My intent is to comment on Report: #436127 entitled: "Alliance One CALLING MY HOUSE SEVERAL TIMES FOR SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT LIVE THERE MENDOTA Minnesota".
I think it was worse for me than for Katie (above report 436127). I don't answer the phone if I'm sleeping, and have no answering machine - so it rings until the caller hangs up. Alliance One has an auto-dialer/calling machine that lets it ring indefinitely it seems. So eventually I answer it only to be confronted by some stern-sounding automated voice that says something to the effect that if I am [creditor's name] then this is an attempt to collect a debt.
I hung up the 1st few times. Since it persisted over a couple weeks, annoying me, I decided to listen further to the call. Eventually the automated voice gave an option that if I was not [creditor's name] to press a certain #, which I did. That yielded the instruction to me to call such and such a phone # and report TO THEM that they were in error. I was insulted that I'd have to call a TOLL number with area code that I don't recognize. So I aborted that and changed my plan.
The next 3-4 times Alliance One called I input into their phone that I indeed WAS [creditor's name], and hung on to get a human being and straighten them out. Every time I did that I waited through multiple automated-voice instructions to continue to hold on. Every time it would eventually disconnect me.
And the calls kept coming.
So today I hit call return and got this phone number " (866) 590-6323" which I called at my expense at 7pm Eastern time. It was answered, eventually, by some man who said "Alliance One". I asked him "Who are You?', and he said "Alliance One". I asked him again who HE was and got the same answer. I persisted and asked him what his PERSONAL NAME was, and he said he was "Brian Jones". He was quite rude about this: he implied that my question wasn't perfectly clear the first three times that I asked and re-phrased it. He was deliberately obstructive.
I did recognize his name though. "Brian Jones" is the name of the deceased founder of The Rolling Stones, and I suspect this man's alias. I told him that I was "Mick Taylor", and that I had replaced him in that band.
I told him that I wanted to stop receiving calls at my number for somebody that I'd never heard of. He asked for my phone number which I supplied to him. Then he asked me if I was [creditor's name] to which I said "no".
Then he hung up on me.
I'll be right behind Katie (above) in reporting this unprofessional/expensive practice to the FCC and the AG if I get another call.
I hope this doesn't happen. I resent having to help them with their competence at my time/effort/expense.
I did do a couple of other things. I looked them up online and got their website. It didn't provide anything that I felt would further my mission... So I looked over the entire thing, including "career opportunities".
It mentioned that employees of Alliance One were entitled to a 10% discount to "Rasmussen College" and provided a link, which I navigated to. The Rasmussen College site looked legit, and provided a phone number, which I called.
The lady that answered the phone was totally professional, and inquired about how she might help me. She transferred me to another totally professional person who said he was "Josh".
I apologized to Josh for interrupting his day for something weird - which he was friendly and encouraging about. I told him about the unprofessionality of Alliance One, gave details, and told him that Alliance One had the link to the site of Rasmussen College, and explained that as well. Josh continued to be nice and encouraging. I further explained my call to him as an attempt to connect Alliance One's internal problems BACK to Alliance one. He had not heard of them, but said that the college has similar offers through many companies and it's not uncommon for him not to know them all. Of course that's not unreasonable to me. Anyway, he said he would certainly pass along the jist of my call to his supervisor. I thanked him and apologized again for tossing this in his lap.
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