I’ve certainly had my share of trouble with telemarketers since the unfortunate circumstance that resulted in my mortgage being sold to CitiMortgage. CitiBank and their who-knows-how-many parent companies and child companies and nephew companies has been on my list of companies to avoid doing business with for a long time and these latest shenanigans only serve to validate my decision to include them well over 20 years ago.

For a little background, you can read up on my earlier posts on this subject here, here, here, here, here and here.

Although I was a bit doubtful that CitiMortgage was responsible in some way for some of the calls at the time I wrote those posts, I am now starting to think that indeed they were! And here’s why:

Today the phone rings at 3:14 PM and the caller ID says 866-468-5750 and “Unavailable” for a name. Looks like trouble but I’m in the mood to answer it so I do. Perky female voice says what sounds to me like she’s calling from CitiMortgage and wants to thank me for being a CititMortgage customer. Great, I figure it’s the mortgage company with some kind of legitimate business regarding the mortgage. After all, I contacted them back in August to have my name removed from the telemarketing list and they sent me an e-mail confirming that.

Well, so much for confirmations from scummy outfits like CitiMortgage! The next thing I know the perky female voice launches into a sales pitch about some lame home warranty plan. Got to give her credit for knowing her pitch inside and out and delivering it with hardly a pause to take a life-giving breath of air however!

I keep expecting her to stop so I can say something but she does not. So I stop her and ask her if she is in fact with CitiMortgage. She tells me no, she is calling “on behalf of” CitiMortgage. I then ask her what company she is calling from and she tells me “Cross Country Services.”

I tell her that I was supposed to be removed from CitiMortgage’s calling lists last summer and I should not be receiving this call and I am not happy about it and I want to talk to someone  about it. She asks if I want to talk to her supervisor and I tell her I do. She tells me to hold on and he will be right on the line. Can you guess what happens next?

I hear a few clicks. The a few seconds later I hear some more. Then a few more. Then it starts ringing again and I get the old “If you’d like to make a call” telephone company recording. Apparently she directed my call into thin air, or in other words, hung up on me. In her own unique way, of course!

Keep in mind, CitiMortgage was supposed to have added my name to their list of customers who do not want to receive telemarketing calls. In fact, let me quote the e-mail they sent me back in August: “As requested in your recent email, we have added your name to our list of customers who do not wish to receive calls of promotional items and products.”

Well, CitiMortgage, why did I receive a telemarketing call today from some perky woman selling home warranties who claimed to be calling on your behalf?” Is the mortgage crisis hitting your business so hard that you must resort to violating the law by calling to pitch crap to people who do not want to be called?

Being totally sick of this crap and totally fed up with the lies from CitiMortgage I went to the “Do Not Call” web site that is hosted by the Federal Trade Commission and filed a complaint. Imagine my surprise when I am informed, after filing my complaint, that the information “may” be used by law enforcement or regulatory agencies but no specific action will likely result from my complaint. Gee, thanks a lot for that! Another government law with no teeth? One might make that assumption.

I am not done however. These slimeballs have violated the law and I intend to follow up on this. My next mission will be to try to get in touch with a human being at the FTC and see if I can have something done.

When I worked in real estate we were practically threatened with banishment or execution if we made a call that violated the “Do Not Call” regulations. There are supposedly hefty fines involved in the neighborhood of $11,000 or so and if that is indeed the case I intend to find out how one can file a complaint and make it stick.

Tags: calls, CitiMortgage, Cross Country Services, Telemarketing