Update
Just a quick update....I have not received any calls in the last two days. Therefore I am hopeful that this matter has resolved itself.
I DO, honestly and seriously, appreciate all the comments from all of you guys.
I understand where you felt that I was
I am a nurse and I know that there are times when it is difficult to contact a patient or their family member concerning a very serious and possibly terminal illness. Because of patient/physician confidentiality, it also becomes a matter of legality in not revealing "who you are or why you are calling". When calling to locate said party, it would be permissible to say, "This concerns a medical matter", thereby allowing the phoned recipient the option of passing on the info to whomever it may concern. Surely there must be some way of identifying one's self (DC) without actually revealing that one is a DC and the detailed facts. (Even if it is just clarifying the fact that the DC is NOT in fact a telemarketer/medical personnel or anything else that they ARE NOT!)
Now, being aware that MIL has multiple medical problems, in addition to her mental problems, and being her DIL for nearly 50 years, I did NOT feel that I was "getting in the middle of something that did not concern me". Anything that might adversely effect a member of my family ABSOLUTELY DOES CONCERN ME. When someone calls about a family member (especially one that is elderly and in ill health) and simply says, "THIS IS A VERY URGENT AND IMPORTANT MATTER", it naturally would concern the person called, if they care anything at all about that family member. Therefore, since the original caller was not forthwith in ANY information whatsoever and there are soooooooooooooo many con artists "out there" preying on Senior Citizens...I (rightfully or wrongfully) chose to conclude the call. The next call from DC left the same type message on the ans. mach. and that is why hubby & I returned the call. (Now go back and read the original post for the chronology of the conversations that commenced.) As for the other 36 ans. mach. messages....these were placed to my residence AFTER (REPEAT-AFTER!!) the PoA/guardian HAD spoken with the DC office and informed them to call her (PoA) for any/all communication. She emphatically told them that hubby & I were not to be called. And BTW, I HAVE read FDCPA rules and regs and the ensuing 36 ans. mach. phone calls fall into the catagory of annoyance calls. Whether or not they said anything threatening or harassing, they were still annoying and should not have been continued in light of the fact that PoA/guardian had given them a GOOD #, had informed them of her PoA/guardian status AND had requested they refrain from calling my #. So please explain to me, what was the purpose of their continued calling, if not to annoy (which if it isn't harassment then it certainly borders on it)? AND BTW, I did not ans. the phone when the calls kept coming (after my return from out of town) because I did not wish to pursue any further dialog with ANYONE from that CA. It would have served no purpose to engage in conversation with them, other than to provide them with an avenue to rant/rave and vent on me. Besides which, they already HAD a GOOD contact #, so why didn't they just call it???
Again, thank you for your responses.
And again, I am doing nothing since the calls have stopped FINALLY.
Just a quick update....I have not received any calls in the last two days. Therefore I am hopeful that this matter has resolved itself.
I DO, honestly and seriously, appreciate all the comments from all of you guys.
I understand where you felt that I was
My response to you on that point:
I am a nurse and I know that there are times when it is difficult to contact a patient or their family member concerning a very serious and possibly terminal illness. Because of patient/physician confidentiality, it also becomes a matter of legality in not revealing "who you are or why you are calling". When calling to locate said party, it would be permissible to say, "This concerns a medical matter", thereby allowing the phoned recipient the option of passing on the info to whomever it may concern. Surely there must be some way of identifying one's self (DC) without actually revealing that one is a DC and the detailed facts. (Even if it is just clarifying the fact that the DC is NOT in fact a telemarketer/medical personnel or anything else that they ARE NOT!)
Now, being aware that MIL has multiple medical problems, in addition to her mental problems, and being her DIL for nearly 50 years, I did NOT feel that I was "getting in the middle of something that did not concern me". Anything that might adversely effect a member of my family ABSOLUTELY DOES CONCERN ME. When someone calls about a family member (especially one that is elderly and in ill health) and simply says, "THIS IS A VERY URGENT AND IMPORTANT MATTER", it naturally would concern the person called, if they care anything at all about that family member. Therefore, since the original caller was not forthwith in ANY information whatsoever and there are soooooooooooooo many con artists "out there" preying on Senior Citizens...I (rightfully or wrongfully) chose to conclude the call. The next call from DC left the same type message on the ans. mach. and that is why hubby & I returned the call. (Now go back and read the original post for the chronology of the conversations that commenced.) As for the other 36 ans. mach. messages....these were placed to my residence AFTER (REPEAT-AFTER!!) the PoA/guardian HAD spoken with the DC office and informed them to call her (PoA) for any/all communication. She emphatically told them that hubby & I were not to be called. And BTW, I HAVE read FDCPA rules and regs and the ensuing 36 ans. mach. phone calls fall into the catagory of annoyance calls. Whether or not they said anything threatening or harassing, they were still annoying and should not have been continued in light of the fact that PoA/guardian had given them a GOOD #, had informed them of her PoA/guardian status AND had requested they refrain from calling my #. So please explain to me, what was the purpose of their continued calling, if not to annoy (which if it isn't harassment then it certainly borders on it)? AND BTW, I did not ans. the phone when the calls kept coming (after my return from out of town) because I did not wish to pursue any further dialog with ANYONE from that CA. It would have served no purpose to engage in conversation with them, other than to provide them with an avenue to rant/rave and vent on me. Besides which, they already HAD a GOOD contact #, so why didn't they just call it???
Again, thank you for your responses.
And again, I am doing nothing since the calls have stopped FINALLY.
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