905-370-0460

Got no answer. Called them back.  Followed voice prompts to have my number removed, but their system doesn't work.

Received a call from this number.  No one said a word when I answered the phone.

"THE HAVERHILL INSTITUTE FOR STAGING & DESIGN"

SCAM! SCUM! SCAMMERS! SCUMMY SCAMMERS! THIEVES! CON ARTISTS! SCAM! SCAMMERS! SCAM ALERT! SCAM ALERT! SCAM ALERT! Clearly the "Herbalife" of the interior design and home staging world!

Call today @ 11:06 a.m. EDT from 905-370-0460

Yet MORE SCUMMY SCAMMERS with what sounds CLEARLY like a MLM scam (multi-level marketing) or fake career-training scheme (you pay big bucks - you get bupkus back)

STUPID Script ran as follows:

"Hello. Sorry i've missed you today. This message is for the lady of the house." (Ha! You sexist bee-yatch! - ed.) "My name is Lisa." (Yeah right. -ed.) "I am calling on behalf of the Haverhill Institute of Staging and Design. If you have prior decorating experience or if you have a flair for interior style, you're invted to enroll in our
employer-assisted job training programme for accreditation as a professional home stager. Upon graduation, we'll guarantee you full, part-time or casual employ starting at 31.45 an hour. New applications are being accepted now. If you'd like some more information, or, if you were contacted in error, please call 647 477-3132. Thanks very much. Have a nice day!"

Well folks there is indeed a "Haverhill Institute" and the website, if you google it, is for www.haverhillstaging.com (based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) and in their FAQ (frequently asked questions) it is laid out that they are in fact affiliated with the aforementioned TV show (please see earlier entries about this number) called "Housecapades". If you have received one (or likely more than one) of their annoying automated telephone calls, their FAQ invites you to contact them by email or toll-free, anytme you like: "Please send an email to info@haverhillstaging.com or call 1-866-927-7782"

Oddly enough, their page for contact info lists a different toll-free #:

"The Haverhill Institute of Staging & Design, Inc., Head Office
40 Sheppard Avenue West, Suite 500
Toronto, Canada, M2N 6K9
Phone: 416.590.1221
Fax: 416.440.7787

********** Toll free: 1.888.978.2433 ***********

When you think about the fact that the phone call comes from one number in the 905 area code (the area code for around the Toronto area), and that you're then supposed to call back a different number at a different area code (area code 647 is a new area code for the Toronto area usedmostly, though not exclusively,  for cellular phone service, and that the head office's number is different yet again, not to mention two different toll-free lines (they pay the long distance charges if you call them) you can see they are playing footsie with the public. I love how these companies use this shell game of varying phone numbers, automated call-outs and voice mail systems so that if you are annoyed you have little recourse. If you are in the Toronto area however, I would suggest you call their main number (416.590.1221) and give 'em hell... outside Toronto? Call their toll-free number (don't forget to dial *67 first to hide YOUR number!) and when it answer, just put the phone handset down and walk away - occupy their line AND cost them $$$.

Shame on you if you fall for their crappy scam. If Housecapades is even a quasi-legitimate show, why do they have to resort to beingon Fox 29 (across the border in the US) rather than on a local network/station? I'll bet if you were to search deeply enough, you would find out that there are "legal" reasons for this.

As per above, affiliated with "Housecapades" and with names "Morganstern" and "Richler" - that about tells me all I need to know...

Pacheo (canadians_against_telemarketers@hotmail.com)

Called around 12:20pm. No one on the phone, just silence for a minute or two -- then disconnect.

Re: Pacheo (canadians_against_telemarketers@hotmail.com)

My name is Rick Okada, I am the Executive Producer for the home-selling TV show HouseCapades and a Director for The Haverhill Institute of Staging.

The above posting on 800 Notes was brought to my attention.

In it, "Pacheo" goes on to recklessly slander and defame Haverhill with no reliability of facts whatsoever and I wish to vehemently refute his disgraceful, malicious rant, and bear light on the type of character that viciously maligns without proof.

As anyone knows, telemarketing is a legitimate form of marketing to reach out to prospects and we comply with all regulations for doing so. Pacheo seems to think that just because he doesn't like telemarketing, he somehow has the right to slander our business.

Haverhill is a legitimate business, we back up every claim we make and will unfailingly stand up to the most scrutinous eye.

We stand proud of our unique and innovative business, operate openly and transparently and invite anyone to thoroughly investigate us at anytime.

I doubt "Pacheo" could do the same. If we knew who he truly was, it wouldn't be surprising if we found him to be an unemployed, jealous, instigating trouble maker with nothing to lose. If the reverse were true, he would provide his credentials to give his rant some credibility. But he can't. And even if he had a legitimate beef with us, why not contact us directly? Rather, he posts mis-information and incites people to harass and defraud us.

