Did you register for NO MORE TELEMARKETERS?

[Guest GregM]

Do-Not-Call List Logs 735K Phone Numbers

By DAVID HO

The Associated Press

Friday, June 27, 2003; 8:41 PM

WASHINGTON - Striking back against telemarketers for countless interrupted meals, the public poured an avalanche of discontent into the new national do-not-call list Friday, registering more than 735,000 phone numbers on the first day.

"They're a real pain in the neck," said Helen McKenna, 75, a retired writer from San Diego. "They don't mind if they interrupt your supper. Sometimes they call when I'm asleep."

McKenna tried to register for the free government service intended to block most telemarketing calls, but she couldn't access the program's Web site at www.donotcall.gov.

The Internet site responded slowly on the first day because of "extraordinary amounts of traffic," the Federal Trade Commission said. The FTC, which launched the registry soon after midnight, said that at noon the Web site was being visited 1,000 times every second. The agency scrambled to add more computer equipment to handle the load.

Even more consumers registered by calling the toll-free number 1-888-382-1222, which is available in states west of the Mississippi River, including Minnesota and Louisiana. To ensure the system can handle the volume of calls, the number will not operate nationwide until July 7.

Slightly more than half of the phone numbers registered by Friday afternoon were done by phone, a system that ran smoothly, the FTC said.

"We expected a huge response and we've gotten it," said FTC spokeswoman Cathy MacFarlane. "Consumers need to remember there's no urgency in registering. The registry has just opened and will continue to stay open."

At a White House ceremony to inaugurate the registry, President Bush sympathized with people annoyed by unwanted calls.

"When Americans are sitting down to dinner or a parent is reading to his or her child, the last thing that they need is a call from a stranger with a sales pitch," Bush said.

People who sign up this summer should see a decrease in telemarketing calls after the FTC begins enforcing the list on Oct. 1. The service will block about 80 percent of the calls, the FTC said.

On the Web site, consumers provide the numbers they want protected and an e-mail address to receive a confirmation message. The site also lets them remove a number or verify that a number is registered.

Some confirmations sent to users of Yahoo e-mail were diverted to their junk mail folders by a filtering system that mistook the large volume of do-not-call messages for spam, said company spokeswoman Mary Osako. She said the company noticed the problem soon after the registry launched and corrected it within hours.

Consumers calling the toll-free number must call from the telephone number they want registered.

The commission expects up to 60 million phone numbers to be registered in the first year.

Registrations will have to be renewed every five years.

Telemarketers attempt up to 104 million calls every day, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

The industry has said the registry will devastate their business and has sued the FTC, saying the program amounts to an unlawful restriction on free speech.

McKenna, the retired writer, said she doesn't feel sorry for telemarketers and will try again to sign up to block them.

"Why feel any sympathy for them, taking part in something that annoys people?" she said. "That's the last job in the world that I'd take. I'd rather clean toilets than to do that to people."

Of the states with do-not-call lists, 13 plan to add their lists of 8.1 million numbers to the national registry this summer, three have legislation pending to allow them to share, and 11 will not share the information, the FTC said. Consumers on state lists added to the national one need not register again.

Beginning in September, telemarketers will have to check the list every three months to see who doesn't want to be called. Those who call listed people could be fined up to $11,000 for each violation. Consumers would file complaints to an automated phone or online system.

Exemptions from the list include calls from charities, pollsters and on behalf of politicians. Registered consumers also can give written permission to get calls from certain companies.

A company also may call someone on the no-call list if that person has bought, leased or rented from the company within the past 18 months. Telemarketers also may call people if they have inquired about or applied for something from the company during the past three months.

Consumers can avoid those calls by asking to be put on an individual company's do-not-call list.

[BERIGAN]

From noted website, scrappleface.com

'Do Not Call' Registry Funded by Email Address Sales

(2003-06-27) -- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced today that it will fund the new "Do Not Call" registry by selling the email addresses of registrants to Internet-based marketing companies.

The plan should save taxpayers millions of dollars, and spur the online economy.

An unnamed spokesman said the FTC will continue to protect the privacy of American consumers by requiring Internet marketers to phone each person to get verbal permission before sending any offers via email

[Claude]

Why didn't they just choose an "opt-in" solution? Is there anyone on earth who actually likes being called on his phone to be sold a product?

[Dan Gould]

Because so few people would choose opt-in, business always pushes for "opt-out" because that requires negative action on the consumer's part.

My newest approach to telemarketing calls is this:

When I hear that pause before the call gets shuffled to the next rep, I know its a telemarketer, and I simply shut up. No "hello", no nothing. They'll keep saying "hello" for a few seconds and then hang up. Once though, the guy said "I can hear you breathing" but I managed not to start laughing.

Another approach that a friend has used if he's really bored is to listen patiently to the pitch, express great interest in whatever is being sold, and then, when they ask for the sale, say, "no, I don't think so" and hang up.

