Content starts here
CLOSE ×

Search

Reply
Contributor

Too many phone calls

Today, I tried to contact Medicare to request that that agency set up it's own "Do not call list".  Of course, you can't get to a real person who has any clout or is high enough up the food chain to actually DO something.  Decided to do something here.

AARP you have a lot of influence and perhaps you could become involved.

Medicare needs to have a place where those of us on Medicare, any Medicare, can register all of our phone numbers and request that no one call or contact us regarding our Medicare coverage.

It probably won't do much about the fraudulent calls but at least the insurance companies who are inundating us night and day would think twice about calling and risking a fine or face some retribution for the activities.

We are getting calls even during hours that used to be "off limits" for junk calls.

The "do not call list" is useless for the most part.  There are too many exceptions.

Since I do business with a company that provides Medicare insurance, they are allowed to provide my information to other companies.  Those companies, in turn, are allowed to contact me to solicit my business.

We should be able to place our names on the Medicare website that prohibits companies from contacting us to solicit our business. 

I am aware of a few instances of Medicare agents contacting people to try to convince them to switch to a Medicare Advantage plan.  I one case in particular, 2 years in a row now, the lady in question agreed to switch.  Thank god, her son who lives in another state found out and was able to get her returned to her old plan.

The Medicare Advantage plan she was switched to had virtually no providers in her vicinity and she doesn't drive.

I know there are some of you who would tell me to just not answer any calls that we don't recognize.  That works for some calls with out of state area calls.  But we have tried that and have missed some calls from "back lines" in offices that were legitimate which has caused some problems for us.

 

0 Kudos
1,654 Views
5
Report
Silver Conversationalist

I've solved that issue,at least my solution works for me. If I don't recognize the number on my caller I D,I don't answer it. That's why I have voice mail. Waiting for medicare or AARP to address this probably will be a lesson in frustration. 

0 Kudos
1,115 Views
0
Report
Regular Contributor

I agree it's a real problem but we don't have many people who really care about our issues with all our calls, spam, scams, robot calls, etc. I've seen that the phone companies aren't doing enough either.

Life's too short to worry about it. Keep blocking or don't answer the calls. I sometimes turn my phone down or off to not be bothered.

Chloe
1
Kudos
19955
Views
0 Kudos
1,169 Views
1
Report
Honored Social Butterfly


@grandmachloe wrote:

I agree it's a real problem but we don't have many people who really care about our issues with all our calls, spam, scams, robot calls, etc.

Without government intervention and a DO NOT CALL list program that is utterly useless, I enjoy taking these scam calls, wasting their time by jerking them around, calling them names in their own native language. They hang up on ME rather than me having to hang up on THEM.

 

I feel like if I waste their time, it slows them down from going to the next person who might be a gullible, naive person like we always read about.

0 Kudos
1,157 Views
0
Report
Bronze Conversationalist

your idea is interesting but noit practical. Scammers and fraudsters dont care if your on a list or not . Im on a donot call list and still get my share of scam calls try getting a phone blocking service like no mo robo   if you never made a call to them just hang up sometimes in anger you will slip out something and pay for it same goes for the internet dont open links just delete

1,367 Views
1
Report
Honored Social Butterfly

@Travis55Chevy,

 

You are correct. Do Not Call Lists are not effective.

 

What I find to be effective is taking their time by jerking them around. I lead them on until they figure that I am bull crapping them and they hang up.

 

Most scam calls I receive are from the same country, and might be from the same entity as the hold music, hold voice, and other patterns of the call are exactly the same.

 

I have learned several off color words in their native language to use and they usually hang up immediately when I direct those words towards them.

 

As to links from scam internet contacts, you are 100% correct.

1,212 Views
0
Report
cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Users
Need to Know

NEW: AARP Games Tournament Tuesdays! This week, achieve a top score in Atari Asteroids® and you could win $100! Learn More.

AARP Games Tournament Tuesdays

More From AARP