Reply to: Agent issuing threat

[eliquant]

Update:

Today I received two more calls (undisclosed number) [probably that same Agent pretending to be Anger Management Company] offering to register me for the Anger Management course.

In the first call, he told, "We are from xxx Anger Management, we can give classes at £60 per hour". I told him, "I am not interested. Please do not disturb me again" and closed the phone.

After about 8 minutes another call came again and he told, "I am calling from Finance Department, you have been booked for Anger Management classes..." I put the phone down.

What are my options? Should I inform police?

This cannot be real that is just extracting the Michael !!

[eliquant]

The best thing to deal with this sort of call is to say that you will personally disclose to him the locations, company names and interviewing managers of current contacts that you are currently dealing with provided that you meet face to face with him and also mention that you like the sound of human flesh tearing, and rabbits with their eyes doused with hydrochloric acid and also don't forget to moan whilst you say this to him.

[cojak]

looked into this a couple of years ago and the are limitations on which numbers you can purchase to stop people doing exactly that. I went for a 0870 number instead but that is probably going to have to change now with ofcom's messing about....

I use a specially bought Voipfone number for agent's calls - you can use them for a few weeks then dump them. They only cost a couple of quid a month.

Cheaper than a disposable mobile/sim...

[minestrone]

I know of someone who never played along with an agents fishing call, the agent told him he was friendly with his hiring manager and would phone him up and blatently discredit the guy in an attempt to lose him his job.

Guy staight to his hiring manager and told him the score, 5 minutes later the agent calls the hiring manager who was then told that his agency would never be used again in 'Lex Luther Co' . Must have cost his agency hundreds of thousands.

[ratewhore]

Do not give false details. Record conversation. Inform them that you are recording the conversation and will be passing onto the police. Give recorded conversation and correct details to police.

Then see what happens...

F**k all squared probably, knowing the way things work in this country...

[cojak]

Do not give false details. Record conversation. Inform them that you are recording the conversation and will be passing onto the police. Give recorded conversation and correct details to police.

Then see what happens...

[ratewhore]

Update:

Today I received two more calls (undisclosed number) [probably that same Agent pretending to be Anger Management Company] offering to register me for the Anger Management course.

In the first call, he told, "We are from xxx Anger Management, we can give classes at £60 per hour". I told him, "I am not interested. Please do not disturb me again" and closed the phone.

After about 8 minutes another call came again and he told, "I am calling from Finance Department, you have been booked for Anger Management classes..." I put the phone down.

What are my options? Should I inform police?

I would go along with it and give them false information. Book yourself on it, get them to invoice a made up company and tell them you look forward to the course.

I would also post ALL the details you have of the pimp on here and in lots of other places over the internet...

[NotAllThere]

Maybe not: a lot of people now don't leave messages, on the grounds that you will see the missed call, and return it. Unfortunately I usually can't.

Make an overseas calls just to find out who called me? That's not going to happen.

Yet, somehow, I'm continuously in work.

[ratewhore]

Be a politician (i.e. don't answer their question), and remember you are a business too. For example:

---

Agent: What rate you were at your last role?
Me: My typical rate is £XXX

Agent: Is that what you were on in your last role?
Me: Like I said, I typically charge XXX. Do you have any roles for this rate that would suit me?

Agent: I need to know what your last rate was?
Me: <pause/>... I'm not at liberty to discuss that.

Agent: Why can't you tell me?
Me: As I said, I can't discuss my last rate. I'm on the market for a contract at XXX a day and I'd be very interested to hear of anything you might have that would suit me, but I'm not going to discuss the specifics of my prior business arrangements with you.

---

This is the politest way I know of telling an agent to f*** off.

That's all very nice but I don't see what's wrong with telling them to f*** off...

Firm but fair

[swamp]

Be a politician (i.e. don't answer their question), and remember you are a business too. For example:

---

Agent: What rate you were at your last role?
Me: My typical rate is £XXX

Agent: Is that what you were on in your last role?
Me: Like I said, I typically charge XXX. Do you have any roles for this rate that would suit me?

Agent: I need to know what your last rate was?
Me: <pause/>... I'm not at liberty to discuss that.

Agent: Why can't you tell me?
Me: As I said, I can't discuss my last rate. I'm on the market for a contract at XXX a day and I'd be very interested to hear of anything you might have that would suit me, but I'm not going to discuss the specifics of my prior business arrangements with you.

---

This is the politest way I know of telling an agent to f*** off.

[NewWorld123]

Continuing to receive unwanted calls

Update:

Today I received two more calls (undisclosed number) [probably that same Agent pretending to be Anger Management Company] offering to register me for the Anger Management course.

In the first call, he told, "We are from xxx Anger Management, we can give classes at £60 per hour". I told him, "I am not interested. Please do not disturb me again" and closed the phone.

After about 8 minutes another call came again and he told, "I am calling from Finance Department, you have been booked for Anger Management classes..." I put the phone down.

What are my options? Should I inform police?

[expat]

If someone really wants to get hold of me, they'll leave a message. If it's just an agent drone "wanting an update of my CV", then I really don't care. Of course, not answering the calls could mean I'm missing out on some superduper contract, but I'll never know!

Maybe not: a lot of people now don't leave messages, on the grounds that you will see the missed call, and return it. Unfortunately I usually can't.

[ratewhore]

looked into this a couple of years ago and the are limitations on which numbers you can purchase to stop people doing exactly that. I went for a 0870 number instead but that is probably going to have to change now with ofcom's messing about....

25 notes plus VAT

[NotAllThere]

If someone really wants to get hold of me, they'll leave a message. If it's just an agent drone "wanting an update of my CV", then I really don't care. Of course, not answering the calls could mean I'm missing out on some superduper contract, but I'll never know!

[expat]

Also, simple rule: don't answer calls from withheld numbers. I'm fairly sure you can have an option on your phone, or perhaps from your provider, where the dialler gets a message saying "the person you are calling does not accept number withheld calls".

Can't do that, I get most of my contracts from withheld numbers. Well, they may not be withheld by the caller, but by the time it gets to my O2 business mobile in whichever country I'm working in (currently Germany), most numbers show up as "private". If I blocked them I'd lose out.

I don't know whether it's mobile companies who can't be arsed to carry forward the caller ID, agents whose agency sets up their phones that way, or whether agents calling though an office exchange hide it in case I call back and talk to a colleague instead, or what, but they are mostly not shown.