[JSngry]

Another approach that a friend has used if he's really bored is to listen patiently to the pitch, express great interest in whatever is being sold, and then, when they ask for the sale, say, "no, I don't think so" and hang up.

Out of respect for fellow board member connoisseur series500, who I believe does some telemarketing, I'll not tell y'all some of the more elaborate stunts I've pulled with telemarketers. Alan Funt would be envious! Let's just say they'd best not call me unless they have LOTS of time on their hands and plenty of commisions already in the bag.

One guy got hip to the trip about 20 minutes (!) into the call and called me "LOSER!", to which I replied, "When this call ends, you'll have spent HOW much time earning HOW much money?" He then called me "ASSHOLE" and hung up. To this day, I am the only person I know who has gotten a telemarketer to hang up on THEM in disgust, an honor which I hold with no small pride.

Sorry, cs500 - should you ever call me, identify yourself up front and I'll be totally civil and straight forward. I promise!

[connoisseur series500]

Hmm, this subject again.

I am not a telemarketer, but I do some prospecting by telemarketing. My industry is exempt from the Do Not Call List (I work for an insurance company), but quite frankly, I am not sure what good that will be, if people don't want any phone calls from salespeople.

I am concerned about my job. I focused on calling small business owners as a prospecting tool. I might change careers. Simple as that. There's no way anyone will walk into my office and look for my services if I just sit there. And I'm sure not going to be knocking door to door. We'll have to see how all this shakes out, but I've been suffering from the bad economy as it is.

I will probably sign up for the Do Not Call list myself as I am bombarded by professional telemarketers using computers. I get a call every morning around 9:30-10:00 and no one answers. My number is stuck in the craw of some computer. I urge everyone else also to register for this list. In my opinion, these professional telemarketers have ruined it for all of us who happen to use the telephone for sales. In my case, I am a local person who calls other local companies. I take one "no" for an answer and I'm always polite. Most people are polite also. I don't sound bored on the call because I am offering my services and not someone elses. That's the distinction between someone who is hired to telemarket and someone who isn't.

Don't worry, JS. I won't be calling you. Nonresident Texas insurance licences are outrageous and I call people who have money!

We'll see how things go, but I am indeed concerned at this stage.

[Rooster_Ties]

Out of respect for fellow board member connoisseur series500, who I believe does some telemarketing, I'll not tell y'all some of the more elaborate stunts I've pulled with telemarketers. Alan Funt would be envious! Let's just say they'd best not call me unless they have LOTS of time on their hands and plenty of commisions already in the bag.

Jim, though I greatly repect your respect for Conn500 --- even more than that, I want to hear about all your stunts with telemarketers!!! Please, please, please - do share with the class!!!

[connoisseur series500]

BTW, I should also mention that even if you receive a call from a telemarketer who happens to be calling from one of the industries who are exempt from the Do Not Call List, such as long distance telephone companies, insurers, banks and credit unions, airlines, etc, you can STILL request to be placed on that company's own Do Not Call List, and that request has to be honored.

Each company has its own Do Not Call List as well. It's more time consuming as you have to make this request for every company that calls you, but if you really don't want to be called, that's what you have to do.

I get most of my calls from credit card people and long distance telephone companies. Please note that credit card people are not exempt from the list. Banks are and they rarely call (they don't have to: they've already got their target market trapped as customers!), so you should no longer get calls from those guys if you register for the list.

I'll register myself, but will wait for the rush to cool off a bit first.

[Claude]

Frustrated man turns tables on telemarketers (cnn.com news)

DULUTH, Minnesota (AP) -- An exasperated resident turned the tables on a company that hounded him with telemarketing calls, calling them more than 100 times in two days.

Marc Plaisted said he started calling Minnesota Auto Glass after the St. Peter-based company's telemarketers called him up to three times a day -- even after he asked them not to.

Plaisted had figured the calls would stop when he signed on to Minnesota's "do-not-call" list months ago.

"I'm following the law and asking them to be taken off the list and they ignore me and then, on top of it, start swearing at me," he said. "That was where they flipped the switch with me and I said, 'Enough is enough. I'm going after you guys now.'"

Plaisted started calling the Minnesota Auto Glass's Duluth office last Thursday, and placed more than 100 calls, he said.

"I just called them every five minutes and let them know that, no, I don't have a crack in my windshield, because this seems to be something they are very concerned about," Plaisted said.

A Minnesota Auto Glass manager in Duluth said Plaisted's number had been removed from its list and that proof of the removal would be put in writing.

Edited July 3, 2003 by Claude

[Jim Alfredson]

BTW, I should also mention that even if you receive a call from a telemarketer who happens to be calling from one of the industries who are exempt from the Do Not Call List, such as long distance telephone companies, insurers, banks and credit unions, airlines, etc,

What's the etc? Most of the telemarketing calls I get are actually from telephone companies, so the national list won't do shit for me.