Question: Just who the hell IS "Rachel from Card Services?"

[Archae]

And why can't the FTC (or is it the FCC?) shut them down?

[JitterbugPerfume]

1. I don't know who she is

but she should be tired of me hanging up on her by now.

[pinboy3niner]

2. Count your blessings that you didn't get Peggy...

[jberryhill]

3. Seriously

Have you updated your "Google listing?"

I can't for the life of me figure out why so many of the telcos want to see the internet run their way, when it is painfully obvious that the telephone network has become a bigger source of nuisance solicitations than any internet annoyance.

[oldhippydude]

4. she has me on speed dial

the thing i dont like about robo calls.. if they are humans, at least i can tell the i am on the no call list and raise hell..

[PA Democrat]

5. There were three of those calls on my answering machine this week.

I thought the FTC had taken action against these scammers (they charge a fee to reduce the interest rate on your credit card- or at least that's what they promise). The calls however continue. I was home and picked up the phone and hit the numbered option to end the calls. We'll see if it actually works.

[PA Democrat]

6. 2.6 Billion Robo-Calls Later, Why Won’t Rachel from Cardholder Services Just Go Away?

The Federal Trade Commission, which in 2010 shut down a massive robo-calling operation that was responsible for a huge number of the calls from Rachel — and Stacey, a similar friendly voice selling auto warranties — said the responsible company made 2.6 billion calls in a year and a half period, of which 1.6 billion were answered by consumers. Of those, 12.8 million people actually spoke with an agent, the FTC said. Yes, it took a lot of calls (generated by computers, which don’t get too tired), but nearly 13 million people bit.

Following that shutdown, the FTC saw a decline in complaints from people on the national Do Not Call registry. But it was short-lived, with complaints soaring to a new record in 2011. Last week, the FTC settled a case against SBN Peripherals (a.k.a. Asia Pacific Telecom), agreeing to a permanent ban from telemarketing and a payment of $3 million in assets.

So, now that the company that made billions of calls is gone, why is Rachel still calling? Why are so many consumers still filing Do Not Call list complaints against her and her ilk? (She recently called my cell phone.)

While SBN and its related companies might have been Rachel’s biggest launching pad, it was hardly her only one. The FTC, which is in charge of policing Do Not Call violators, recognizes consumers’ frustration with Rachel’s persistence and the annoyance of these calls, which do not discriminate between home or cell phone. “Rachel is a sort of generic name recording that different scammers use,” explained FTC spokesman Frank Dorman. “It’s not just one big operation.”


Read more: http://moneyland.time.com/2012/04/06/2-7-billion-robo-calls-later-why-wont-rachel-from-cardholder-services-just-go-away/#ixzz278Eqjz7W

[csziggy]

7. And what about "Dave" from Microsoft Security Services?

With the thick Indian accent? I've gotten so I am not at all polite to "Dave" or whatever name is being used on that call. I've progressed to telling them over and over that they are THIEVES and to not call me any more. If I'm in a bad mood, I cuss at them. I don't even let them say their spiel, I just talk over their script.

Most of the poor guys try to argue with me. Boo-hoo!

[left on green only]

8. Rachel!????

The one I always get is Maggie Long (you know, the sister of Harry Reams?). Thanks to the call screening function on my answering machine, she has never heard the sound of my voice. It must feel so lonely for her to exist inside a vacuum every time she calls me.

[MineralMan]

9. She's one of the most hated people

on the planet, I'm sure.

[Zorra]

10. I don't know, but I think I said something really nasty and unrepeatable

to her once, possibly something so unspeakably wicked that it is probably a criminal offense.

I believe that I was under significant stress from a dissolving relationship and raising two miscreant teenage boys at the time, and may have been having a bad hair day as well.

[tularetom]

11. Almost as big a pain in the ass as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

I made the mistake of sending them $100 back in the spring. In June they called to thank me and tried to hit me up for another contribution. They finally wore me down and I sent them another $25 just to get rid of them.

Just this week they called me again with their hand out. I responded by asking the caller a whole bunch of personal questions like how much was he getting paid, what the working conditions were like, and finally, why the fuck was he wasting his time trying to squeeze a few more bucks out of me when there were millions of people out there who hadn't yet contributed a dime. I was having fun but he was getting more and more pissed.

After about five minutes of this he finally gave up and hung up the phone.

The next time Rachel from Card Services calls I'll try it with her.

[CTyankee]

12. She keeps calling my husband. He is getting sick of her constant calling.

Occasionally, she calls me but I think she has a thing for him so I am suspicious...

[Posteritatis]

13. ID theft callers are usually offshore or move around a lot. (nt)

[hobbit709]

14. Sometimes she's Heather.

[silverweb]

15. My solution.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]I dumped the land line some years ago for lack of use and have only my cell phone. Everyone I may want or need to talk to is in my cell phone directory.

My outgoing message states, "Calls from unrecognized and withheld numbers are not answered. If you would like a call back, please leave a message."

When my phone rings, I have the option of hitting the "reject" button and I use it freely.

[Ms. Toad]

16. The FTC can only shut them down if it knows about them.

I hope everyone in this thread is reporting the calls they receive at any number listed on the Do Not Call list.

https://complaints.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx?panel=2