This is the last time I am going to tell you, stop surfing the web while on company time (it is STEALING), and stop getting stoned during lunch because you don't make sense on the phone when trying to collect from our deadbeat debtors. I think you may need re-training, go see Sandy right now!
Sincerely,
Your Boss
Oh, how cute! This collection firm calls and leaves misleading messages. It was a woman who acted like she was an old friend and told me I needed to call her because she was going to leave town if i didn't make a decision right away. The number she left for me to call was 415-216-4660.
Area Code 415
Area code 415 is in California (Sausalito, San Rafael, Novato, San Quentin - (maybe some of the employees came from their lovely facility) , San Francisco).
Exchange 415-216
Exchange 216 is in or around San Francisco, CA. (San francisco County, Zipcode 94104)
From whitepages.com:
(415) 216-4695 Type: Land Line
Provider: Teleport Communications
Location: San Francisco, CA - Van Ness Ave. Rt. 101, across from city hall.
William Tinsley called, asked for a person. I asked for his name and he told me. I asked for his company name and he just demanded to speak with the person. I said, "please hold," and put him through to that person's extension number. As there was no answer, he reached that person's voicemail box.
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He then began calling multiple times, often twice at the same time. The lights on the phone were blinking like a Christmas tree with his calls, as I let them all go through voicemail.
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In the end I discover he has left messages on a) the mailbox of the person he was attempting to reach, b) the Operator's mailbox, c) the mailbox of a co-worker of the person he was trying to reach, and d) the home number of that person. All in about 20 - 30 minutes.
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He also called from 415-216-4681.
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In each of the messages he identified himself as an attorney, and asked for the person "or his attorney" to call back immediately.
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Persistent little bugger, I hope he treats his family better than that, though somehow I doubt it. I'm not going to let him scare me, though it was highly stressful dealing with the persistent calling on 31 March.
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What you can also do with these callers:
a) Tell them you don't talk to telemarketers and then hang up before they can tell you they're a bill collector.
b) If they identify themselves as a bill collector, play with their heads. Tell them you're a bill collector too, and you have a nice collection of vintage bills of various kinds, most in mint condition and some in un-opened envelopes, that you were going to list as collectors' items on Ebay but they are welcome to make an offer first. Stay in-character and do not let them "convince" you that a "bill collector" is anything other than a "collector" in the antiques/hobbyist sense. You can say something like, "I'm not buying any bills right now, except for early 20th century electric utility bills," and when they persist in talking about your unpaid bills, you can just tell them "sorry the last guy tried that but I didn't lower my prices for him and I'm not lowering them for you. You'll just have to bid for them on Ebay," and then hang up.
c) Tell them to hold the line, and then simply hang up. Do it by pressing and holding down the hookswitch button on the phone and then sliding the receiver into the cradle without releasing the hookswitch, so they won't hear the "handset in cradle" sound but will stay on the line until they get the "if you would like to make a call, hang up and try again" recording.