I've received several calls from them the past week. I don't think that this is with Family Life because we've received calls from them before and their name is listed on the caller id (of course I could be wrong). I may answer it the next time to see who it is.
I received a call from this number so I'm checking on it. This number is not from Family Life
because the number they give you for Family Life on the radio is1-800- FL TODAY or {800- 358-6329].
I read a script when I think it is a telemarketer. That way, I don't blow up and say unkind things, but they have an opportunity to explain why they're bothering me.
Lady came on line and asked for me by name.
I said, "This is not a recording, so listen up. Don't hang up, because I will sue you if you do."
It sounded like she hung up. I went on reading my script, anyway. Before I got to the end, I got a ringing sound followed by telephone company recorded voice confirming she hung up. Which means (Since it takes a few seconds to get the recording.) she hung up about the time I had said I would sue, if she did.
Now, I will sue.
This very well may be Family Life!!!
Very often, companies use a telephone number for their solicitations which is different from their everyday number. When I track down the exact culprits (Subpoenas for telephone company records are a lot more accurate than Internet musings.) I will come back and post their information.
BEFORE FINDING IT MENTIONED ON THIS WEB SITE, I NEVER IN MY LIFE HEARD OF FAMILY LIFE. They have no legitimate reason for bothering me -- let alone for begging money from me.
I wouldn't give this group the time of day. I contribute far above the average to Christian organizations and causes, but not a penny to organizations I've never heard of (like this one) or organizations which fail to comply with all state and federal laws (Like this one.)
They have repeatedly called, and as I was trying to tell them pertinent information, they repeatedly hung up. That is prohibited by law, and there is no legitimate reason for such behavior. In most states, the laws against stalking include the behavior of calling, then hanging up without saying a word. There's certainly no legitimate purpose for repitition of that behavior.
Clearly, their only interest is money. They want somewhere in excess of $300,000, according to the only caller who even attempted (though he ultimately failed) to comply with the law.
They are liars, hypocrites, and perverts. No Godly organization would engage in such offensive behavior. Their only interest in families is "How much money can we suck out of them?"
Life is one of those things, along with liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which are inalienable and with which all men were endowed by the Creator. This organisation chooses to suck life out of homes (What does life consist of, but time?), impede the liberty of their victims by -- among other things -- refusing to leave messages on answering machines, and shred one's pursuit of happiness. I was just sitting down to lunch when this call came in, and it's now more than 15 minutes later.
The jerk refused to listen, kept repeating infuriating nonsense, and just hung on the line -- trying to engage in purposeless conversation, and deliberately "baiting" me. Like I said: shredded my pursuit of happiness in the form of a nice, hot lunch.
Soon as I finish lunch, I'll go file the lawsuit I had already prepared......but wanted to wait for solid confirmation of the source of these calls. For that, I do owe the jerk some gratitude. He saved me the need for a subpoena or any other preparatory hassle.
I HOPE YOU WILL SUE THEM, TOO.
Even if you like them, that's no reason to encourage rude and/or illegal behavior.
It's legitimate. I called back and got a recording that included the name of the outfit - Family Life. They hold marriage conferences around the country, and we went to one 3 years ago, so that's how they have my private cell phone #.
We made a donation to them shortly after the conference, and since then, we've gotten occasional (once or twice a year?) postal mailings from them asking if we're interested in another conference. (We'd go again if our financial situation was better - the '07 event was well worth it).
But this is their first attempt to phone us. My guess as to why: I assume they're in the same boat as every other nonprofit out there, and from news I've read, it's pretty dismal, due to the poor economy.
This past year I've noticed an increase in calls and letters from many nonprofits we've supported in the past, as they struggle to stay afloat and keep their current programs going and avoid big personnel cuts. Making calls to every phone # in their databases is probably the last ditch attempt for many of these groups. It's a shame that by doing so, they risk alienating past supporters who are annoyed by ANY type of solicitation phone call, whether nonprofit or not.
And the fact that this group is using 3-year old contact data for their call list is telling. The older the data used, the more desperate a nonprofit is. And the older the data, the heightened odds that any given phone # is no longer good, and is now in use by someone else who has never had any dealings with the nonprofit.
Another thing to keep in mind is that few of these nonprofits have their own telephone soliciting departments. So you are not talking to the nonprofit itself (even if the message implies that it really is the nonprofit you've reached), but rather to an independent "call center" business that does this type of work for a large number of clients, and which is authorized in their contract to use the name of the nonprofit. (BTW, I've often asked whether I'm talking to a TM firm or to the actual organization name that they introduced the call with, and they always confirm it's a TM firm).
So if you're mad about the call, it's futile to phone back the number that you see on your caller ID. Your complaint is almost certainly going into a voice mailbox that's overflowing with similar complaints at some large TeleMarketing firm, (assuming you're even connected to a VMbox, which is a rarity these days), and will likely never be listened to.