My husband and I took over a new phone number when we moved to Denver. Since we've moved here, we've been receiving collections calls for an Erick who apparently lived in this apartment complex (under a different address). Things are further complicated by the fact that my husband's name is also Erick, so when they call I am not sure if it's a friend of his or the collection agency.<
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Anyways.. anyone in collections know the specific language we need to use to get our phone number off their database? I really don't appreciate being woken up at odd hours of the day (I work swing shift) for some idiot who can't pay his bills. We've explained several times that we are at a different address, and do not know the person who owned the number previously.

Ask them what address you should send the money to and send them a box with dog shit and a letter explaining the situation. --If it ain't
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You can send them a letter asking them not to call you. You shouldn't need to use any legalese language since you are not the person they are collecting on.<
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They probably will not respond to anything other than a letter really. Since not many people actually want to talk to a collection person. I'm sure they are used to people saying the debtor moved. Shadow Jeris Elvenblade<
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Get the number changed. It's almost impossible to get them to stop calling because all those reasons are excuses debtors also use to try to stop calls. Also, they probably have multiple debts, and will probably also continue giving out that phone number.<
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Changing your number is the easiest solution unfortunately. If you don't want to change it then you need to send a letter, preferably through certified mail, demanding that they stop contacting that phone number. Then they have to cease calling (though they get a grace period to make the changes). Then you can go to the trouble of suing them for not complying if you want. However if the debt is sold (and debts often are) you'd have to do that for each new agency. <
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Keep my head from exploding?...<b>You can help!</b><i></i>

A roommate and I once had several collection agencies calling us trying to collect on debts owed by her previous roommate (who, conveniently enough, owed her money). I finally started to tell all of them that not only did he not live there anymore, but that if they found him I wanted them to call me with his contact information, since he had split town after getting my roommate pregnant. That was a lie, but it did have the intended effect of convincing the collections folks that we had no idea where the asshole was.<
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My personal suggestion would be to start each call (after asking them the last name of the Erick they are looking for) by a) telling them that they are calling the wrong number, b) asking to speak to their supervisor, and c) proceeding to explain to the supervisor in the most foul, ing four-letter language you can think of why they need to get their heads out of their fucking asses and leave you alone. I guarantee that if you regularly abuse the supervisors with phrases like "studid fucking cum-guzzling whore" and "moronic AIDS-infected cunt" that they will stop calling you. <i></i>

I had the same problem. What worked for me was to tell them it was a previous tenant and we had no way of contacting them.<
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It worked. Seriously. <i></i>

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"Be glad there was a keyboard, monitor and miles of fiber between us when you typed that."

"State that opinion in my presence, you fucktard, and I'll show you how valid it is when I'm kicking the shit out of you."

Same thing happened to me. I asked to speak to a supervisor, explained to her that I wasn't the person they were looking for and would they please stop calling me. They stopped. Quote:Family planning: The art of spacing your children the proper distance apart to keep you on the edge of financial disaster.<i></i>

I heard there was a new law down in the US where you can make a collection agency stop calling you. Now that does not get you out of still owing the money, but they can't harrass you. Now in your case of them calling the wrong fucking number, I would just tell them eric died. <
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Here is the info I think you are looking for:<
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http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/p...it/fdc.htm <i></i>

/off topic<
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Quote:Family planning: The art of spacing your children the proper distance apart to keep you on the edge of financial disaster.<
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Greatest quote ever<
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/end off topic <
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"My doctor says that I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fibre and that I am therefore excused from saving universes."

i had this happen to me as well. Granted, there was no Debbie that lived at my house... <
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i told them that i got the new number on such and such date and that they must be looking for the person who had the number previous to me. It took a while as they owed everyone, but after i told all of them, they stopped. it took about 2 to 3 months for them to stop. <i></i>

Quote:i told them that i got the new number on such and such date and that they must be looking for the person who had the number previous to me. It took a while as they owed everyone, but after i told all of them, they stopped. it took about 2 to 3 months for them to stop.<
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That happened to me when I first got my cellphone. Tried telling them the first couple of times that they had the wrong number. They kept calling though so I finally told them to cease and desist any phone-calls to that number. Prolly got the person in deep shit with the agency, but frankly I didn't care at that point. <
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Not to mention all these calls happened within an hour, while I was trying to play EQ. <i></i>

Doesn't help with callers and such. More a statement for those in finincial trouble.<
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You can always write "Deceased" on the bill, and then send it back unopened. Of course. this is also quite illegal, and depending on how diligent they are, can cause a lot of finincial trouble later on as they start reporting your.. uh.. mortality to credit agencies.<
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I didn't do that, but I did try somethign once, that got one company in trouble over something I owed them. Me too.. but hey. <
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Figuring that with the common level of education around the US lately. I wrote "Diseased" on the bill, and sent it back.<
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They really DID stop calling me, and it dropped off my credit report too after almost 2 years. Then I applied for Credit, and the shit started. I would've been in a LOT of trouble if I hadn't ultimately told the official at the City Attorney's office what I actually wrote. The credit thing reappeared in my rating. but I NEVER got a call back from that company again. And never paid anything on the bill.<
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Yeah if your mean yoiu could tell them that too I suppose. "He's deceased, stop calling me", and lie to them however you see fit. Have no idea whether you would have any legal responsibility though. For the lie. Not the money. <i></i>

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"People sometimes say that ideas cannot be stamped out by force. The Albigensian Crusade proves them wrong. Ideas can be stamped out by the elimination of everyone who holds the ideas." - Quote :"Middle Ages" by Morris Bishop.

My roomates all work in the Cabela's collection department. They all said that they should have a "skip trace" program, which finds the new number of the guy. If that doesn't work, you can ask to talk to a supervisor. They SHOULD be able to take care of the problem for you. <i></i>

You can write them a drop-dead letter and sue if they call again.<
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clarkhoward.com/topics/dr...etter.html<
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Your question might be better asked here:<
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clarkhoward.com/p/boards/...threads.pl <i></i>