

877 888-8888

Several times this month, I’ve received calls from the phone number (877) 888-8888, including three calls in one hour today! I Googled the number and found this website that lists complaints going back to 2007.

Sample comments:
“They call 2-3 times a day, I have never answered.”
“I called number back just to see who it was – no one answered – just kept ringing. I really get tired of these kind of calls. Does the ‘DO NOT CALL’ list that we put our number on not work?!?!?”
“They have been calling my house every day for weeks, and I am already part of the do not call registry.”
“I saw the number earlier today but didn’t answer, I checked out this site and found out they were scum, so I waited for the next call and answered it with a airhorn. ( Full Blast!!!!)”

People either get no response (dead air) or very confused, poorly trained callers.

The people who believe they’ve identified the caller believes it’s from:
*group opposing Bush’s veto of children’s health care, perhaps an SEIU United Healthcare Workers union (2007)
*Scorpian Solutions (2007)
*various political campaigns in Kentucky and Massachusetts

One complaintant suggests:
1. Most calls are generated by COMPUTERS which will dial 10-20 numbers simultaneously, and then signal a live person(s) to pick up the first one or two calls that someone actually answers. The other 18-19 calls are “dropped” by the computer who then is programmed to call the same numbers later, usually another hour and/or day. Calls answered by answering machines are ususally disconnected without a message, but occassionally the computer goofs and a live person will answer thinking you’ve picked up. That’s why sometime you hear “office” noise in the background.
2. Most are from TELEMARKETING Companies who are HIRED by “non-profits” including Charities and POLITICAL organizations (notice how the lawmakers exempted themselves!) and “Survey/research” organizations which are all exempt from the Do Not Call rules. Unfortunately, while technically a loophole in the law, these telemarketers will not oblige to take you off “their” lists, because these are generated and supplied by the “non-profits”.
3. YOU STILL CAN REGISTER YOUR COMPLAINTS WITH THE FCC, which is the provider of the DO NOT CALL list. If you haven’t registered your number go to, and follow the easy, clear instructions. Once you have registered your number, you have to wait 30 days to register complaints. However, on Day 31 you can start by going to the same site and clicking on “File a Complaint” and then filling out another easy, quick form. Even if organizations are technically exempt, if the government gets enough complaints about a single number, it will start to investigate them. Be sure to type the details about RUDENESS, EVASIVENESS, INAPPROPRIATE CALL TIMES, and any other issues you have in details box, like I’m doing here.

Can’t be any more of a hassle than these annoying calls.

Categories: computers
Roger Green

One Response

  1. Magpies says:

    Also consider reporting to the Attorney General.

    If you are using a landline (yucky poo) and an answering machine, consider changing the number of rings. That helped with one issue.

    If you know where a business is located, you might also want to use THEIR state’s attorney general.