Received a call from this number.  The woman on the other end claimed to be "Susan" with "Express Update".  She did not introduce herself when I answered and spoke quickly when giving me her information, so I had to ask her to repeat herself a couple of times.  This set off my internal alarm.  She was asking if we had a particular employee at our company.  I told her that I didn't work in Personnel and transferred her to our corporate office.

I just got a call from this number, planning to tell them off.  When I answered, I heard a telephone ring and then an operator connected.  It was then I decided to become musical!!  LOL  I just started punching numbers on the keypad until she hung up.  I've been using that on many irritating callers and they have virtually stopped calling!

donot call this number unless it is for some real reason thank you .

Called me again.  Express Update.  They said they were going to update my info in search engines and (oddly enough) navigation systems.  Nav systems?  Really?  Asked why Google would take my information from them rather than from me?  Claimed they had "liasons" with them.  I don't think so, since Google Places requires a PIN mailed to the business address being updated to be verified.  They wouldn't be able to verify that information, so that claim is not credible to me.

Remember, if you're not paying them, you're not the customer - your the product.  In this case, I don't see a business advantage to be their product.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act 1991 (47 United States Code, Section 227)  lists several requirements a telemarketer are demanded to follow.  And it has been updated by Congress over the years.  One of those is honoring a request to be put on their Do-Not-Call List, with the penalty of $1500 per call if the company (yes, you) for ignoring that request.  So just because you 'had no power' doesn't change the legality of what you are doing.

If reading 47 USC S227 doesn't satisfy your 'request' to 'prove the point', then you are just a troll.  And that point, you're just another scammy telemarketer who feels justified in violating the law if they get what they want - and any hatred, cursing, etc you get by working for a company in blatant violation of the TCPA is par for the course, so deal with it.  You have already done unto others, so anything they do unto you is fair game.

Then your number could have been a business number before you took it over.  They're just cleaning up the records.  Let the associate know your a residence and you should be good.  If you have and it's not working, ask for a supervisor.

Sorry for the inconvenience and irritation!

It should have been coded a residence and I'm sorry if the calls continued.  It may not be the associate's fault but the database and dialer.  The associates can't control that.  Either ask for a supervisor or give the associate the correct number.  Your instance happens far too often with recycled numbers or forwarded numbers.  It sucks, and they hate being yelled at by you just as much as you hate being called by them.  I don't know how often the calls comes to you, but think about the associates calling a string of people in your situation.  They are at the bottom rung.  It took me a few years to get out and I'm much happier.

The customer thing was always a cause for confusion.  For some businesses it may not be applicable.  The associate on the outbound line calling you for what will probably their first and last time has no idea if you're about to go about of business, strictly word of mouth and don't need the update.  Unfortunately, the callers are given the bare minimum information and don't even have internet access to maybe try looking the business up and then maybe call to verify the findings.  Because that would make sense.

Back to the customer aspect though, the idea is the average person utilizing the data the Info service provide to a larger company (say, Google) to find a business offering the needed service.  Scenario: your on a road trip.  Car breaks down.  You go to Google to look for a garage and a hotel.  Possibly a GPS.  Google and your GPS get the garage's or hotel's information from Info.  That is the process as I came to understand.  Right or wrong, it is my interpretation of the information our overseers disseminated.  In that scenario, you are the customer of the garage and the hotel.

They all may have the means to call, but maybe they don't have the time or desire.  I don't know.  For one reason or another Info manages to get paid by numerous clients.  Yahoo, urbanspoon, direct tv to name a few.

The only credit card related calls I ever made were asking if they were accepted and if a certain one out of the main ones was accepted.  

The benefit is that the information is accurate.  I wish there was a time stamp on those screens for the last time a call was made.  Because then Info could also possibly differentiate itself from others.  They could say "the last time we show we called was *date*.  We just wanted to go over the information we had as of then to ensure its continued accuracy.  No, you are not the customer.  Your customers are.  They use resources that use our data to find you.

Associates aren't hired based on their ability to articulate.  They're hired based on their ability to read a script.  Literally.  I just became curious about the business and talked to others and did some digging.

Maybe before jumping to "its a scammer" just look up the website.

http://www.expressupdate.com/search

http://www.ricketyroo.com/local-seo-blog/how- ... express-update/

Hey Rick,

If you can prove your point without becoming hostile and derogatory I will happily listen to what you have to say.  I now work for a small business and happen to be the person to answer every call that comes through.  Before working at Info (which may be a crap job, but it helps develop pretty decent phone etiquette because you can curse them out all you want, but their hands are tied on what they can say if they want to keep their job) I probably would have found these calls to be a parasite.  Maybe I can be shown the light here and realize they still are...but I personally worked there as one for a couple years and I'm just not ready to call myself a parasite....so I'm here for perspective.  And I'm willing to actually talk about it.  I've had people apologize on the phone because I did this thing called listening and they get "I'm just doing my job" or "have to pay my bills".  
Quite honestly, I don't understand how a call to update that you can just hang up on whenever can make anyone miserable.  Yelling at a faceless voice on the phone is like calling people names on the internet.  Do unto others.

