Phone solicitor threatened me after I hung up on him

[Whoa_Nelly]

MCI solicitor called a little while ago. Called me by my first name (I have an unlisted number, but apparently the realty management company, or someone out there, thinks it's OK to sell phone numbers...). Anyway, I was my usual rude-to-solicitor self telling him to put me on the do not call list or I'll fucking sue, and I hung up. A few minutes later I get a call from this same guy, but apparently he's using a different phone because the call came up blocked (I always answer blocked call as that's how my son's mumber shows). He told me to never fucking hang up on him again, he knows where I fucking live, and he will be over to rip my fucking throat out.

So, I called MCI, and filed a complaint with a supervisor, and made it clear that I want a follow-up call today, and want to know if if this person lives in my area, and NOT in 3-6 business days. I was told they would get right on it, and that they could find out immediately who it was that contacted me re: solicitation.

Now, if this guy lives near me, AND loses his job over this, am wondering should I file a complaint with the police? I live in a very small almost rural town, and the police aren't really the most compliant unless it's something very direct. I have my doubts that I'll be taken seriously.

[mike_c]

1. yes, call the police....

Make sure they have a record that you were threatened.

[kedrys]

2. I hate those idiots at MCI

I had one call me on my unlisted number during dinner...3 times! The first time I was polite, the second time I hung up on him, the third time I cussed him out up one side and down the other and demanded to talk to his supervisor. He hung up and never called again.

Do whatever you have to to be safe. There's a lot of loonies out there. It couldn't hurt to give the police heads up, at least.

[Debi]

3. Are you sure he wasn't trying to recruit you for the armed forces

seems more their style lately!

I'd contact the police and just tell them it's weird - Hopefully MCI will let you know what happened and can tell you if the person lives in your area.

[iconoclastic cat]

4. Don't just call the cops. File a formal police report.

[clydefrand]

5. Absolutely, call the police and notify them of this threat.

It needs to be on record just in case this asshole attempts anything. Good luck. Let us know the results of your call to MCI.

[SmokingJacket]

6. Someone was having a BAD day!

I hang up on every single one of them, but no one's ever called back.

Yeah, man, call the cops anyway. That's crazy shit.

Dude needs a mellower job, like in a slaughter house or something.

[liberalhistorian]

14. Or better yet, he'd

make a great debt collectroll, especially a medical one, since this is the kind of shit those fuckers are always pulling.

[SmokingJacket]

15. Yeah, maybe it was his first day at the new job, and he thought he

was still in collections...

[mahina]

7. Did you know that MCI contracts this work to prisons?

I saw that in a Michael Moore documentary. You have a complaint against MCI and whoever sold your private phone number (and address?)
On a happier note, here's a great script for unwanted calls- ignore thier questions and start asking them questions.
Do you enjoy this work? How long have you been doing it? What kind of healthcare does this job provide? Do you have dental coverage? What kind of toothpaste do you like to use? What, you don't like answering questions for no known reason? Why not? Oh, you're busy right now? That's ok, I can call you back, what is your home phone number?

[xmas74]

21. I always ask them about the free beer.

I let them go on their little speil and then interrupt w/ "And what about the free beer?"
After two or three of these thrown into the conversation they will usually take you off of their lists. At least the ones that used to call me did.

[skygazer]

8. Wow, what great customer service skills

Bet he sells a lot of contracts. :silly:

I would certainly get it on record with the police that you were threatened. Any idiot who would go to the trouble of calling back specifically to do so has some major screws lose. That way, there's a record of your problem in case anything further results.

[Deja Q]

9. Call the police. Oh, those fuckers at MCI made me pay for a collect call I

NEVER accepted or certainly was never told by their operator that it was a collect call because my policy is to NEVER accept them unless it's close family and even then that never happens.

I tried fighting it and lost.

Dropped the bastards the next day.

File away, that cretin should be in jail.

[ashling]

10. I may be wrong here, but

isn't it a federal offense to make a threat over the telephone? - particularly since he's probably calling from another state?

[OldLeftieLawyer]

11. The police won't do anything

They'll tell you that they can't do anything until there's an actual act - i.e., that the person shows up and does something bad.

But, the tactic I always used with unwanted phone calls was to put the phone down, walk away, and return later, after the caller was gone.

That, or a really loud whistle blown right into the mouthpiece - that works, too.

[madrchsod]

12. two words

cell phones--never have to worry about these bastards again. MCI is the worst

[Tyrone Slothrop]

28. No kidding!

I don't think I've gotten a single "spam" call in the nearly two years that I've been exclusively using a cell phone.

The only oddball calls I've gotten have been a couple of wrong numbers. But absolutely zero solicitation.

[jrthin]

13. I hate MCI.

Call the cops. This is the same company that "bills" their customers an extra cost for sending them their monthly statement. This is the same company that called my deaf Mom and said that she gave them verbal permission to change her carrier to MCI. When I called them to say that their claim was impossible, they told me they wouldn't cancel my Mother's account until I gave them her social security number. I basically told them to eff off and called my local DA's office. This company is evil.

[Catherine Vincent]

16. OMG! This person that would take it upon himself and call back

to threaten you like that definitely need anger management. He's probably harmless,although you never know. But he remind me of FWeepers making threats while on their home computer.

[Whoa_Nelly]

18. Afterwards, had the thought that I should have said to him...

I'll bet you're a republican and you voted for Bush...same tactics, different day.

