DoNotCall....It's about time! ! !

[FrameWork]

Now we can finally put the telemarketers in their place.

The national registry, a project of the Federal Trade Commission more than a year in the making, will be inaugurated at a White House ceremony led by President Bush, the FTC said Thursday. The commission estimates the list will block about 80 percent of telemarketing calls.

Consumers may sign up for the registry at www.donotcall.gov by providing the phone number they want protected and an e-mail address so they can receive a confirmation message, the FTC said. The only identifying information kept will be the phone number.

Telephone registration using a toll-free number -- 1-888-382-1222 -- is available in states west of the Mississippi River, including Minnesota and Louisiana. Nationwide registration should be available about 10 days later. Consumers must call from the home or cell phone they want to register.

For the full story go here: DoNotCall

If your having trouble getting to the site, that's because 181 people per second are registering.
___________

Don't you guys think it's about time?

[Ishbar]

Maybe I"m just being paranoid, but i don't trust it. I don't see how they'll block those calls and not others by accident like my junkmail filter does. Something suspious there.

[phishphreek]

don't see how they'll block those calls and not others by accident like my junkmail filter does.

They don't block these calls...

The number goes on a list. Any of the numbers on that list CAN'T be on telemarketers list.

Telemarketers use what I call a "sophisticated war dialer". They have a database of numbers that they trade and maintain. They dial these numbers in hopes to sell you something.

If they don't remove your number from the list within a specified amount of time you can file a complaint. Enough complaints about a specific telemarketing company and they get a nasty letter from the FTC and possibly a fine.

I haven't read too much about the punishment...

Your email is completely different because your filters are based on orgin, content, etc.
You are maintaining the database yourself... where with the telemarketers have to make sure that the numbers in the "do not call" database are not in their database.

[bballad]

The list is great but doesn’t go far enough. I understand the exemptions for political parties and charities, but why are banks, credit cards, phone companies and airlines exempt?

[FrameWork]

The list is great but doesn’t go far enough. I understand the exemptions for political parties and charities, but why are banks, credit cards, phone companies and airlines exempt?

I agree, perhaps this is the government doing what they do best again, creating loophole's. My guess is that maybe these entities fall on that thin line of what's solicitation and what maybe a genuine business call.

[redthefed]

They can still call you because they provide a service for you. Cable, telephone, even the guy who installs your toilet. They can't be put on the no-call list because they may need to call you to do legit business. The way the law is worded allows them to get away with it. Loophole? Yes. Necessary? Definately.

[bballad]

I can see the argument for cable or phone...I don't agree with it but I can see it. But banks and airlines..taht makes no sense at all

[AciDriveHB]

Not to be a bastard and reopen an old thread, but I just saw this in an email and thought it would be something good to share on the subject.

A little history on this is, we just got an email public wide in my build the other day letting everyone know about the National DoNotCall registrar. Today I got an email in reply to the whole subject:

I am bothered by telemarketers the same as all of us, and yet after thinking and reading about what will happen to this industry, the demise of this industry, through our collective signing of the DO NOT CALL list it becomes apparent that our inability to tolerate these intrusions will effectively put a large population of people out of work. The majority of folks that comprise the workforce of the telemarketing world are single mothers, displaced heads of households, and other low-income folks. I did telemarketing right after my divorce and believe me, it was no picnic but it was the only game in town at the time until I could get my feet back on the ground.


food for thought -
Jean

So I thought I would make a reply:

Personally I do not think we will be putting everyone out of work. There is a large majority of people in the US that dislike telmarketing and will use this list to get away from those annoying phone calls. But not everyone in the US will put themselves on this list, and there will be new numbers and new people moving into houses as we speak. This is why I highly doubt that there will be any loss of jobs over this. Yet maybe it will force the company to take a new direction in marketing.

I have heard that MBNA has shifted gears and are now not purely soliciting credit card over the phone. I think maybe they have seen the dislike for telemarketing and are now moving away from that part of the industry. Even if the market does down size, there will still be other part time jobs to find. Such as working at Wal-Mart, local fast food place (not fun but will pay bills), or maybe even drive some people to go back to school... or attempt an higher education program if they are just out of high school and thinking they don't need any more school.

It's nice to see at least there are those out there even thinking about the other side and how it's affected.

Good show....
Darren

Anyone have any comments they would like to make. I think it is an interesting topic when you start thinking about the other side and who's really on it. Thought it would be interesting to share and continue the conversation...

Just a thought...
~AciD

[steve.milner]

I am bothered by telemarketers the same as all of us, and yet after thinking and reading about what will happen to this industry, the demise of this industry, through our collective signing of the DO NOT CALL list it becomes apparent that our inability to tolerate these intrusions will effectively put a large population of people out of work. The majority of folks that comprise the workforce of the telemarketing world are single mothers, displaced heads of households, and other low-income folks. I did telemarketing right after my divorce and believe me, it was no picnic but it was the only game in town at the time until I could get my feet back on the ground.

We've had a similar opt out in the UK for years. It works a treat, I _never_ get telemarketing calls.

The telemarketing industry in the UK is growing faster than ever. The call centres in this region are regularily expanding.

[hjack]

Telemarketers expanded their legal challenge to the government's do-not-call list, suing a second federal agency over the call-blocking service for consumers that the industry says will devastate business and cost as many as two million jobs.

Full article from CNN




*edited link