Unfortunately, the Internet and websites like this provide (temporary) veils of anonymity for malicious people like Pacheo to hide behind. What’s not surprising is that he does not provide his real name lest he be taken to task for his unwarranted, false and derogatory claims he could never support. I suppose anyone will say anything if they need not worry about being held accountable for their words. Maybe he’s just a competitor of ours..?

I invite any response to this posting and will endeavour to reply to all legitimate queries.

Yours truly,

The Haverhill Institute of Staging & Design

Rick Okada
Director

Regardless of what Rick Okada states, this company is unprofessional. Anyone who calls and doesn't speak, then hangs up after thirty seconds isn't serious about their business.

416-440-3177 ext.2204 - is the right number to nail the suckers

No one was there

Dead air again

Well Mr. Rick Okada, if you are who you state you are, then you will take the time to provide the proper information for being removed from your telemarketing business, scam or no.

Those here never asked you to call and we are asking you to stop, so do something about it and give the information we seek to stop being bothered at home, in our office or on our private line.

Please provide a direct number for anyone here to call and have their number removed. Please provide an address where a cease and desist letter can be sent and a return receipt requested can then be returned directly by your company.

Provide that and I'll call you a legitimate business.

Just to add to my comment above, it is illegal for any telemarketing service to use an automated message system to push any product, as stated by the Consumer Bill of Rights, which any Canadian can read in the front pages of any White Pages in every phone book.

Hi Rick Okada, You are right telemarketing is a legitimate form of marketing. But i don't like how you call my house 2 to 3 times a day 6 days a week. After a while it gets a little anorying.

QUOTE "Pacheo seems to think that just because he doesn't like telemarketing, he somehow has the right to slander our business."

Yes i agree with Pacheo we do have the right not to like telemarketing callers. Would you like it if i called your house Rick 2 to 4 times a
day 7 days a week?

Quote "the Internet and websites like this provide (temporary) veils of anonymity for malicious people like Pacheo to hide behind."

You hide behind a phone # you can't even list a company name with the number you call from. comes up on my call display as Unknown Name

Thats the problem with most telemarketing when they call, they come up
on my call display as Unknown Name with a number. If more telemarketers list a name with the phone number maybe more people give you respect.
Most of the calls are dead air, you can't take no for answer, If i say no no means no and i dan't want your product stop froceing it on me.

Thats my two cents.

Hey, Pacheco, I don't disagree with the main gist of your posting, but your parting shot -- "with names 'Morganstern' and 'Richler' - that about tells me all I need to know..." shows you to be an anti-Semitic scuzz-bag. If I've misunderstood what you meant here, you'd better clarify.

My apologies to most of the people who visit this site, and the people who run it.  My use of the phrase "scuzz-bag" is not in keeping with the etiquette expectations here, and I'm sorry for that.  However, I do stand behind the point I made.

Got a call at my home in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada -- no message.

Thank you for many of your responses.

We use many forms of advertising, including TV, Internet and print to reach our prospects. Telemarketing is something we contracted to test market and while we do, we vehemently reserve our right to carrie on legal trade practises without being referred to as scammers, just because some dislike telemarketing calls.

We use a third party telemarketing company and have been show CRTC filings that support the use of this type of marketing. There is nothing illegal about it.

Further, if you call the telephone number on your call display, it indeed provides information on how to remove your telephone number from the calling list. (Nobody seemed to mention this)

In conclusion, we do wish to be good corporate citizens and do not want to enrage the community in which we do business.

But we do have the right to test market a particular medium without being bullied into submission by being called scammers.

Our test campaign ends soon and in assessing the results, we will bear in mind the sentiments of the community.

I remain yours truly,

Rick

i have recieved calls from this number between 7 and 9 in the morning. its ridiculous, because when i want to sleep i get calls from these guys 2-3 times in a row and i have to get up, because i cant sleep. i get one day off a week from school and i want to sleep in, but i cant because of these damn people.

thankfully they dont call on weekends, but to call at 7am is TOO MUCH!!!!!

telemarketing should not even be a job, if i want your business i will find a way to contact you. why should you force your product on me when i dont care.

i hate telemarketers, i just hang up on thm.

yes i called that phone number with extension and a lady courteously took my number to be removed and said it would effected immediately. Lets see if it works.  Paul M

April 7th, 2008 at 3.10pm. As per previous notes on this site I called 416-440-3177 x220 and asked my number to be removed. The lady on the other side promised that this would go into affect right away. Lets see if that works.  Failing that I will have to block that number.

Paul M

I got a call from th em today at 11:10 AM. No one spoke on the other line.  I called the '416' number and the extension (provided in someone's earlier post) and requested to have my number taken off their list.  The lady on the other line was very polite and told me that my number had been taken off immediately.

I swear I will never be the customer of Collingwood Cranberry Resort!