A Concerning Phone Call/Be careful!

[EpcotQueen]

Two days in a row I received a phone call from someone (with a heavy accent) asking if I was (me) and demanding to know if I owned a time share. The only one we have is DVC. We have not bought/rented/rented out our points. When I asked who she was, how she got our number and who she represented she got 'nasty'. Again DEMANDING to know if we had a time share. Second day she said she was with a time share realtor. I called DVC today and they swear they have not shared out our number. They suggested I call teh phone number on our caller ID...did that. The phone number was disconnected! So, fellow DVC members, beware! Someone out there may have your number! And, since my callback wasnot a valid #, I suspect they are less than honest. DVC swears they do not release our numbers but the possibility is that the deed is public record. Who knows? Be careful!

 

[vicki_c]

Good warning. If you have a published phone number, it really would be very easy for anyone to find you through the public records of Orange County and then look up your phone number online.

Definitely weird, though.

 

[oakmanner]

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[I'mNoPrince]

Thanks there are so many ways to get our numbers . Most end up being a disgruntled employee on their way out the door.

I love when people call me I just let them go on and on and on with speaker phone turned down giving them a Ok every once in a while. Then at the End I ask them if it was as good for them as it was for me. They get paid for Calls out and then Sales . So taking up their time and getting them to cross you off the list is the best of both woulds

 

[JimC]

One thing you can do is register your phone numbers with the Federal Do Not Call Registry. It works amazingly well, but there are a few loop holes.

Another is to simply hang up on unwanted callers. If they persist contact your phone service provider for their procedures in stopping harassing calls.

 

[tecodis]

Don't waste your time patronizing that stuff...just hang up!

 

[toocherie]

LOL--I made the mistake of listing my law office with the yellow pages--why after four years I felt the need I don't know. My clients know how to get in touch with me.

Anyway, now I am getting tons of solicitation calls--I just put my office number on the do not call registry today--it worked wonders at home! won't keep "bad" people from calling you anyway however.

 

[jerseygal]

Thanks for the warning!

 

[Sandisw]

Thanks for the warning. I wonder if they just look up deeds in Orange County and then try to search for cities and phone numbers to match.

Anytime I get these calls, I just say No thanks and hang up before they even get a chance to try. I feel bad, because I know that some are just trying to do a job, but so many are relentless that you have to be "curt".

 

[justjudy]

For a while, around the beginning of the year, we were receiving phone calls almost every day wanting to know if we were interested in selling or renting out our timeshare. We've had DVC since 2002 and this is the first time we've ever received these types of calls. I let the machine pick the call up and then deleted the messages.

Edited to add that we are registered with the "Do Not Call" list, but some calls inevitably get through.

 

[EpcotQueen]

We are registered with 'Do Not Call'. Have been for years. That was another annoying part of the calls.

 

[White_Sox_Fan]

I doubt that these types of operations are going to go through the time and expense of looking up who owns time shares. It was probably just a cold call to a list of numbers. If I don't recognize the the number on the caller ID I let the answering machine pick up the call.

 

[dvcbnd]

Thanks for the heads up!
I haven't rec'd any calls regarding our DVC, but we have rec'd several messages regarding our HGVC. We never returned the call and have no intention of doing so.

 

[pamjb]

Thanx for the heads up! I honestly think the amount I pay for Caller ID is priceless these days.
To OP, greetings from the other end of Lehigh Valley

 

[hockeyprincess]

I have worked for a phone company for a good part of my life! (Good or bad, I don't know!! LOL) I wanted to add that the reason the number they "called" from is disconnected, is because of the "Do Not Call" lists. They are regulated to display "A NUMBER" on Caller ID. 99.9% of the time this is a ficticous number and never worked and never will work. It's their way of getting thru a few of the loopholes in that law. The law does not say that a number displayed must be a "working" number, just A number.

Definitely just hang up though, it's nothing short of harassment in my book!

 

[auntsue]

I think caller ID is one of the greatest inventions ever! If we don't recognize the number or it says "not provided," we let the machine pick up, then it's up to us to return the call or not. Nine times out of ten they don't even leave a message.

 

[jade1]

I used to just hang up, but now I ask for a credit card number and inform them its $50 a minute to talk to me. It wraps up pretty quick after that.

 

[kbeckstrand]

I doubt that these types of operations are going to go through the time and expense of looking up who owns time shares. It was probably just a cold call to a list of numbers. If I don't recognize the the number on the caller ID I let the answering machine pick up the call.

I have to agree, I recieved a couple of these call long before I owned any timeshare! I haven't received any since adding the number to the do not call registry.

 

[Telcogirl]

LOL--I made the mistake of listing my law office with the yellow pages--why after four years I felt the need I don't know. My clients know how to get in touch with me.

Anyway, now I am getting tons of solicitation calls--I just put my office number on the do not call registry today--it worked wonders at home! won't keep "bad" people from calling you anyway however.

Actually the Do Not Call Registry is not for businesses. If you are a business and you are receiving unwanted calls, considered to be nuisance calls, you can file a complaint with the FCC:
http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm

 

[Chellymouse]

We aren't getting phone calls, but we sure do receive quite a bit of junk mail about selling our timeshare. DVC is all we own and I don't know how these people find us! Thankfully we have a file for that mail......