azurelunatic | Why I am angry:

Entry tags:

Why I am angry:

1) I have been having a rash of these calls, several coming up with bogus "All circuits are busy" messages, at any time of day or night.
2) The phone menus are impossible to navigate through without a valid customer number or SSN; "valid" means "in their system". I had to select something like "validate employment" to speak to a live human being.
3) The phone goon I talked to said it was impossible to take a phone number out of their system without the customer number, and impossible to look up a customer number from a phone number.
4) I broke down in tears at that point and begged to speak to someone who could help me.
5) I got put on hold for half an hour, and then was hung up on (I heard voices in the background and then the click).
6) Their website's listed privacy information toll-free number (866) 806-8012 is not working. http://www.hsbcusa-autoloans.com/ http://www.hsbcusa-autoloans.com/CarLoans/consumer?cmd_ShowPage=Privacy

Oh, now this phone goon says that they CAN look things up by phone number. I told her approximately what had transpired before (that I was told this was impossible, and then put on hold for half an hour and hung up on. [She talked to customer service, verified from them that they COULD do that, I begged the customer service number from her in the case that I had to call again, and then she transferred me. I got the competent phone goon by pressing the auto company calling to deal with customer loan option. Heh. Follow the money.]

customer service: x7050 (she's transferring me)

Well, what do you know. It was in their system. Annnnnnd the account got flagged, the number got blocked, and if I get any more god damn calls from them in the middle of my god damn sleep cycle, I am contacting the god damn BBB or something.

This call was at 8:15 this morning. It is now 10:00. I am still fucking disgruntled.

HSBC's contact information from their website:

Call to Apply
1-877-367-4222
24 Hours a Day
7 Days a Week

Call to Learn More
1-800-922-4964
Mon-Fri 6am-7pm PT
Sat-Sun 7am-6pm PT

Current Customers
1-800-418-1888
Mon-Thurs 6am-7pm PT
Fri 6am-6pm PT
Sat 8am-12pm PT

Associated numbers:
214 446 1600 ("all circuits are busy")
214 488 5152 (current customer line's caller ID)

So. Call their 800 number (I suspect the Current Customers number works best) and talk to Customer Service at x7050.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

hey, nothings percect ! : ) not matter how annoying it may be...

Information on company higher-ups, and an IVR workaround cheat sheet link: http://www.livejournal.com/users/azurelunatic/4644860.html

Without your comment I wouldn't have been able to find out that the this telemarketer was actually my own credit card company!!!

I called them up and ripped them a new one! Of course they said I should also contact my other banks and request to "opt out" and I responded that I did when I applied but Household Bank was the only one that IGNORED the request on application.

By the way, it is not even a telemarketer. It is nothing more than a recorded message ranting on global warming.

Glad I could be of help! It's for things like this that I leave these things public and indexable.

Am trying to understand the post "I see you falling" "Why I am Angry", that lists 'Associated numbers: 214-446-1600.' It's the page I came in on, someone referred me here. Maybe I missed something or possibly a previous thread. (New to this and not sure how to get around.)

214-446-1600 is one of the 3 numbers that keeps calling me....week after week after week.......... It's an automated prerecorded message, a Survey type of call, (I think it may have been a political Survey?) to Press this if you are a U.S. Citizen, or Press that if you are over 18, etc. There is no Info. on their message regarding Who it is that's calling or How to call them back to get taken off of their calling list!

Tried calling their numbers back. The 206 Area Code is from Washington state, and when you call it back, you get a recording that says "You have reached the 'Markata Group', this Mailbox is full." When you try to call back either of the 214 Area Codes (Dallas, TX area), all you ever get is 'We're sorry, but all circuits are busy. Please try your call again later.'

I have done Internet searches trying to track down Who owns these phone numbers, and Who the heck this "Markata" Group is. Nothing turns up on them under "Markata" (which I noticed translates to 'Monkey'!) or under their phone numbers (even tried regular & Reverse phone # lookups). How in the world are they allowed by Law to be so ANONYMOUS??? It just doesn't seem right. I have complained to the 'Do Not Call' and called the BBB, and called the FTC, etc.

I only know they call themselves "Markata" because that is what comes through on Caller ID. But my understanding is that it's possible to be underhanded and to get the Caller ID's to list whatever name you want them to. It doesn't have to be Legitimate! We're on the 'Do Not Call' registry and have been for more than a year now.

I want to know WHO this Co.is that calls all the time and HOW to reach them to get off their calling list.

