FIRST THE TIP: ON my latest MCI offer says if you enroll in MCI residential long distance and local at http://miles.mciworld.com/4aa you'll get an extra 1000 miles. So if you want to switch... happy bonus miles! (HOPEFULLY it will get posted in a timely fashion!)

NOW the LONG RANT:
I should change my answering machine message to "You have reached (MY PHONE NUMBER) We can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message after the beep and we'll get back to you as soon as I can.

And If this is MCI!!! I LOVE AT&T!!! GO AWAY!!!"

This crazy post is prompted by MCI's latest
enticement to "divorce" AT&T: a temporary phone card, promising thousands of miles and instant activation. (the mailing originally from AA advantage... and I'm NOT elite with them!)

I am too settled on certain things like phone companies, department stores (Nordstrom and Target) drink (Pepsi) and travel sources (UA, HIlton, Marriott, Hertz) to really change. It could be a bad habit but if something works why don't companies just leave me alone and go after some starrey eyed new FFer who's looking for tens of thousands of bonus miles!

END OF RANT! CATMAN

Call MCI and tell them they are to put you on their DO NOT CALL list -- this is a federally madated list that company's must maintain and cannot call. The company can be fined if they call you.

At one point in time, I was called on almost a daily basis by MBNA -- the leader in credit card co-branding (i.e. the NY Yankees Master Card etc...). I finally called customer service, complained and told them to put me on their DO NOT CALL list and that I did not want ANY marketing material from them. I told them if I did, I would complain to the FTC and make sure they were fined -- I have not heard from them in 3 years!

--Jim

Thanks for the suggestion JIM. I did that with the credit card companies and they MOSTLY leave me alone.

The occasional offer slips through though.
CATMAN

Second the motion on the "DO NOT CALL" list. However, I have a friend who works with MCI, and she says the lists tend to "expire" after about three months or so, so when they call again (as they almost certainly will) you may have to ask to be put on the list again. And that time, get someone's name so if the list with your name on it does "expire" once more, you'll be able to complain more explictly, if not more effectively

Thank you Counsellor for your tip as well. I find I have to fill out those "don't send me catalog" forms a few times a year. Twice around the holidays especially (one day I got 36 catalogs!)

It's somewhat OMNI but it likes what I was going through with MCI! I've already called them and hopefully it will work for awhile.
CATMAN