Call 793-847-8300 to complain about the Public Interest Communications Company directly and get your name removed from their list. They keep calling us - I say deluge them with calls. Here is my story:
I have been receiving the same aggravating calls. Today I picked up the phone on the second ring and got a recording saying "sorry we missed you." If you want your name taken off the list call us back. When you call back you get a recording asking for your phone number. This made me angry enough to search the companies website that is listed above. The Public Interest Communications Company does not evidently want you to call them. I did a websearch of their locations and found their "real" phone number
and spoke to a woman and told her how aggravating and inefficient their fund raising system is. I also told her I would be complaining to the group that released my information to them - Boston Symphony in the hopes that they will drop them as a contractor. Here is the website if anyone on this board wants to complain to a live human being -
http://www.secstate.wa.gov/charities/search_detail_cfr.aspx?cfr_id=248
For someone who gives to charities you are being kind of a jerk.
When we/you join charities we, in essence or in writing, want them to solicit funding and retain membership, don't we? What difference does it make if it is a man or woman behind a desk at headquarters or a legit third party marketing firm they use to make the calls? They all probably have 2.1 kids and a mortgage.
Try reading the Terms and Conditions and/or Privacy disclosures when you join stuff or fill out a form, for a change. Or have a heart. It's not like these were cold calls at random from some malicious telemarketing group with which you've never had any affiliation.
It wasn't that big a deal to get off the call list of a legit organization like P.I.C. Just follow the freakin' instructions when calling the number back. Better yet, pick up the phone and take care of it like an adult instead of listening to it ring incessantly like a hermit or a deadbeat would, or wading through recorded messages every day.
If the request isn't honored then I guess that's a reason to call the marketer or charity directly and inquire, complain, or consider ceasing support. They are going to keep trying until they reach someone or we are removed from the list. Duh. You don't even give them a chance to be as rude as you already project on them. He heh.
In our case the charities on their list of 28 clients from varying interests and political persuasions could be Defenders of Wildlife, World Wildlife Fund, or maybe the DNC.
I meant to reply to CJR's message and clicked John's button by mistake. I know this thread is mostly ancient history anyway.
Still, whether it's a charity or a membership organization I, at least, give them the benefit of the doubt once or twice. I am annoyed by hired third-party solicitors or random telemarketers but the annoyance only lasts if they don't honor my requests. 90% of the time, they do if we don't just ignore them. Some of them can be rude and hang up on you but chances are the next time they call it'll be different. They are usually nice when I'm nice.
Over the past several years since the DoNotCall list things have gotten so much better in that regard for me, my other family and most of the people I know. I think we've gotten a bit spoiled about this type of privacy.
We don't want junk mail, we don't want telephone calls, we don't want to have to watch commercials on TV, at the theater or on DVDs if we pay for them, we don't allow people to come to our door or leave flyers under our windshield wipers, or have tables in the parking lot at the grocery store. Internet banner ads don't work too well and we install browser plug-ins to block those. What the h else is there? Airplane banners and propaganda flyer drops?
I certainly don't jump to blame an organization I'm interested in for trying different methods. Most of the callers are just businesses trying to make a living or groups supporting a cause. If they have to survive on only incoming calls and checks from existing members without reminders then they aren't likely to survive, are they? Would our businesses or employers survive? Not usually.
Just got a call from 801-484-1107 and when I let the call go through to the answering machine they did not leave a message. Did a search on the number and see that it is Public Interest Communications Inc. http://pubintcom.com/
I went ahead and called them back and got a recorded message saying that they represented my favorite charity and that if I told them my phone number it would be removed from their list within 3 business days.