The vast majority of my DNA comes from the Scottish Highlands.
As such, I have no particular problem with those folks who run professional “payday loans” businesses.
I have never been tempted to use their services — and will never — because my Scottish ancestors would rise up and beat me about the head and shoulders for knowingly paying 900+% interest on anything, but if citizens enter into contracts with these companies of their own free will and cognizant that they are going to owe approximately Oh-My-Tap-Dancing-Gods-Are-You-Kidding-Me worth of interest on those loans — who am I to involve myself in private business dealings?
BestPayToday.com employs a gentleman by the name of Caesar — I’m going to assume that is the proper spelling — and Mr. Caesar would really, really like a citizen by the name of “Timothy” to pay BestpayToday.com what he owes.
I know this, because Mr. Caesar has called my phone multiple times — three times today, point of fact — asking for Timothy.
Over the past couple of months I have spoken to Mr. Caesar, or his minions, a couple dozen times; each time I have politely informed Mr. Caesar (or his minions) that not only is there not anyone by the name of “Timothy” at my cell-phone number, but that no-one at this number has ever utilized the services of BestPayToday.com in the past, will ever use the services of BestpayToday.com in the future, nor does anyone here owe them any money in any way, shape, form or fashion.
Apparently Mr. Caesar and his minions either don’t believe me or BestPayToday.com employs some proper thickwits, because they woke me up three times today demanding to speak to “Timothy”.
When I started this post, I had a three page rant about the situation that Blogger ate.
This may have been a Good Thing.
Above, I began this second post by stating I had no philosophical objection to payday loan businesses. That may have changed, because — after being woken from a sound sleep three times this morning — I have now developed a solid case of the red arse.
Stay tuned.
LawDog
In defense of the usurious bastards (and with the proviso that I entirely agree that they may offer whatever contract to whoever is silly enough to take it), I suspect suspect that "There's no Tim here" is a defense they get a lot.
As you are a google user (judging by your use of Blogger), I would recommend using Google Voice. It allows you to block numbers easily and send others to voicemail. I currently have it set up so that people who are not in my contacts list get screened and have to say their name.
Oh, did I mention that it comes with a built in spam filter than has been, in my experience, 99% effective.
Is it at all possible that cesare and said minions are sub-contracting for Sumdude? Stay frosty, Dawg, and watch yer Six!
You can report them if they won't stop. Might be worth it at this point.
I'll wager a day of my Gov't stipend against a two week old donut that Cesar's employer is owned by a holding Co. which is, in turn held by another. If one does a search, the CEO of the top predator can be located and his home phone learned. Call him at O-Migod thirty AM to discuss world politics, baseball, and by the way your minions are calling me now, would you care to speak with them/him?
I did that some few years back, then got a nice letter from some fellow named Romney. Turns out we belong to the same church. Anyway the collecting agency was soon closed. The former office is now a pretty good Mexican fast food place.
A vast improvement, no?
That's how I learned that LARGE companies buy and sell small ones much like little boys trade pocket knives. Or used to.
Gerry N.
Call Cesare from you desk phone at work one day.
If he's got caller ID it could be good for a giggle.
BGM
I was thinking you might want to answer more formally with your proper title, etc. As something of an attention getter.
Seeing as, once upon a time moons and moons ago, Hubby worked as a collector for a store credit card, I know that there are laws that govern telephone contact in the attempt to collect a debt.
First off, three times a day is overkill. And not allowed, unless rules have changed (as rules are wont to do). Especially if there's been an answer three times.
Secondly, if they won't leave you alone, you can throw the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act at them, and demand that all further communication with "Tim" be via mail, since they won't leave your phone number alone, and then you pray like crazy that they don't have your phone number matched up with your actual address.
Or you can do something fun, as has been previously suggested.
Regardless, they're not allowed to hassle you like this (not that this seems to be stopping them at this point), and if you can't get 'em to leave you alone through law & order and harsh words to stupervisors, creativity in handling them is your next step.
That, or changing your phone number.
