Oct 30, 2009
They hang up becase they are a scam using auto-dialers.
BBB Warns Consumers of Robocalls Promising to Lower Their Credit Card Interest Rate
29 Jun 2009
Consumers across the U.S. and Canada are bombarded with phone calls promising to lower interest rates on their credit cards,. Not only are the calls violate U.S. and Canadian Do-Not-Call laws, but some companies behind the calls are ripping off consumers by charging large up-front fees to negotiate lower interest rates with credit card companies—something consumers can do on their own for free.
Robocalls generally begin with recorded messages that include statements like: 'This is our final attempt to reach you since you've not responded to our other calls to discuss your credit card debt.' The automated message invariably does not include the name of the company, but may claim to be with Card Services or Card Holder Services.
After the initial recorded message, consumers must dial another number to be connected to a live person, who in turn asks for the consumer’s credit card number. From there, the operator begins closing the sale, asking if the consumer is willing to pay – usually from $700 to $1,000 - to have their firm contact the credit card company and negotiate lower rates.
'The ‘negotiation’ undertaken by these companies can be as simple as calling the customer service number listed on the back of the consumer’s credit card and asking a customer service representative to lower the interest rate,' said Steve Cox, BBB spokesperson. 'Consumers are fully capable of talking to credit card companies on their own, for free, and getting similar results. Consumers simply don’t need to pay any company a thousand dollars to negotiate lower rates on their behalf.'
BBB has received numerous complaints about two Orlando-based companies, CSTR Solutions, Inc. and Genesis Capital Management, and one Tacoma-based company, Mutual Consolidated Savings. All are behind at least some of the robocalls and are promising to save people anywhere from $2,000 to $25,000 by negotiating lower interest rates with credit card companies.
According to BBB complaints, companies are also failing to uphold money-back guarantees and not refunding money in cases where they are unsuccessful in lowering rates.