minutes, was connected to someone whose trouble shooting skills involved turning the satellite receiver off and on. When that didn't work, she was fresh out of ideas and put me on hold for a "specialist". The specialist had me unplug the receiver, plug it back in and then go outside and look for "loose wires". Again, after these steps failed to work, she forwarded me to someone else, putting me back on hold for another period of time. The person who finally picked up the phone was someone who sold the extended warranty package. When she discovered that I was most definitely not in the market for an extended warranty — she put me back on hold. To her credit — she did ultimately connect me with someone who set up a repair appointment.

Two weeks later, the repair person showed up and after some effort figured out what the problem was and fixed it. I called Directv to make sure that I would be credited for the two weeks when it wasn't working. The first person with whom I spoke told me that she was sorry for my difficulties and offered me three months free Showtime and $5. I told her that I wanted credit for two weeks of service — I was not interested in Showtime. (Two weeks comes roughly to $25.) She then suggested that Directv would credit me $5 per month for three months. I suggested that perhaps I should talk to a supervisor and she put me on hold. Thirty minutes later, someone picked up the phone and hung up on me. I called back again. This time, (after being on hold 20 minutes or so), I started out the conversation indicating what my expectations were. She put me on hold while she did the calculations, and when she came back to the phone, she agreed that, indeed, my calculations were correct. She graciously offered to credit me $5 per month for the next 5 months, but I indicated that I preferred the entire amount in one lump sum.

Now, I am getting daily — sometimes three or four — calls from the Directv promotional department. I called the customer service number and asked that the calls stop and was assured that my name would be removed from the calling list. The person with whom I spoke indicated that perhaps the calls were about my bill — but then he quickly reversed this statement when he saw that the account was up to date. When the phone rang again tonight and I answered it and it was Directv, offering me a "new member" package, I got angry and told the person that I did not want to receive another single call from Directv. She told me that it could take 30 - 60 days before my name would be removed from the list and that it wasn't her fault that I was being called since it was a computer doing the calling.

It will cost me $150 to get out of the contract, but at this point, it seems like it would be a small price to pay to sever my ties with this horrific company. Rupert Murdoch was right on. Directv is a bird turd.

There's no strings attached, except, the offer is only good until the end of 2006, after which Skype will decide whether or not to continue the service.

Some users may experience difficulty if their computer's ip is not listed as being in the US or Canada. Check to make sure by going to ip2location.com.

Now if they could only make telepathy free, that would be something to phone home about.

Read more at Skype blog and Lifehacker.