I did apartment shops several years ago and I guess phone laws have changed. In the past we were told that their caller ID would show 000000. I went to do the first apartment shop I have done in several years. The directions said that if I didn't reach the target I was to hang up. Well, after about ten calls on different days, the agent that has been answering all the "hang up" calls, CALLS ME BACK and asks why I keep calling and hanging up! I was in shock. I didn't even realize that they could see my caller ID when it went through the recording company. I asked the scheduler what I was supposed to do and if I could block my caller id. She said that I could block it using *67. Then I call someone at the actual mystery shopping company and they said that it could not be blocked. I tried getting information about the recording system, if it is an in house application or a third party vendor. I see something called Vocazilla...wonder if that's it? Then I see that laws were passed so no company can block the caller ID routed through such a system. Also, no one can block caller ids to an 800 number. I've never heard of an apartment agent calling back and confronting someone. They must get lots of calls trying to reach the target. How come I've never heard of such a thing before? There weren't even instructions on what to do if this happens. Luckily I made up an excuse. But I can never call back from that telephone number looking to rent an apartment!

Since you have not mentioned the actual client's name, it would be helpful to tell us which MSC/scheduling company this apartment shop is for. And what did they tell you to do? Keep calling for the target? Remove the shop and assign it to another shopper? We need more details, please.

This was for Intellishop. The instructions say to call several hours apart each day and if I do not reach the Target to hang up. The phone was answered by a person not the target, so I hung up as instructed. I kept calling the location for four or five days and getting the same agent, and hanging up. She then called me back and asked why I was hanging up on her. This never happened to me before doing apartment shops with the same instructions. I never saw this issue addressed in the instructions. When I reported this to the scheduler she said this happens once in awhile. My point was I DIDNT KNOW THIS EVER HAPPENED. I didn't know they could even see my caller id when it went through the recording site. When I last did this kind of shop the technology and laws made it so the call showed up 00000000. I found out things are different now. It seems someone could, and in this case did, think the shopper is harassing the rental office. Everyone doing apartment shops where the instructions tell them to hang up should know this could happen. The scheduler asked me if I wanted to continue. I did for several more calls using a different number. I never got a live agent at that point. After 15 calls they contact the company but the company would not give the agent's schedule. I didn't want to keep calling at that point and the assignment was removed. I don't know if they gave it to someone else but let that other person deal with the paranoid rental agent.

Wow. That really is disconcerting.
What excuse did you use when the agent contacted you?

If you call from google voice using the computer (and you haven't linked a number associated with your phone), it comes up California call. If you are questioned about this during a phone shop, you can say you're calling from the computer at work. If you need to hang up, they can't call it back and it will appear to them that the hang-up are telemarketers.

I agree though, intelli-shop should have a better plan in place to address this and repeated hang-ups are a bad policy.

I told them I was misdialing a relative's number and apologized. Then started calling from another number hoping it wouldn't happen again. I wondered what would happen if the rental agent were actually being harassed by someone and I get mixed up in it because of the hang up calls.

Lexxycon that's a good idea and I'm going to get a google number to do these from now on. We have to give our real number to the target but it doesn't say the non-target has to get anything!

look up spoofing, it is when you get a fake number to show up on caller ID. although I don't know if it will work for this.

if you ever notice on TV shows when they give a phone number, it is always a 555 number.

555 is a fake exchange..so you can use your area code and then 555-and any 4 digits

@HorseFeathers wrote:

Lexxycon that's a good idea and I'm going to get a google number to do these from now on. We have to give our real number to the target but it doesn't say the non-target has to get anything!

Right. And then all you have to do when you get your target (if they ask) is say "I'm calling from Google Voice/computer because I'm at work and we need to have our cell phones off." If, on the rare chance, that the non-target has mentioned to them to find out who that hang-up number is from? Then you are covered by simply telling them that all Google Voice calls come up the same on caller ID (100% true. It's 760-705-8888, which is California/Silicon Valley). Tell them it must have been a telemarketer or someone else using Google Voice. If needed, then you can offer them your cell number for call back.

And if you have already linked your phone number to Google Voice, just create a new gmail address and use that to call from. All your call logs will be listed there in that Google account as well.