Can anyone help? Is this 'Markata' on the "Why I am angry" posting? Is that their Customer Service #'s? I'm unsure how that posting ties in with this "Markata" Group, but thought I'd give this a try. (By the way, I Opted Out of absolutely EVERYthing with all of my Banks & credit Card companies about a year ago.)

Any help is appreciated.

I was getting a bunch of random phone calls. I saw something saying "markata" on my caller ID.

The 214 numbers calling me I eventually traced down (through them finally calling me with a number I could call back) to the Household Banking company. A previous commenter up there said that they'd opted out of the company contacting them, and the company had ignored it.

I got the "all circuits are busy" message calling most of the 214 numbers calling me.

The customer service numbers listed are for the 214 numbers.

I had a previous post here: http://www.livejournal.com/users/azurelunatic/4644860.html

I'd been dealing with these calls for a couple days at this point.

NOW THEY (MARKATA)) CALL THEMSELVES CMI ON CALLER ID DISPLAYS. THEIR NUMBER NOW COMES THROUGH AS 214-446-1901. IT'S A BUNCH OF ENVIRONMENTALIST HIPPIES TELLING EVERYBODY TO STOP DRIVING.

A little more on my last post on CMI, a.k.a Markata

Phone numbers
214-446-1900
214-446-1901

A Google search for the term "cmi telemarketing" came up with interesting results and a match to a company called CMI Solutions Inc. based in Virginia. www.cminc.com

Guess what everybody it is a front for the old MCI WorldCom. The prerecorded message of survey or polictical message is a loop hole to get around the DO NOT CALL list so they can try to get you to switch long distance carriers. EVERYBODY FILE A COMPLAINT AT ONCE WITH THE FTC BY GOING TO THE FTC WEB SITE (NOT THE DO NOT CALL SITE) http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menu-tmark.htm and click on FILE A COMPLAINT on the left menu. If everybody does this we can stop this damn company.

I have not yet managed to pick up the phone in time when it is any of these numbers calling. I'm always at work and can't answer my cellphone in time, and of course nothing leaves a message.

I reported it as repeated nuisance calls, no message left, because that's what I've been getting.

I wonder if they're spoofing their caller ID. Rather, I'm fairly sure they're spoofing their caller ID, and I want a real number to get in touch with this company.

If I'm awake during daylight hours tomorrow, I'm going to call the contact number left on that page and see if I can't schmooze my way through to somebody live and see what kind of information I can extract. It would be poetic justice of some delightfully wrong kind if I somehow managed to get some form of amusing audio file, but I'm not holding my breath (yet); my technology-fu is not all that fu-ey.

http://www.cminc.com/contactus.htm -- Inquiries: Neil Murphy
President
CMI
Address: 3052 Cedarwood Lane
Falls Church, VA 22042
Phone: 703 995 4657
Fax: 800-334-5073

Email:
nmurphy@cminc.com

Web Site:
www.cminc.com

BUSTED!!! WIDE OPEN!! I cracked the case everyone out there.

On a hunch during lunch time I decided to see which phone company issued these phone numbers and it turned out to be

Tex-Link Communications Inc.
13601 Preston Rd #802
Dallas, TX 75240
(214)-446-0500

I also had Google give me a map of telemarketers in the Dallas Texas area and guess what?

Cunningham & Moore
13601 Preston Rd #1045E
Dallas, TX 75240
(972)-702-8600

Is a telemarketer in the same damn BUILDING as Tex-Link Communications so we can easily conclude that Tex-Link Communications is just a front for telemarketers and NOT an actual telephone company. Also the area code 214 and 972 split that part of Dallas in two.

Plus I sent an email to Tex-Link and advised them that they or their affiliates are in direct violation of the TCPA of 1991 and the National Do Not Call List and they responded today that they would need the numbers that I would like to have blocked.

Hope this gets us all closer to nailing this bastard telemarketer to the wall with a rusty nail.

Here are some tips I am using to eliminate the telemarketing calls from even making my phone ring.

Contact your phone company and ask for Privacy Control. Most phone companys now offer some sort of Privacy Control. Mine, for example, requires any caller that is "UNAVAILABLE" or "OUT OF AREA" on Caller ID to record their name. If they don't, the call doesn't go through. If they do I am given 4 options by the phone company to accept the call, send it to my voice mail, request to be taken off the list, or to deny the call all without having to even here a word from the telemarketer.

