I think the Red Cross sold our number!

[school17777]

Ever since dd donated blood earlier this school year, we have been inundated with phone calls. The Red Cross would call numerous times a day, like at least 10, and ever since then, we get multiple spam calls. I contacted the Red Cross to remove our phone number and they have stopped calling, but the spam calls have not stopped.

 

I am all for donating blood, but it is not worth all the phone calls that we got afterwards, especially if it was them that sold our number.

[TrulySusan]

My DH has been hounded relentlessly by Red Cross calls. He doesn't have a rare blood type or anything. It makes me wish he hadn't donated at all. I hadn't thought about them selling our number...we have always gotten a lot of telemarketing calls. Who knows? I agree that they should change their tactics.

[Kassia]

My DH has been hounded relentlessly by Red Cross calls. He doesn't have a rare blood type or anything. It makes me wish he hadn't donated at all. I hadn't thought about them selling our number...we have always gotten a lot of telemarketing calls. Who knows? I agree that they should change their tactics.

 

We've had the same problem with being hounded.  It's ridiculous. 

[Lanny]

I lived in a small city in Texas. I do not remember if the Blood Bank was run by the Red Cross or by some other organization.  To the best of my knowledge and belief, they never sold my phone number. They certainly never called me multiple times the same day. They very rarely called me and asked me to donate blood. When they did call me, I knew they were desperate for my blood type and unless I was sick (flu or something) I would tell them that I would eat a big Breakfast and then I would go there to donate blood.

 

I would be raising hell with the Manager of the blood bank that did this to you!

[Lanny]

PLEASE do not stop donating blood because of the phone calls. Blood is the gift of life. 

[unsinkable]

Ever since dd donated blood earlier this school year, we have been inundated with phone calls. The Red Cross would call numerous times a day, like at least 10, and ever since then, we get multiple spam calls. I contacted the Red Cross to remove our phone number and they have stopped calling, but the spam calls have not stopped.

 

I am all for donating blood, but it is not worth all the phone calls that we got afterwards, especially if it was them that sold our number.

The Red Cross called my Dh's work and when they said he wasn't available, they said it was an EMERGENCY so his coworkers freaked and found DH so he could take the call.

 

He nearly flipped when they said they needed his blood type.

 

He started giving to another blood collection organization after that.

 

The RC STILL calls and I tell them he hasn't given to them in years, that he gives to --------.

[Lanny]

I looked at the web site of the Blood Bank in the small Texas city where I lived before. It is not a Red Cross Blood Bank.  Also, before I moved there, I gave at the Wadley Blood Bank in Dallas.

http://www.carterbloodcare.org/about-us/history/

 

I don't think that is Red Cross either. They never called me like what is described in this thread either. That is IMO horrible behavior on their part.  When I go to the mall, frequently, there is a Mobile Blood Bank parked there from the Colombian Red Cross, and I would like to give, but am over the age limit now. Occasionally, there is a Mobile Blood Bank from the Red Cross or the hospital where DD was born, parked in front of the supermarket where I do most of our shopping.    I'd also given a few times, in the hospital where DD was born. Once, for my wife's  Niece (the one my wife bought the Samsung cell phone I am using now from), who was incredibly anemic and needed an emergency c section.  So, it could be that all of the times I gave blood in Texas, it was not in Red Cross Blood Banks.  

[school17777]

My DH has been hounded relentlessly by Red Cross calls. He doesn't have a rare blood type or anything. It makes me wish he hadn't donated at all. I hadn't thought about them selling our number...we have always gotten a lot of telemarketing calls. Who knows? I agree that they should change their tactics.

I am very careful about giving out our number and I have our calls go through nomorobo calls, so that screens them too. So, we used to hardly ever get spam calls, expect around election time. Now, we get multiple spam calls a day (I look up numbers I don't know and then block them) that started around the same time the Red Cross started calling. I would block the Red Cross number and then they would call on another number! I finally contacted them and told them to remove our number and they did stop calling shortly after that. It is the timing of when a bunch of spam calls started that makes me think that the Red Cross sold our number.

[bettyandbob]

My dh has the number 1 rarest blood type. He donated blood once about 25 years ago. They still call. Ive donated more often. They don't call me.

[J-rap]

This is a totally different subject, except for the part about selling your contact info to someone else.  When my dd was in her early middle school years and wanting to be a pirate  :001_rolleyes:, she once ordered something in the mail, listing her name as Pirate LastName.  She only did that once.  That was over ten years ago now, and it has been astounding to see how that name/address has spread (been sold) to other businesses and organizations over the years.  It appears to have been sold multiple times and is continuing even today.  

 

It's so frustrating that businesses can sell their contact lists.  It seems like that should be illegal.

[Tanaqui]

It's so frustrating that businesses can sell their contact lists.  It seems like that should be illegal.

 

Hear, hear.

 

And yet, if this is the American Red Cross, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that they did that. I grew up hearing my mother complain about them, and got over all my surprise when I googled her specific complaints and found out that they were, in fact, thoroughly grounded in fact. I didn't realize they could go too far wrong with blood donation (as opposed to cash donation), but I'm not surprised to find out that they can.