[Whoa_Nelly]

17. Thanks all--have made formal complaint to cops

When the guy threatened me, I repied, "You show up at my house, I'll fucking kill you, and don't think I don't have the means to do it!"

Now have my handy-dandy tape recorder ready to roll should the asshole call back again. I would gladly sue MCI over this...what asswipes.

[xultar]

19. call the police

[1monster]

20. I had the same thing happen to me about a year and a half ago from an

AT&T telemarketer. I had switched from Bell South to AT&T because I was promised a really good package. When I got my bill, I found that I was not given any of the great package I signed up for, but was given the high price long distance (39 cents per minute). I switched back to Bell South the same day I got the bill.

I told the AT&T telemarketer this and that I was no longer interested in AT&T. When she kept insisting that I switch, I hung up on her.

Thirty seconds later, my phone rang again. It was the same telemarketer. She said,"Don't you DARE ever hang up on me again!" and slammed down her phone.

I was stunned. I immediately called the AT&T customer service number and made a complaint.

About forty-five minutes later, the same telemarketer called back, screaming, "You BITCH! You F---ing Bitch!" and once again slammed down the phone.

I called the customer service number again and was told by them that the woman probably lived within a sixty mile radius of my home... All of my information could be found on the Internet with a reverse phone number lookup.

So I called the local law enforcement and was told that unless she actually did anything to me, they were unable to help at all.

I'll admit that I was more than a little scared for a few weeks after that.

I never would have reported her incredible rudeness if she hadn't called me back the first time. I know telemarketers have a hard job, but I pay for my phone, they don't.

Report it to the police, but I don't think you will get much satisfaction there.

[truthbetold]

22. I know what you mean.

That is utter CRAP that you should not be forced to deal with.
My family has been getting call after call for probably the last month from "The State Of New York" wanting to do a survey. We've told them time and again to stop calling, but they don't seem to get the message.
By all means, sue. Someone has to teach these uppity bastards a lesson.

[nini]

23. The guy was an asshole, but why be so vicious to telemarketer?

Just tell them 'no thanks, take me off your list' and then hang up decently?


Before everyone flames my ass - I am NOT condoning what that asshole did. I just don't find it necessary to spew venom on someone trying to earn a buck in the buscho economy. Issues should be with the company not the low level employee.

Have your son unblock his number before he calls you.. that'll take care of any unwanted calls too. My family has to dial *86 or something before calling me to reveal their number. I will NOT answer my phone if I don't recognize the name or number.

[Whoa_Nelly]

24. Why I'm not nice to phone solicitors

They called me, interrupted my life, usually don't stop talking when I tell them "NO!" and to put me on the do not call list or I will gladly sue to collect the $3000 for invading my privacy. I sometimes ask if they can email me info, then tell them my address is [e-mail].

I see absolutely no reason to be polite to people who have bought my UNLISTED phone number and invaded my privacy. To me, it's right up there with SPAM and worse than junk mail.

[nini]

25. You obviously miss my point

Again.. your issue is with the company not the employee making the call. I've been on the employee end of calls back in the day when I did tech support for a company and the f'ing shit I had to take because the person on the other end of the phone thought it was ok to take their anger out on ME still pisses me off. There's just no justifiable reason to treat someone like that unless they go off on you first. If this guy started out rude then you were completely justified. Rude and persistent are two different things.

It's the same as bitching out a waitress because the cook screwed up. You're attacking the wrong source.

YOu've got a caller ID system on your phone that would prevent you from having to deal with it - USE IT before you give yourself a stroke. I hope you never get desperate enough financially to have to 'lower' yourself to a job that like.

:eyes:

[Orsino]

26. No telephone solicitor has the right...

...even to pretend to be surprised at a rude reception. If they are too dense to expect such behavior, the first hour on the job should educate them.

Today's economy being what it is, though, many don't have a good choice about what work they accept. I may be curt about getting off the line when they call, but I am never actively rude to them.

The company that employs them must at least share in the blame.

[nini]

29. I agree.. they should expect to be cut off quickly

and they need to have a thick skin to do that job.

I just feel going overboard on the rudeness should be beneath those of us who know how it is to work a crappy job to survive.

NOW, if they are rude first... the gloves come off and they deserve whatever you want to throw at them.

[Mutley]

27. I would not be a telemarketer if it were the last available job on Earth.

Sorry to any DUers who do this for a living, but telemarketing sounds like one of the worst jobs a person could have.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

30. Someone did that to me from Pitney Bose.

He called, I hung up, and then he called me back. I hung up again, and then he called me constantly for the next 20 minutes. I finally had to take the phone off the hook. I should have called back, but I was way too pissed off.
Duckie

[amazona]

31. you won't be taken seriously

Unfortunately you do have to file in case it becomes necessarily to litigate or prosecute the jerk but you are right -- your small town PD won't take it seriously and may even insult you. Been there, done that. But you still need to attempt to file your complaint and make notes on what you said and who talked to for future reference. The PD would rather you didn't, but your lawyer will be glad you did. It may be in the interest of your PD to avoid the extra paperwork, but it's their job, they're getting paid, and you may need that piece of paper down the line. Besides, the guy might really be psycho. The guy who threatened me had a gun and had threatened other people, not just me. If I was killed, I wanted something on record so they'd know who to arrest!

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72