I got yet another telemarketing call from “The Carpet Cleaning Company”. Over the last couple years I’ve tried getting myself off their telemarketing list, starting with being on the National Do Not Call Registry. I tried “press 9 to remove yourself from our list” maybe 3 times in the last year (they call a lot). I tried talking to the nice lady who comes on and have alternately been hung up on and told that I’d be removed. Let me also say that I have no carpets that might possibly be cleaned! The biggest rug in the place is the throw in the bathroom.
So today I signed up to have my carpets cleaned. They’ll be here Thursday between 8 and 10 am.
I gave a ficticious name and a ficticious address. They said they’d call before coming out. I’m debating whether I should call it off when they call to confirm. I mean, all I want is for them to realize it’s not in their interest to call me. I don’t want to put some guy in a van out.
What do you suggest?
Update 4-23-09: The Cleaners Arrive
I got a call at about 9:30 from “the carpet cleaners” saying they’d be arriving shortly. At about 10, there they were!
I took a few photos of their truck, waited a few minutes and then approached them.
The conversation started out like this as best I can recollect. I’m forgetting some little bits but you get the idea (next time, I’ll record video of everything)
As I approached from across the street, the angry cleaner immediately asked something like, “So what about the carpets you need cleaned?” I guess I had “clean my carpet!” written all over my face. I had been trying to be all nonchalant. Oh well. ;-)
Lee – I don’t have a carpet needing cleaning. It’s illegal for you to have called me because I’m on the Do Not Call List.
Cleaner – Hey but we’re here.
Lee – Your company has called me 10.. no 20 times in the last 2 years and I’ve tried to get off your list every which way.
Cleaner – Hey maybe it wasn’t us that called you. There are a lot of companies like us out there.
Lee – Well, you’re here so it must have been your company.
I heard his phone ringing for a while and he picked it up. He handed me the phone telling me that I could talk with his company about it. There was a woman on the phone that I told much the same story to. I gave her my real name and phone number and she said something like she’d look into it or remove me from their list or something. As we spoke on the phone, the cleaner got more agitated and I ended up talking to him more than the woman. He took back the phone and we talked more.
The cleaner was getting angry that I had photgraphed his truck and said he wanted the pictures back. I saw it was getting ugly and thought to turn on the video function of my camera.
Watch the video. NSFW: profanity:
Pay particular attention where at 1:13 in the video the cleaner commits assault, gesturing angrily and saying, “I’m gonna screw your ass. I know where you live. Ok bitch?”
Here is the contract from the video that the guy was so adamant about not giving me. (right-click to view a legible size)
Notes:The back of the truck has the email address scrtysiltns@yahoo.com on the portable job box. It’s a Ford F-150 pickup truck, white with orange near the bottom. California licence plate 8T12730.
The invoice he kept waving at me has the following written on it “Rug Steamer Tel: 888-587-5482”
Maybe I’m off their telemarketing list. It’s definite that their value proposition for using illegal telemarketing has decreased.
Update 12-10-09: I haven’t gotten a call from them in months. I think I’m finally off their list :-)
Tom Kennedy a great man, a great friend, a wonderful husband and world class artist, passed away last night. We will miss him and the world will miss him. He was caught up in a rip tide on Ocean beach and was pulled out to sea, a friend was able to bring him back in but they
were unable to revive him.
Phwew, there sure are a lot of social networking sites. I just installed Wordbook. Hopefully my friends on facebook will catch what’s up in my world with this plugin
WP-Super Cache has been giving me trouble. The trouble is, it keeps caching stuff but it doesn’t actually serve the cached files. I figured it out mostly because the hidden footer at the end of each page kept updating even when it should have been drawing from the existing cache file. And then there was the consistanly mediocre performance.
I had a previous version of WP-Super Cache that worked but after 5 revisions from the developer, I decided to upgrade. My mistake ;-(
Emails have been flying about HR 875. Here’s my 2 cents, as sent to Laurie and friends
I did some homework on this and it looks like the bill creates more government bureaucracy but doesn’t do anything against organic farmers persay. It increases the amount of record keeping required of a food producing organization, which is more of a bother for small farmers and food sellers than large ones.
The bill has nothing to do with Monsanto. People want “complete safety” with regard to their food. One way of getting that is (ostensibly) to produce all food in a well run factory. I differ, but that’s where the bill is coming from.
I’m generally opposed to it because it increases paperwork requirements and is a burden on small business. At the same time, it’s useful because if you have a big factory farm that feeds tens of millions of people, it probably should be required that you know where that big pile of food is coming from and going to in case you find a problem with the food. One big mistake might bankrupt the company but more importantly it might kill thousands of people. Such disasters are very rare indeed so I’m skeptical that additional controls will help.
Personally, I’m not going to write to my congresspersons about this. But I encourage you to do what your heart calls for!
I applied for a job yesterday on Craigslist. Here’s how it went
Craigslist listing
Delivery Man Needed !!!
Reply to: job-xzbze-1111112608@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Date: 2009-04-07, 7:56AM PDT
15 openings for Immediate Resume .
Must have valid drivers license and clean driving record
Must be friendly
Compensation: Good Pay +Benefits
This is a part-time job.
This is a contract job.
Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
Compensation: Full Paid Job
Telecommuting is ok.
This is a part-time job.
This is a contract job.
OK for recruiters to contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
PostingID: 1111112608
I replied and then I got this email today:
Dear Applicant,
Thanks for your email and enquiry about this Job. I have gone through your résumé and I must say I am impressed. However, the position of Delivery Man has been filled up by an earlier applicant. Nonetheless, the position of Personal Assistant is still vacant and from what I read in your résumé, you are the right person for the job.
I am Linda Jones, I am a Credit/Collection Agent and I have worked with various financial institutions. I work presently with some construction and manufacturing companies.
I want to employ you urgently as my Personal Assistant to handle certain aspects of my job till I return from a business trip to Spain. You do not need any fund collection or accounting experience to execute this job.
BELOW IS THE DUTY YOU HAVE TO TAKE UP UNTIL MY RETURN:
1. Make some minor calls and sometime attend some short meetings.
2. Receive funds from my clients either by Bank Transfer, Cashier Check, Business Check, E-Check,Money Orders and Western Union.
3. Disburse fund to my numerous clients either by Bank Transfer Cashier Check, Business Check, Money Orders and Western Union.
REMENURATION
You will be entitled to a basic salary of $1,300.00 weekly and a benefit of 10% on every fund collected and disbursed.
Get back to me with the following information if you are interested in this position:
1. Full name
2. Full mailing address
3. Contact phone number
4. Age
5. Sex
6. Scanned copy of your valid driver’s license
Otherwise, I must thank you for your time and my sincere apology if I wasted it in anyway.
With Regards,
Linda Jones.
Yeah, I’ll get right on that Linda.
If you can’t see it, the letter shows several warning signs of a scam.
I sent a letter back to her asking for more info about the company and a telephone interview but I’m sure I’ll never hear from this scammer again.
Warning signs include:
non-company email address
job duties that look a lot like money laundering
salary discussion too early
requiring personal information up front
the whole Spain thing
several small language cues
more, difficult to name issues
I have to commend these scammers for setting a good trap for a mark like me.
A craigslist job listing costs $75 to place so there is less spam in that channel
The seemingly personal letter has sway
“Sorry, that job is filled but here’s another” creates interest
