The fact that you and Brian are willfully ignorant of the scope of the Do Not Call registry and the Telemarketing Sales Rule does not render those things useless. Why would you complain about actions which, once again, DO NOT APPLY and expect anyone to "look into these things further"? The triple-B is a blind alley mainly because it's a glorified business directory service with no regulatory power, known to be run like a payola scheme.

The real issue is one of apathy. When your rights are abused by collectors it's *your job* to assert them. Filing complaints with the proper channels, chiefly the FTC and attorneys general, may help your neighbors but will not summon a rescuer to fight your battle. As stated here months ago, the controlling federal law is the FDCPA. "Look into" that and you'll have a whole toolbag of defenses and weapons for defeating scofflaw collection agencies, often without a lawyer holding your hand.

As to the good suggestion of recording phone evidence, the stinger is an issue of consent. The majority of states won't require you to announce your recording. Linked below is a guide to the issues aimed at journalists which does good job of explaining things. Also of use, in August 2010 the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that single party consent is just peachy for recording the phone person-to-person, so long as your intent is not in some way criminal or malicious.

http://www.rcfp.org/taping/index.html