But seriously sir, I am asking you (or anyone else) to prove the point.  If I'm wrong, then I will thank you and leave this place to the people just wanting to vent and not be reasoned with.  Tell me what law is being broken or just tell me what to Google to find it myself!  Enlighten me!  Please!

Said he was from "Express Update". I hung up on him.

You don't get it do you ,you putz . You do not have the right to bother people , even if it is " your " job . You are most times breaking the law . You cannot justify that with anything you could ever say . THe company you work for are crooks . Their job (and yours ) is to make others lives miserable . Learn a skill & get a real job that is some benefit to others rather than a pain in the a** .

Just another junk caller , Tell these  son of a bichs to kiss your A#% and go to h3ll , I told them to go F#$k yourself, I was trying to be nice .  he he he

David here again.  I have a comment a few pages back that garnered some lovely (albeit, understandably frustrated) responses.  I'm a former employee and odds are, if you've been called by then a few times in the last few years, you spoke to me or someone I know.  

First, I just want to say that I don't think there is a person in the world that doesn't consider outbound call center work terrible.  I mean, they have to be making call after call (literally, coding a call and then click "next call") for 4 hours just to qualify for a 15 minute break.  While that arrangement may be typical business to business, it sucks in a call center environment.  You wouldn't want to be doing it, so what makes you think they WANT to be doing it?  Some folks need that money to get by.  Some have made bad choices or have very few options in life so they work a crap job that sees them getting disrespected by people they will only ever speak to over the phone once in their lifetime for maybe one minute.  All for about minimum wage.  

Second, the associates are really given no power-right or wrong, whether you like it or not-to remove people.  Telling them it's illegal or threatening them speaks about you, not them.  They have certain guidelines that they have to follow.  However, I do know that asking for a supervisor (and try to be patient in that wait-there are less than 10 and each oversees about 30 people) can expedite the process.  The power the associates are given is quite less than that of a supervisor.  Associates are one trick ponies on a short leash.  

One of the most common response I ever received was that "nothing has changed".  About half the time, at least one piece of information turned out to be old or never accurate.  Quite honestly, the calls are coded the same if they just get the business name verified or if they get to question eight about the website.  

Also note that most companies will answer the phone with a business greeting-that's why these associates who have absolutely zero power over who they call or how often a number or a company gets called (they literally click a button and the next company profile pops up) will roll right into the address verification.  You just verified the business name so they'd actually be asking you to repeat yourself.  Can't blame them for not hearing "how you answered the phone" either because the auto dialer that they are at the mercy of will dial your number first and then plug in an associate when available.  That's why you might hear it ringing, because the dialer is then "calling" the associate.

I would like to encourage folks to visit http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0108-national-do-not-call-registry - it might answer some questions.  Maybe you put a personal number as a work phone because you own a business or your new number is for a dead business.  You're being called to "update" it.  Has it been already?  Maybe, but some just prefer human verification.  Trust me, they'll call places in July that still have Christmas messages.  

The phone survey is allowed.  One verifies your business, another verifies political awareness.  Generating leads is not actually selling.  The people that follow up on those leads are the salespeople.    Info/express considers itself a phone survey.  If you don't agree, yelling at the associate won't fix anything.  Asking to talk to a supervisor or taking action from your side (there's a lot of things in life we "shouldn't have to do", but we do them anyway) might fix it.  Ask yourself: is it worth it to get some sort of phone number blocking system?  Is it worth not being irritated by these calls that many feel harassed by?

I realize that my spiels are likely too long for anyone to have the patience to read if they're irate enough to come here and post, I'm just trying to provide perspective.  I will give credit where it's due-not everyone gets angry with these calls and some of you have been downright polite and talkative-I've had 60-90 minute conversations.  So for those that are polite, thank you.  

a lady asked if i accept credit card payment.  

A lady asking has she reached our business.  I said you have.  I was careful not to say yes, as I was suspicious of the nature of her call.  Then she asked to verify our business address.  Ah!! Here we go!!! I asked what for?  She said to update the listing for Express Update.  I told her we don't verify anything on the phone.  She said ok and hung up.

Female identified herself as Express something and asked if she had reached [a badly-garbled version of our firm's name]. Told her to take us off her list; she continued talking while I hung up.

They called.  I immediately recognized him as a telemarketer.  I told him I didn't know the business he was calling about.  He asked if I was in anyway affiliated with the business they were calling about and I told him no.  I love how companies feel it's their right to know information.  Of course it's MY business?.just none of THEIRS.  Pfft!

This board is simply a sounding board for people to vent and inform others of scam telemarketing calls they receive.  There is no authority associated with the 800notes site to stop these callers.  In order for people to collectively stop these type calls they must act together - and TAKE ACTION!  It doesn?t do any good to complain about a caller on this board unless you then take the next step and do something about it!  The caller ID number is usually a ?Spoof Number? ? A Fake!  Never, never, ever engage the caller or call back the number.  The false robocallers will then capture your number as a ?live one? and use it over and over and sell it to other scammers.  The same goes if it prompts you to ?press a key? to ?opt out?  of their calling lists, or be transferred to someone, as this will only ?log? your number as a working one and make it ripe for future calls and to be sold to other scam companies as well.
The best option is simply to hang up, keep your own list of calling numbers with dates and times and report them to the FCC below.  There is space on their complaint form to list several calling dates and times of a repeat caller.
The DO NOT CALL list is worthless, they do not act on anything, just build a database of numbers.
In order to do something to help stop these type calls, everyone - EVERYONE needs to file an online complaint directly with the FCC.  If they receive enough complaints about a particular number - they will act on it.  Do it today and pass along the info:

http://www.fcc.gov/complaints

I never answer these calls since they are usually spam and fraudsters.  They never leave a message.  

Got a Call from Them asking for my company details

Man asked if he'd reached the former business name; I said no and asked what he wanted. He said he needed to update our information. I asked for what, and he said the internet, global positioning, etc. I told him to take us off his list and hung up. Sales calls seem to come in about 10 a day now, very tiresome.

If you said "yes" at all during the conversation then they recorded it and are using it as confirmation of services so they have all your business info advertised on the internet now, the same thing happened to someone i know and they got signed up for all sorts of services that require subscription payments

Express something, updating their contacts. She was so pushy, that I asked her to put us on their do not call list, and she said she doesn't have the ability to do that, but she can give me a number, blah blah blah.

Asked if they had reached the business, "(name of my business)" and like an idiot I said, "yes." They hung up. They appear to be verifying business numbers to sell to telemarketers. When someone calls to verify something, I think we can safely assume it's not a potential customer or client. Lesson learned.

Call not answered. No message left. I blocked.

So your part of the low life scum bag b*****ds that sell personal information.
Child molesters are the ONLY scum lower you!

Okay, but your callers never seem to be able to articulate that, or articulate it well.  So it seems offensive and makes people very uneasy.  That's also you're bad.  One of the reasons you state why we should provide this info is to help direct customers to ME the business.  Yet on http://www.infogroup.com/about-infogroup/our-clients, I'd imagine that most businesses don't have these companies as a client, so there is questionable benefit for ME the business.

The "and they don't have the means to make as many calls as we do", so in essence, you are doing some lead pre-qualification.  For those paying attention, this means more telemarketing calls to ME the business (which is not prohibited by the TCPA).  So when you say it will bring in more customers, you apparently mean customers for someone else, again not ME the business.  I get more unwanted calls, which detracts from my business.  I.e. asking if we take credit cards means we're more likely to be targeted by companies selling credit card processing - of which 800notes is full of complaints by people and companies that are targeted by this.  Again, more customers for you, but not good for ME the business.

As I asked one of your telemarketers, what benefit is it to ME to update my listing in YOUR database?  They couldn't give a coherent answer, and dropped the line after putting me on help for a "supervisor".  You're calling me implying that you're helping me.  But you're not.  I'm the PRODUCT, and seem to receive negligible benefit, I'm not the CUSTOMER.

Lady called me from Express Update USA (http://www.expressupdateusa.com) to "update my business listing".  Asked what directory it would be listed in and she gave me this web site.  Asked why should I update my business listing on their web site?  What kind of demographics, number of searches, Google Page Rank, Alexa Ranking do they have?  What would be the value  to me of listing with them vs my other listings?  She had not ever even visited their own web site, but she said she would transfer me to a supervisor.  And after a few minutes, they dropped the call.

Alexa shows that most of their traffic comes from India.  As a US business, I'm really not sure how this would benefit me.  One of the notable backlinks to expressupdateusa.com is from BlackHat.com - from BANNED USER (inspires confidence), other (free displayed) listed backlinks are equally unremarkable.

So, their site doesn't really do anything for me, and they didn't get me with a supervisor who could help me identify what business value this would have for me.  Their call center person hadn't ever looked at the web site they are referencing people when you ask.  You're calling a business - to get information from them - and you can't present even viable business case.  And then you hang up on them.

A woman said this is Express Update and wanted to update their records ??? I hung up