Call senator? congressman? Who? (solution, retired, state, laws)

[in_newengland]

I can't find another forum that seems appropriate so I'll ask this here. There is no controversy--just wanting an answer.

About 10 months ago we moved to this town and were issued a new phone number. Turns out the phone number had recently belonged to a business. Being a seasonal, touristy business, we didn't really become aware of it until spring when we started getting deluged with phone calls for this business.

By that time, it had been our phone number long enough that we didn't want to change it. We had given it out to everyone.

All spring and all summer we got maybe 5-10 wrong numbers per day. We do screen our calls but it's still annoying to have the phone ringing at all hours. It's actually VERY annoying. Sometimes I will think it's an emergency when the phone rings early in the morning and it's very annoying when I'm expecting a call.

I have contacted the business in question and they have removed the phone number from their website.

For a while I answered the calls and referred them to the proper phone number--but there are more and more calls all the time.

I have contacted the Better Business Bureau who told me to contact the phone company who told me there is nothing they can do except change our number. They said with all the cell phones, they have run out of phone numbers so they have to use old ones over and over. Even a BUSINESS phone number that has people calling all day long???

Winter is coming now, the phone calls have lessened. Here's my main gripe now: We are receiving GOOGLE phone calls "for the business owner" all the time. I have picked up the phone and stayed on the line to talk to a human MANY TIMES so that the phone number will be removed but I was told that there are Hundreds??? of Google (whatever) and that these robo calls from Google can continue...forever? We are a retired couple, we do not want to give up our landline and go completely to our cell phones, so what can we do? Someone said to call a senator. Or should I call Google? State senator? US senator? Someone in some department that regulates communications? Any ideas are appreciated.

[HappyTexan]

Change your number is the only solution. No one broke any laws and you have no idea how widespread that number is.
No one is to blame. The telephone company used to keep numbers retired for quite a long time but I understand they don't anymore.

You got yourself a headache that's for sure. Your Congressman can't do anything. Websites are not dynamically linked with the phone company such that once a number is changed the website changes.

[hnsq]

Wouldn't changing your number and telling all of your friends/family about the new number be less of a headache than what you are going through right now?

[DewDropInn]

Annoying? You want annoying?

We were one digit over from a sports bar and got all the wives looking for their husbands at 2 in the morning. We could have done what you should do, which is change your number , but it was too much fun telling the wives their husbands had just left with a blonde in a BMW.

[rbohm]

about all you can do is change your number.

[texdav]

Call the telephone company its their business ;not congresses.Have then chnage it is the only solution.

[middle-aged mom]

My land line # was one digit off from a local surgeon. I eventually tired of the calls and changed my #.

The new # was one digit off from another surgeon. I gave up.

I am amazed at the # of misdialed calls from the hospital and patients.

[Speleothem]

I wouldda changed my cell number if I knew I'd still get calls for "Jason" four years later.

[Mac_Muz]

get another number........ That number went public and you will never get rid of the calls with out a new number and i would get one unlisted too boot. That is if you must have a land line...