Apparently, Paris Hilton isn’t the only idiot with “Hilton” in their name.
Musings January 21st. 2008, 7:01pmI apparently made the mistake of staying at a Hilton Hotel in Austin, TX for the AAS Meeting last week. Hilton Grand Vacations, a division of Hilton Hotels (no link, they don’t deserve the traffic) has been calling be several times this weekend, abandoning the phone call when they don’t have an operator available fast enough. I know this because the caller ID reported the call was from Orlando, FL, phone number 407-722-3532. I called the number back and they said they were Hilton Grand Vacations and were really willing to set me up on a nice vacation.
Apparently, these idiots don’t realize that calling someone on the National DO NOT Call list, even if you have a “prior business relationship,” is calling someone who has already stated they don’t like Junk Calls. Why they don’t bother to check against the National DO NOT call list before placing telephone solicitations is beyond me. Apparently, a search of 407-722-3532 on Google reveals several people pretty torqued off about the calls.
I informed the nice lady on the other side of the line that
- they should remove our home phone number from their phone list since I am on the National DO NOT Call list, (they did so without complaint and gave me a reference number to supposedly track the request)
- They should consider any previous business relationship severed (this is how they get around the National Do Not Call list), and
- I will be filing a complaint using Form 1088 at the FCC for the series of abandoned calls.
I will hopefully email the AAS to inform them of this completely unprofessional behavior on the part of Hilton. Maybe they will reconsider their relationship with these idiot, I know I have.
June 24th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
I was getting a phone call from them at least once a day for the past two weeks. They never leave a message and even hang up when I do answer. Then I saw your message… duh!! We stayed at a Hampton Inn (Hilton chain) the first week end in June!! I promptly called and asked to have my number put on a “Their Do Not Call list” since they pay no attention to the National DNC List”. They did so with no hassle, but I did have to ask for a confirmation number. Thanks for your inifo!!
pam
June 28th, 2008 at 3:55 am
Sounds like Hilton Hotels needs to tighten security of personal information it gains from reservations, etc. I received mine-on cell-just at the close of business hours Friday (app 5:10pm). We did stay at a Charlotte, NC Hilton in December;we’ve also stayed at Orlando-based Hiltons. I really think this is one more example of “consumer beware.” We use a service, provide necessary personal information in good faith, and watch as overgrown companies lose, misplace, or sell this information. If you are the victim of identity fraud anytime soon, keep this incident in mind.
July 16th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Thanks for the pointer to the FCC complaint form. They’d been calling once a day. I’d pick up and get dead air. Annoying.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
If you want to get rid of them, just tell them you make under $70k a year. After listening twice (I’m waaay too nice) to a high-pressure sales pitch, I am asked some inappropriate questions about my income. When I told them I make under $70k, I was curtly told I didn’t qualify and was hung-up-on. Shouldn’t come as a surprise that the family of Paris and Nikki don’t want any “po’ folk” stinking up their hotels. I for one am cancelling my Gold VIP Hilton HHonors membership, and me and my middle class money will stay elsewhere.
August 1st, 2008 at 8:34 am
Wow. Looks like this particular company has been busy! They’ve been calling my work line for a couple of weeks now. I make reservations for my boss, and I’m guessing he’s stayed at a Hilton recently. SO annoying.