Phone Calls and More Credit Offers

I have posted in the past about the credit card and car loan offers that came in the mail to me just after my bankruptcy was discharged. Seems these folks knew about it before I did. To date I have gotten 7 car loan offers (some with really ridiculous rates, 23.9% on one in the fine fine print), and 5 credit card offers.

Last night the phone rang and I picked it up before I read the caller ID. It was the car loan company wanting to do two things 1) verify my information and 2) tell me about their great products and services.

I really hate telephone solicitations of any kind. I am on the do not call list pretty much for that purpose. But since I now have an existing relationship with these folks, they can call.

I politely asked the car loan folks what information they wanted verified. They wanted to tell me about their additional products and services first and did I have a pen. I politely declined, said they could mail me information so I could read it at my leisure and again asked what information they wanted verified. Again, they wanted to tell me about their products and services first.

So I changed tactics and said, Look, it's 8:15 PM, I am tired, I have already verified my information twice with your company, I've already gotten two letters from you about the loan outlining payment dates, etc, I don't want a marketing speech, I don't want phone calls to work or home, what information do you need verified again? The rep asked if there was another number she could call me at. I said, no, I don't want to be called period, what information do you want verified, you now have 30 seconds more of my time?

I never got an answer as to what information they wanted verified. Never. I asked to be taken off their phone telemarketing list, I did tell them they could mail me their offers so I could read them when I had the time and inclination. I told the rep that this was quickly becoming a waste of my time and I would have to terminate the conversation unless she cold tell me what information they wanted verified. Since it was obvious she had no information to verify, the call ended.

I did scroll through the caller ID and saw that the loan company had called 8 times in the past 3 days. 8 times and no messages. If the information verification was soo important, they would have left a message.

I've got to remember to check the Caller ID.