My husband and I made tyhe move two months ago from New York to New Jersey after five long years of discussion. Everything seemed good with our new home and new phone number.
Then Sprint started calling- and has not stopped.
The person who had our number previously, a Jean C. Pierre, apparently owes Sprint money. I do not know how much and nor is it my business. The first two times, one on March 22, one on April 16, I informed Sprint that I am not Jean C. Pierre and to please stop calling our home. Their operators claimed that our phone number would be taken out of their computer.
Bull cookies.
In the past seven days, their collections department has called four times on the following dates: May 15, May 17, May 18 and today. Each time they have called, it was between 11 am and 2 pm, which is within the permissible contact hours under the FDCPA.
However, each time I informed them that I am NOT Jean C. Pierre, they get more and more nasty.This morning, Monica, a collections supervisor who should know better, started telling me about Jean C. Pierre's balance, as if I am either a relative or I know this person. I told her to stop right there for the following reasons.
1. I already made it perfectly clear I am NOT Jean C. Pierre. I can't even give this person's correct zip code. That alone should have ended the conversation.
2. I informed Sprint SIX TIMES since the 22nd of March that whomever Jean C. Pierre is, this is no longer his or her phone number. This should have been handled at the most by the second time I informed them of that fact.
3. They started to reveal how much Jean C. Pierre owes them. Lady, not only is that NOT MY BUSINESS, under the FDCPA, you cannot reveal that information to ANYBODY except Jean C. Pierre, his or her spouse, or this person's legal representative. By revealing that information to me, you are violating that person's rights under the FDCPA.
4. Finally, abusive conduct is a violation of the FDCPA. Each time I informed Sprint's collection department that I am NOT this person and asked them to take this number out of their computer, they got more and more nasty. Monica, the aformentioned collections supervisor, started to curse at me and hung up on me when I informed her that I would be calling an attorney if these calls did not stop. Under the FDCPA, you are not allowed to verbally abuse customers even if they do legitimately owe money. The violations become even more egegious when the company is verbally abusing someone who DOES NOT OWE THEM AND IS NOT EVEN THE PERSON THEY ARE LOOKING FOR!
Like Steve in Bradenton said, "Don't get mad. Get paid.". I put in a call to a consumer attorney and am following his advice. Sprint has had multiple chances to take my number out of their computer and stop this campaign of harassment. They lost any further chances when they revealed information to me that is not my business. It is also my hope that Jean. C. Pierre reads this and finds out about thie violation of his or her rights under the FDCPA and sues them too. Monica may say that Jean C. Pierre gave my number as a point of contact, giving them the right to call, but that is NOT TRUE lady, especially when you have been informed MULTIPLE TIMES that this is not that person's number anymore!