 

[PrincessMommy]

we have also been hounded by RedCross calls.  It used to be several times a day but it's almost stopped now.  I hadn't made the connection between them and the uptick in sales calls too... I screen so I never pick up.

 

 

[school17777]

This is a totally different subject, except for the part about selling your contact info to someone else. When my dd was in her early middle school years and wanting to be a pirate :001_rolleyes:, she once ordered something in the mail, listing her name as Pirate LastName. She only did that once. That was over ten years ago now, and it has been astounding to see how that name/address has spread (been sold) to other businesses and organizations over the years. It appears to have been sold multiple times and is continuing even today.

 

It's so frustrating that businesses can sell their contact lists. It seems like that should be illegal.

Someone misspelled my last name on something years ago. I still get junk mail with that misspelling on it. In fact, I was looking something up online and saw that name is listed as a resident at our address!

 

My mom gets me Guidepost for Christmas every year and has it sent in my middle name (as that is the name my family calls me). I can see who they sell their list too with all the junk mail that comes under that name. Makes it easy to know what to throw away without opening!

[school17777]

Junk mail I can handle better than phone calls because it doesn't disrupt my time. Even with screening the calls, the phone still rings waking me up, calling me attention away from whatever I was doing to see if I need to answer the phone. Then having to take the time to go block all those numbers so they can't call again.

[PrincessMommy]

This is a totally different subject, except for the part about selling your contact info to someone else.  When my dd was in her early middle school years and wanting to be a pirate  :001_rolleyes:, she once ordered something in the mail, listing her name as Pirate LastName.  She only did that once.  That was over ten years ago now, and it has been astounding to see how that name/address has spread (been sold) to other businesses and organizations over the years.  It appears to have been sold multiple times and is continuing even today.  

 

It's so frustrating that businesses can sell their contact lists.  It seems like that should be illegal.

 

I think this is a great idea.  Give out an obvious weird name and see how much it gets sold.

[Lanny]

I am very careful about giving out our number and I have our calls go through nomorobo calls, so that screens them too. So, we used to hardly ever get spam calls, expect around election time. Now, we get multiple spam calls a day (I look up numbers I don't know and then block them) that started around the same time the Red Cross started calling. I would block the Red Cross number and then they would call on another number! I finally contacted them and told them to remove our number and they did stop calling shortly after that. It is the timing of when a bunch of spam calls started that makes me think that the Red Cross sold our number.

 

Add your phone number to the "No call" list, if you have not already done that.  After we got the magicJack, which has a phone number in the USA, I picked up the phone a couple of times and they were robo calls or telemarketers.  I added our USA phone number to that list and we have not received any more of those calls. Possibly that will reduce (probably not eliminate completely) those calls. 

[justasque]

+1 to the Do Not Call list that Lanny mentioned!
 

Also, when the RC calls, you can tell the caller "Please Put Me On Your Do Not Call List".  Use those exact words.  A legit company is usually good about doing this, and it usually stops the calls.  

 

Sadly, nothing, and I mean nothing, seems to stop the "I am calling about a problem with your Windows computer" scam calls.  

[Anne in CA]

I did tell the Red Cross to put us on their Do Not Call List, because they wanted oldest dd's blood and she was never going to give again. Their calls were becoming a big headache. 

[school17777]

Add your phone number to the "No call" list, if you have not already done that. After we got the magicJack, which has a phone number in the USA, I picked up the phone a couple of times and they were robo calls or telemarketers. I added our USA phone number to that list and we have not received any more of those calls. Possibly that will reduce (probably not eliminate completely) those calls.

 

We have been on since it started! The calls that we get do not follow that list, you know, like Rachel from card services.

[zoobie]

This is a totally different subject, except for the part about selling your contact info to someone else. When my dd was in her early middle school years and wanting to be a pirate :001_rolleyes:, she once ordered something in the mail, listing her name as Pirate LastName. She only did that once. That was over ten years ago now, and it has been astounding to see how that name/address has spread (been sold) to other businesses and organizations over the years. It appears to have been sold multiple times and is continuing even today.

 

It's so frustrating that businesses can sell their contact lists. It seems like that should be illegal.

Wait until companies can buy our web browsing history!

[FaithManor]

Ds gets hounded constantly by the Red Cross since certain giving blood. They took blood from him when he was anemic because they really wanted his blood type, and he landed in the hospital because of it.

 

Since insanguinating him, we do not answer their calls. We do not donate through them anymore either. I have been told by other donors that their numbers have been sold.

[unsinkable]

Ds gets hounded constantly by the Red Cross since certain giving blood. They took blood from him when he was anemic because they really wanted his blood type, and he landed in the hospital because of it.

 

Since insanguinating him, we do not answer their calls. We do not donate through them anymore either. I have been told by other donors that their numbers have been sold.

It's EXsanguinate.

[unsinkable]

Also:

 

it's leviOsa, not leviosA.

[scrapbookbuzz]

Unsinkable, the maybe you can "leviOsate" the Red Cross's awareness on how to NOT call people multiple times a day?  :D

[unsinkable]

Unsinkable, the maybe you can "leviOsate" the Red Cross's awareness on how to NOT call people multiple times a day? :D

I wish I could. They won't even stop calling DH after he told them he'd never give again. It's been years!