Phone shop suggestions to avoid being identified?

So I accepted a few phone shops for the same company (using different phone numbers and different zip code locations for each shop). This company is nationwide. The shops all require that I call one 800 number that is the main number for this company. My first phone shop was early last week. The rest are scheduled today. Imagine my surprise when I called the nationwide number this morning and the exact same operator I spoke to last week answered the call. Totally unexpected. Not sure if this is a fluke, but if I get her again I'm not certain I can maintain my cover. Even using different phone numbers/locations. Anyone have a similar experience? And advice?

I do have an email out to the MSC asking if they have any advice or direction, but in case I do not get a response I thought I'd throw this question out to you all. I am just a few days past my first month of shopping and am still very wet around the ears.

My last resort plan is to make the calls and hope the same operator doesn't answer...

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

More About Phone Shops

I have had this happen. So, the next time I attempt the call I have two phones at the ready. If the same operator answers the first call, I immediately deploy the second phone so someone else gets the second call. Hope they have more than one employee working a shift.

Oh, this never crossed my mind! Great suggestion! Thanks!

Well, I ended up with a different operator for the 3rd call. :-)

that was a great suggestion mine was going to be *67

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.

That's a good one too... thanks!

Good advice. I have just received my first phone shop next month.

rpretl

If you are calling a 1-800 number I am doubting you need to use *67 as I wouldn't think the phone numbers would be logged...and chances are the operator won't remember you from your first call anyway (especially from several days to a week ago), as they likely get many phone calls in any given day.

If you are calling a toll0free number, *67 doesn't work. They are paying for the call, and they can see the number you are calling from whether you use *67 or not. This is a quote from a Verizon page: "However, blocking does not work when services that utilize Automatic Number Identification (ANI) are called (e.g., 0+, 0-, 700/800/866/877/888/900 and 911 Services)." [www.verizonenterprise.com]

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

Oh that's interesting.

Yes. I was a telemarketer for two weeks and that area code is a valuable piece of information they can sell to retailers looking for markets to put new stores in, a number to sell to other telemarketing companies, or determining tv ad response time. Some if not all is probably illegal in various states/countries but cross border enforcement is very hard to do. You can see this by the number of online casinos offering play in the USA with an 800 number when it is clearly illegal.

However im pretty sure the ability to get someones number is limited due to additional hardware and software compatability and cost so there is no guarentee they have it. Many small to midsize businesses just have regular phone lines that are not digital and dont see caller id as a necessary cost.

Everyone has a cell phone and unlimited minutes. Ask someone you trust, tell em about it and offer to slide em some cash?

Simply keeping your nose closed prior to talking changes your voice quality too. Also keeping a lollypop in while talking. Speaking through a small quiet fan will make you sound like a robot or a voice box due to disablity or throat cancer.

shopping north west PA and south west ny

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2016 04:17AM by cooldude581.

@myst4au wrote:

If you are calling a toll0free number, *67 doesn't work. They are paying for the call, and they can see the number you are calling from whether you use *67 or not. This is a quote from a Verizon page: "However, blocking does not work when services that utilize Automatic Number Identification (ANI) are called (e.g., 0+, 0-, 700/800/866/877/888/900 and 911 Services)." [www.verizonenterprise.com]

I can vouch this is correct. I called a local car dealership that had an 800 phone number. I declined to give my number during the call, but they called me back anyway. I knew who it was because they called asking for the alias I had given them.

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Phone shop suggestions to avoid being identified?

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine