312-572-6341

i called the number back an got the name of the company here is their website
http://www.merchantscreditguide.com/

I received a message with the number of a bottom feeding collection agency.  They were rude and threatening.

recorded kept saying this is a message for bradley pennington, something like that.  over ten calls like that for the past two months.  don't know how they got my number

I always let the calls go to my voicemail. I keep getting an automated message for "Candace Vagle(sp?)", with constant reminders to make sure no one else was able to listen to the message. I never listened to the entire thing, in case it was something of extreme privacy.

This is the second random collection agency to call me today. I personally have no outstanding debts that I am aware of.

Caller ID was "Chicago, IL"... not the merchant credit guide company indicated by others here.  Voice mail message said "This call is for _______.  You have a 3 second pause to hang up if you are not _________.  The following message is private and contains confidential information for ________.  Please hang up if you are not _________.  We are a debt collection agency... "  blah blah blah.

I haven't called back them.  They left the number 888-249-4134.

Had this message on my answering machine today:

"This is a message for Tracy D Lester.  If you are not Tracy D Lester please hang up or disconnect.  If you are Tracy D Lester please continue to listen to this message.  There will now be a three second pause in this message...  By continuing to listen to this message you acknowledge that you are Tracy D Lester.  You should not listen to this message so that other people cab hear it as it contains personal and private information.  There will now be a three second pause in this message to allow you to listen to this message in private...  This is Stacy from merchants Credit Guide.  This communication is from the Debt Collector.  This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.  Please contact us about an important business matter at 888-249-4134.  Once again that number is 888-249-4134.  Thank you."

1.  The statement that staying on the line after a three second pause acknowledges that you are the person they name is a bunch of s**t...  how, as in my case, is a machine supposed to know to disconnect?

2.  Allowing three seconds to allow the person to listen in private is funny...  If I picked up the phone, would not the message be private anyway since the phone would be to my ear?

3.  I have had this # for over four years now.  I receive calls several times a month from "financial" institutions looking for Tracy Lester.  No matter how many times I tell the callers that I do not know the person and ask that my number be disassociated with Ms. Lester, the calls continue.

The calls must be at random. My number is new and is not published. There is no way these guys could have gotten it. We owe absolutely nobody. We're elderly and our house and everything else is paid off. But they are not the only scammers who call us. The only way any of them can call us is using block calling - a block of numbers in a range. If these people are caught they should be dealt with severely. Block calling should be highly illegal, but politicians and charities like to harass people using that method.

This company keeps calling for a "Mathew Smith" who I have no idea who the hell this person is but I have gotten calls for this idiot for the last 4 years.

Don't call anymore....thank you!

These people are total harassing jerks!  I called and told them to please take me off their list, and that I had been receiving these weird messages for like 6 months now for someone named "Chula Dodge" or something, and the lady rudely said "you've been taken off the list!" and hung up on me!  That doesn't sit well with me, so I called back and wanted to talk to a supervisor and surprise surprise they had me on hold for FOREVER!, So I called back and wanted to talk to a supervisor without being placed on hold, and had a huge argument with the lady working there in which she brought up my family and child, TOTALLY UNPROFESSIONAL!  I am so mad!  Obviously I wasn't taken off the list the first time other wise I wouldn't have still been receiving messages for this "Chula Dodge"!

This 'automated' phone call comes through about once every three to four months. They leave a long pause between questions...I think it is a scammer of some sort. I owe no one anything and the fact I was a credit fraud victim once before has taught me to use Experians Credit Watch service...They're clearly scum bag's!

They keep calling for Thomas Barron. I do NOT KNOW HIM! And have been hung up on when I request to have them stop calling me. Whoever the hell Thomas Barron is call these damn people so they will leave me alone!! :)

They are a collection agency of some sort: Here is the information

Contact Merchants' Credit Guide Co.

By Phone

If you have received a letter from Merchants' Credit Guide, you may contact us by phone using the number listed on the letter. For fastest service, we will need your File Number listed on the letter.

If you do not have the letter, you may call us toll-free at (888) 249-4134.

By Mail

Alternatively, you may contact us by mail at the following address. Please include your File Number listed on the letter you have received.

Merchants' Credit Guide Co.
223 West Jackson Blvd, Suite 900
Chicago, IL 60606

I finally called the corporate number and spoke with Mr. Kennedy which he seemed reasonable enough. I hope for their sake I get no more calls or a harrassment suit will be my next step with this company.

this company is what's called a "junk debt buyer" - basically the lowest of the debt collectors. they search for "dead" accounts such as defaulted credit cards and such where the original creditor has already written off the balance from their books and probably received a tax credit because of this. what they do is pay outrageously low amounts of money for the right to try to collect on these alleged debts. they use scare tactics and threats to try to get money from people. don't let them scare you.

I've been getting calls from this number for the past two months. I never pick it up and they never leave a voice mail. Decided to check the number on the internet and found this site

This number keeps calling my parents...I was finally here when one of the calls occurred.In the past , they were asking for me,but this time there was no name on the recording.I live in California.The parents live in Oregon.I called the company back,but whomever I spoke with was extremely rude.Needless to say,nothing was accomplished.T­his company is a bunch of bottom feeders that take the last-ditch effort in collecting a debt that is on the brink of coming off of your credit report.I have been a telemarkerter,­even done some collections and these types of idiots are the reason that job SUCKED so freakin' bad!