I just look at caller ID and then say….FBI…
Who is this?
Let me speak to your supervisor…
and I proceed to scare the shit out of them…
Then I tell them who I really am..and NEVER EVER to call again.
Works pretty well.
BGMiller, HerrBGone and Anon 2049 are on the right track. I'm usually very wary of abuse of authority, but in this case, it's not abuse at all to badge-slap these fools down.
Bring the Blue Fire. 😉
I had that . . . somebody with the same name, and almost the same middle initial who didn't pay bills or tickets . . . Eventually they went away.
I thought you might appreciate this video about a man who seems to have gun control in all the right ways: http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c3#/video/bestoftv/2012/08/31/pkg-security-guard-shoots-thieves-internet-cafe.wesh
Agree with the consensus on course of action. I'm sure that a little B-slapping could work its way into a wonderful Lawdog story.
I've got a similar problem, and the low stress way that I've found to deal with it is to say that I'll go get the person they asked for, then hit the mute button, and set the phone down until they hang up on their own. I figure that by wasting a couple of minutes of their time, eventually it will make it un-economical. Once the economics of telemarketers breaks, they'll stop calling.
On an unrelated note. I'm listening to the first lady's speech when she brings up her daughters. All I'm hearing is 'for the Chee-dlren!'
You horrible person, you've pertinently ruined political speeches for me. Shame on you.
Did they say something like, "Meester Caeser, he no happy weeth joo!"
Mike James
A little something about bestpaytoday.com:
Registration Service Provided By: Bizcn.com
Website: http://www.cnobin.com
Whois Server: whois.bizcn.com
Domain name: bestpaytoday.com
Registrant Contact:
Whois Privacy Protection Service
Whois Agent gmvjcxkxhs@whoisservices.cn
+86.05922577888 fax: +86.05922577111
No. 61 Wanghai Road, Xiamen Software Park
xiamen fujian 361008
cn
Administrative Contact:
Whois Agent gmvjcxkxhs@whoisservices.cn
+86.05922577888 fax: +86.05922577111
No. 61 Wanghai Road, Xiamen Software Park
xiamen fujian 361008
cn
Technical Contact:
Whois Agent gmvjcxkxhs@whoisservices.cn
+86.05922577888 fax: +86.05922577111
No. 61 Wanghai Road, Xiamen Software Park
xiamen fujian 361008
cn
Billing Contact:
Whois Agent gmvjcxkxhs@whoisservices.cn
+86.05922577888 fax: +86.05922577111
No. 61 Wanghai Road, Xiamen Software Park
xiamen fujian 361008
cn
DNS:
ns.supremeservers.co.uk
ns2.supremeservers.co.uk
Created: 2011-09-29
Expires: 2012-09-29
im sure that there are other FEDERAL Laws that are being broken but http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2011-title47-vol3/xml/CFR-2011-title47-vol3-sec64-1200.xml would be the first set of laws.
And yes i think that dropping the State Fed Hammer on them would be a great idea.
The Federal Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) section 805.c.3 states that upon request from a consumer, the agency in question MUST cease all further communications with few exceptions such as contacting you to request your legal representation's contact information, contacting you to tell you they've received your notice and that they are ceasing communication.
This is not reliant on technology, meaning that they CANNOT say "Oh, it takes 48 hours to get it out of our automated dialer." This is REQUIRED by law.
They may attempt to contact you one time per day to attempt to resolve the debt. Any more than that is harassment.
That's two strikes against them.
If they're using crappy language against you, that also is illegal. You didn't say that, but the whole Free Speech thing has limits for them.
Get a lawyer, get the information sent to them giving notice with intent to sue, and you'll see the standard $3,500 (or so) settlement per incident.
Go collect, sir.
LD- I experienced something similar once. After months of harassment, the South Zone Early Whitewing season had opened. I answered and it was once again the debt collector. This time, however, I screamed g___it I can't take it any more, pulled the trigger and dropped the phone into the bed of my pickup as I sauntered into the field to enjoy a day of hunting. They never called again.