I also thought of a cool trick (for those computer or telephone savy) to use against the telemarketers and it doesn't require answering the phone. If your phone company offers
selective call forwarding and you are not currently using it, USE IT AGAINST THE TELEMARKETERS. Program your selective call forward list with ALL OF the telemarketer numbers. Then program any of the telemarketer numbers you are having problems with as the number to forward to. Then when any of those telemarketer numbers try to call it gets bounced BACK to them and they get a taste of their own medicine.

How does one go about checking which phone company issues numbers?

I called Tex-Link. I looked up their website; they appear to be an ISP as well as a phone company. I asked for the name of the client holding these phone numbers.

I spoke with Gisla, gave her the number that was getting the nuisance calls, and gave the numbers that were providing the nuisance calls. She said that she could not reveal the name of the client who held these numbers, and that these were outbound numbers and could not accept incoming calls, and that there had been multiple complaints about these numbers. It sounded as if she was frustrated with the client, the situation, and the client's being an obnoxious prick with their caller ID.

http://www.texlink.com/
(877) 774-4100 is their 24-7 Trouble Assistance Center. I did not push any menu options, and was transferred directly to a live person.

It now seems that the best and most direct place to complain besides the FTC, the FCC, your phone company, and the police is the company's telephone service provider, which is Tex-Link. I have called them and complained, and perhaps if they get enough complaints, they will shut down the company's telephone access.

Got a phone call from (214) 446-1608 today. The caller ID said "K&V Surveys". It was an automated thingy about potted plants.

Government 800 number that Qwest gave me to complain about nuisance calls:
1 (800) 582-0655

This is the Qwest nuisance call line. I talked with the lady there and she advised me to use *57 to trace the nuisance calls. For Qwest, a $2 fee applies for each trace, but after three traces to the same business, in Arizona the charges can be reversed, and the business will be given a courtesy call to let them know that they're really being prats and to stop it.

If they're with the same telephone service provider, the service provider can threaten to shut off their phone service.

FTC: 1 (877) 382-4357
DNC registry: 1-888-382-1222
http://www.switchboard.com does lookups on who issues numbers.

I did the switchboard.com lookup on those phone numbers which is how I came up and found out that Tex-Link Communications is the phone company that issued the numbers.

I got into a heated email conversation with them about these numbers and here is their response...

============================
Sir,
I can not request blocking if you do not tell me the number you want blocked, which normally would be you telephone number or fax number.
Please provide the telephone number you want blocked from 214-446-XXXX.

Thank you,

Bea Quintanilla
Network Management Center
210-892-4251
877-774-4100

=================

NOW DO THEY REALLY THINK I AM GOING TO GIVE THEM MY PHONE NUMBER TO THEM WHEN I SUSPECT THEM OF FRONTING FOR AN ILLEGAL TELEMARKETER? ESPECIALLY WHEN I KNOW ONE OF THEIR OFFICES IS IN THE SAME BUILDING AS NUMEROUS OTHER TELEMARKETERS IN THE DALLAS AREA?

I also found out that they are a brand new member of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce.

Ahhhh the pieces of the puzzle are now falling into place. I followed with the FTC on my original complaint with this new information.

We are all very close to wipping out this telemarketer. Good job everyone.

http://anti206.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_anti206_archive.html has a link here.

I ahve received multiple calls this morning,
the number my caller id shows is
(206) 278-8980
and (206) 278-8878

I ahve called, and gotten 2 different responses:

"the number you have called is not in service - or is assigned in a different area code"

They are calling residences to get opinions.... no where do they do a survey they just say crap. It says press 7 to remove your
number from the list --- it disconnects!

This is a bunch of crap -- it is annoying all of us, and nothing
can get done! I am contacting my congressman in hopes that
they will do something.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Why I am angry:

hey,

no subject

Thank You

Re: Thank You

214-446-1600, 214-446-1900, 206-278-9169

Re: 214-446-1600, 214-446-1900, 206-278-9169

Re: 214-446-1600, 214-446-1900, 206-278-9169

Re: 214-446-1600, 214-446-1900, 206-278-9169

Re: 214-446-1600, 214-446-1900, 206-278-9169

Re: 214-446-1600, 214-446-1900, 214-446-1901

Re: 214-446-1600, 214-446-1900, 214-446-1901

Re: 214-446-1600, 214-446-1900, 214-446-1901

Tex-Link

Re: 214-446-1600, 214-446-1900, 206-278-9169

no subject

no subject

1 (800) 582-0655: Qwest. FTC & DNC numbers below.

Re: 1 (800) 582-0655: Qwest. FTC & DNC numbers below.

no subject

Markata