The first thing they want to know is to whom they are speaking. Then they give a short description of who they are and why they're calling.
As a small business owner, the reason they were calling was to verify that none of my business information had changed. (i.E. Location, phone numbers etc.). To me, this is important, very important. However, being listed on World Web Pages is not.
A local phone book will give anyone a free listing. Advertising costs money. On the upside it's effective, on the downside it's expensive.
Here's the reason why I don't want to pay for any web listing service. A phone book actually hires people to do layouts, hires printers and binders, uses paper and ink, needs a distribution network and puts something viable into someones hands.
World Web Pages, on the other hand, uses a few electronics and some software to create some imagery that stored in a server somewhere. For that I am unwilling to pay what is "nearly the equivalent" of an advertisement in a local phonebook.
I was absolutely adamant, over and over again to the representative that I spoke to on the phone that I in "no way" wanted anything to do with contracting with World Web Pages and was reassured over and over again that there would be absolutely no fees, no charges, no billing of any kind. They said that all they wanted from me was to verify that my company information was current and up to date.
The representative stated that he would send me a packet of information explaining what the World Web Pages was as a service. I rejected this and told him I absolutely didn't want anything sent to me. He said "Fine, nothing will be sent." Not true, I was mailed their information.
I was led to believe that upon verifying my information, that I would be given a verification number verifying that I had opted out of their web service and would not be placed on the web. They called the next day and began the whole spiel. The girl on the phone seemed confused so I gave her the the "verification number" and she hung up at once.
Upon arrival of their information packet in the mail I became increasingly suspisious and now that my phone bill has arrived I see that they have done everything I didn't want done and everything they said they would not do.
It's Labor Day.
How is it, that an autonomous company uses a phone company (which I rightfully use as a service), contacts me about a service, uses deception and overrides my wishes, and winds up billing me on the bill my phone company sends me which they used to contact me in the first place.
To me, if the phone company were Federally owned, it would be the equivalent of using the mail to commit mail fraud.
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