Spam Calls Related to Pampered Chef Businesses

[magentablue]

Many of us began getting spam phone calls after we started our Pampered Chef websites. Generally, they're recordings, and offers for our "small business," "making money at home," "paying off debt," etc.

I always believed, but was never able to prove, that this was related to my Pampered Chef business. I've mentioned it on here before. Some of you had the same suspicions, while others said "I don't know what you are talking about."

My business url is purposely easy. It's my last name... which also happens to be some people's first name... so it's a really common name. So I'm a .biz/name -- my suspicion is that some spider/bot/whatever "crawls" our websites, and gathers our phone numbers...

then... and I know this is true... our phone numbers are SOLD to these spammers!

How do I know this? I got one of those calls with a ridiculous accent the other day. I assumed it was a recording. I think I swore at "it." The recording was actually a live person. "I'm very sorry to have upset you, ma'am." he said to me. I was stunned.

"I'm so frustrated with these calls. How did you get my number?"

"Ma'am, I buy lists of potential customers. Your number was on my list."

"Where does this list come from? I'm on the do not call list! I report you people all the time!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I don't want to offend you. I believe you have your own business, I think a Pampered Chef business. I bought that list. And your number is on your website, I believe. So even if you're on the do not call list, we can contact you, because your number is out there in the public domain."

He was actually very nice, and said he wasn't trying to upset me, and he'd remove me from HIS list, but that he couldn't stop the calls.

Just thought I'd give you all a heads up. I guess there is nothing we can do (other than advise our new recruits to come up with really difficult urls for their business), but at least if you are like me, and getting insanely angry with the spam calls, you'll know where they are coming from.

I am thinking about cancelling my website. I've received much more frustration than orders from having a website I pay a lot of money for!

 

[wadesgirl]

Yes I get those calls EVERYDAY!! Sometimes there isn't even an option to try to talk to someone to remove you from their list!

 

[dme.grant]

I've spoken to several people and asked to be removed from the list and every single one has just hung up on me, then I get the same darned call the very next day!! Luckily, I now recognize the area code and don't answer!

 

[esavvymom]

Before you cancel your website, just remove your phone number! That's what I did and the calls have all but stopped. I was getting them alot then too. Now you just find my email address, and they can click on the "Contact me".(Edit: I never had customers call me from the website anyway. Most people prefer to email or past customers had my number already.)

 

[esavvymom]

I've spoken to several people and asked to be removed from the list and every single one has just hung up on me, then I get the same darned call the very next day!! Luckily, I now recognize the area code and don't answer!

Since you ASKED to be removed, you can report them. And I'd tell them you intend to.

Problem I had was that the phone number changed every time. Fortuantely, mine were recordings....eventually I listened ALL the way through, and there was an "unsubscribe" type option. Still got a few, but either that or the fact that I removed my phone number from my website- haven't had them since.

 

[NooraK]

Actually, if your number is registered, even though the caller purchased your number as a lead, they're still not allowed to call it. Just because the number is "out there in the public domain" does not mean that it is open to solicitations calls. With white pages being accessible online, anyone listed in the phone book has their phone number "in the public domain" but that does not negate the purpose of the DNC Registry.

I did a really quick search, and found this article:

http://www.kurdhost.net/no-call-list-complaints-are-you-covered-on-purchased-leads-98737.html

It's written for insurance agents, but the information applies to anyone who purchases leads. It says that the lead seller should be responsible for ensuring the numbers are screened, but whoever is selling our info is obviously less than ethical about obtaining the numbers in the first place.

Other results from my search actually brought up a software program companies could use to scrub their lead lists against the DNC Registry.

Now, if you have an existing business relationship with a company, they may still call you to offer new business opportunities, but they must also maintain internal records of requests to cease solicitations.

 

[NooraK]

I guess there is nothing we can do (other than advise our new recruits to come up with really difficult urls for their business)

Even this won't help. The people who do this kind of thing use software programs that run combinations of letters incessantly until they hit a match. Even if your URL isn't that simple, they will eventually get to it.

Kind of like that theory about monkeys and Shakespeare.

I would rather deal with or ignore the calls than make it more difficult for my customers to reach me by picking a complicated URL or removing my phone number from my PWS.

 

[Sheila]

I've never figured out how to make the phone number even show up on my web page. LOL

 

[NooraK]

I've never figured out how to make the phone number even show up on my web page. LOL

You have to go into the PWS Assistant, then into "Site Options" then into "Your contact information". You will definitely be able to put in your TX number, I don't know about any foreign numbers, though.

 

[ree_countrygirl]

thanks for the info ya'll! glad to know where the stupid calls are coming from!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[alicia_pchef]

Ugh, I was wondering where these were coming from! I get them every few days and they always seem to be when I'm in a meeting! Mine are always recordings and always different!

 

[kam]

OK, I got one of these yesterday. It was on my machine and it directly referenced my PC business (in fact, DH thought it was a message FROM Pampered Chef - but it wasn't). It talked about making $1000 extra dollars and how he did it, etc.

But, what is confusing me is that I don't have a website anymore - and it's been over a year now since I had one...it might be closer to a year and a half!!!

So, I am wondering how they knew about my PC business if I don't have a website...and this is the very first call I have received like this.

So, anyone who was considering canceling their website, it apparently doesn't matter - they are gathering info that is very old or from somewhere else. But, if they didn't get it from my website over a year ago - I don't know where it came from.

 

[Sheila]

Thanks Noora! I put my pre-paid cell # on there. I'll see if I start getting more spam calls before I put my Skype # that we use full time in Japan on there! LOL

 

[esavvymom]

OK, I got one of these yesterday. It was on my machine and it directly referenced my PC business (in fact, DH thought it was a message FROM Pampered Chef - but it wasn't). It talked about making $1000 extra dollars and how he did it, etc.

But, what is confusing me is that I don't have a website anymore - and it's been over a year now since I had one...it might be closer to a year and a half!!!

So, I am wondering how they knew about my PC business if I don't have a website...and this is the very first call I have received like this.

So, anyone who was considering canceling their website, it apparently doesn't matter - they are gathering info that is very old or from somewhere else. But, if they didn't get it from my website over a year ago - I don't know where it came from.

It could be from a catalog of yours he picked up or an ad somewhere. I had an ad in our local paper and got a few calls from other DS folks or things like that trying to recruit me.

 

[JennLizFran]

Wow, thank you, I had been wondering about this. I do not have my # on my PC site, but recently joined another DS company that did not give me the option, they automatically listed it, and since then I have received these calls non-stop. I will be calling the other DS company and demanding they take my # off and hope this helps some. Thank you!!

 

[mspibb]

I have been getting those stupid calls (my cell is listed on my PWS) and thought it was, as someone else mentioned, random dialing programs! I read recently about a guy who is an attorney and he makes his living suing telemarketing companies! He is on the DNC list (Which BTW in my state TN a "business" phone cannot be listed on the DNC list!) and when he gets calls he again asks to be removed and then when they call him again he sues. They settle of course without going to court!

 

[Bren706]

I am so thankful that I have not received any of these calls yet

 

[dmfink]

I think I may have received one of these calls to my cell phone, but I can't be sure..You can register you numbers with the do not call list. I'm not sure how much it would help though.

 

[Liseit]

Don't sweat the small stuff as they say. I've been getting those calls on ocassion but I think it is worth the bother to have my number out there for my customers. It's really very simple to just hang up when I realize that it's a solicitation or recording. If you have the time to listen to the message, sometimes there is an unsubscribe option at the end. Unfortuantely it's the cost of doing business in this technically advanced world....