Stop the Calls, Part 27: You said no at 4 PM. They called back at 8:05 AM.

"Morning! Good news. I went back to underwriting last night and got your rate down."

Yesterday at 4 PM you told this broker no. Today at 8:05 AM, before the shop opens, he's back with a "better offer."

This is Part 27 of Stop the Calls. Today: why "no" doesn't end the calls, and the two sentences that do.

General information, not legal advice. The call above and Quarry Lane Bikes (a made-up shop) below are invented examples.

Why "no" doesn't stop anything

From the industry side: a broker usually gets paid only when a deal funds. In a lot of shops, "no" gets logged as an objection to work on, not as a stop.

"No thanks" answers the offer. It doesn't answer the calls. The FCC's do-not-call rule is built around a request "not to receive calls" from that company (47 CFR 64.1200(d)). The FTC says the same: ask the company not to call, and write down the date (FTC Do Not Call FAQs).

Check the "better offer" first

Quarry Lane's owner said no on Tuesday to $30,000 at a 1.45 factor rate. That's $43,500 paid back over 120 business days, or $362.50 a day.

Wednesday, 8:05 AM: "I got you down to 1.38." Payback drops to $41,400. But the term shrank to 80 business days, so the daily debit jumped to $517.50. That's $155 more out of the account every business day.

Lower rate, heavier squeeze. Part 26 lists the contract lines to read before you sign anything.

The tactic: close both doors

Step 1: say the stop with the no. When you turn an offer down, add the do-not-call sentence right then.

Step 2: log the date. Date, time, caller ID, company and "DNC requested" go in your call log template. That date starts the clock.

Step 3: don't renegotiate at 8 AM. Read the script below and hang up.

Step 4: put it in writing the same day. Send the written stop from Part 2, or use the cease and desist letter template.

The script

"I said no yesterday, and my answer hasn't changed. Please put [phone numbers] on your internal do-not-call list, for your company and the company you're calling for. I'm logging this call with today's date and time."

Quarry Lane's owner read it at 8:07 AM. The broker said, "Just doing my job," and hung up.

Want the new offer anyway? Say: "Email it from your company address with the total payback, payment and term. Don't call this number about it."

How we use AI on this

When we help an owner, an AI compares both offers. Try it in any AI chat:

"Here are two business funding offers. For each, calculate the total payback, the payment and the number of payments. Tell me which costs more per day and which costs more in total. Show your math."

Check the math against the written offer.

The rules behind it, and where they stop

• A company has to record a do-not-call request when you make it and honor it within a reasonable time, up to 10 business days (47 CFR 64.1200(d)).

• So a next-morning call may still be inside that window. Your log shows whether calls continue after it.

• That rule is written for residential subscribers and extended to wireless numbers (47 CFR 64.1200(e)). A business line may be treated differently.

• Business lines aren't covered by the National Do Not Call Registry at all. It's for personal numbers.

• The FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule exempts most calls made to businesses (16 CFR 310.6(b)). The TCPA is 47 U.S.C. 227. Coverage depends on the call and the line.

None of this promises an outcome. A call log with a dated stop request is a record you can use to report calls at the FTC's complaint page or bring to a lawyer. More in Know Your Rights and the guide to stopping MCA broker calls.

Your checklist

1. Every "no" comes with "put me on your do-not-call list."
2. Log the date and time.
3. Morning callback? Script, then hang up.
4. New offer? Email only.
5. Send the written stop the same day.

Coming in Part 28: the "we found an error in your application" call, about an application you never sent.