Telemarketing question

[Xanthorius]

The thread about the telemarketers raising funds for cops got me thinking a little bit. Here in CO, they passed one of those no-call telemarketing laws where you can sign up for a list and a couple months later, you don't get any more telemarketing calls.

Now, I'm usually not one for more and more laws, but I gotta say, this law actually works. My wife had a second line set up for business (she works from home as a web designer) and forgot to put that number on the no call list, and there were at least 2-3 calls a day most days while the home phone stayed silent (of course we added the business line as well).

Does your state have anything like this? If it does, how well does it work?

[10-98]

we have it here in nyc. it works great!!! i used to get calls all day long waking me up (i work and go to school at night). i can actually sleep now!!!

[txinvestigator1]

Texas has the same. I hear of a possible national list.

[Niteshift]

Most states have it. However, the one in FL is a joke, since there is no real penalty for doing it.

There are two things that many people don't really realize about the "no call list".

1) If a company in NY calls your home in CO, they most likely can't be prosecuted in CO for violation of the statute, unless your state specifically writes that into their law. There are federal statutes regarding telemarketing, but they are rarely enforced.

2) The list usually does not apply to other kinds of calls, like political organizations, religious entities etc. It also does not apply to non-soliciting calls, such as surveys, since they are not trying to get money from you. Survey companies, for example, aren't required to buy the list from the state.

What to do:

Always pay attention to who the company is, then CLEARLY tell them "Do not call this household again." Don't say "take me off your list", since many are using auto-dialers and didn't dial you from a list in the first place.

What NOT to do:

Don't just say you're busy and hang-up- They will call you again.

Don't just hang up- They will call you again.

Don't say you're on the other line or just sitting down to dinner at 8pm- They will call you again.

Just tell them clearly not to call back.

[ 11-20-2002, 07:10 PM: Message edited by: Niteshift ]

[CinaC]

If I were Dictator, I'd make all telemarketers run down I-95 naked in the middle of winter during rush hour.

[Snoopy1]

I understand this bill just passed the legislature in California. Going into effect some time next year.

[Mitzi]

What Niteshift says works. I answer the phone and if it's a telemarketer, I say, "Do not call this house again". One though, just didn't get the message. They called twice a week. Finally, when I saw their number on the ID (they woke me up), "I yelled, "WHAT PART OF DO NOT CALL THIS HOUSE AGAIN DO YOU PEOPLE NOT UNDERSTAND????" Then, I slammed the phone down. Never heard from them again.

[Infidel]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Niteshift:
.... many are using auto-dialers and didn't dial you from a list in the first place.

---

That can be used against them. Think of the last time that you dialled a number that had been disconnected or was no longer in service. Remember those three little tones before the voice message? Those are called SIT tones. The autodialler can recognize them (just one of them is enough according to the makers of TeleZapper) and remove the disconnected number from the dialling database.

So ... I downloaded a .wav file of the tones and recorded it at the very beginning of my answering machine's greeting. People ignore it and listen to the greeting. Computers (autodiallers) seem to recognize it and go away, permanently.

It cut my nuisance calls drastically. Since then, the CO no-call list has taken effect, but I still leave the SIT tones on the greeting. You can download the .wav file at http://www.dianamey.com/SIT_tones.html or Google "SIT tones".

[IPDBrad]

We have a no call list in Indiana. Works great. I used to get 2-3 a night, that has changed to 2-3 a YEAR!! As soon as you say I am on the no call list the caller gets very flustered.Our AG goes after violators. It is the one thing that the state govt has done well.

I heard something about a federal law but the blurb I heard was that it would be less stringent than Indiana's.

[Nittany Lion]

Our Attorny General, Mike Fisher sent up a No Call List here in Pennsylvania as well, because he was running for Govenor and wanted to do something to endear himself to the public. Didn't work as he lost to Ed Rendell.

Anyways, it helps and we get much less calls than before.

Problem is that as far as I know it only applies to calls made from Pennsylvania. So we can still get out of state solicitation calls.