Telemarketers Sue to Block Do-Not-Call List

chumpieboy writes "A story on Yahoo tells about about the DMA's attempts to stop a national DoNotCall list, essentially claiming that Opt Out is not a viable model for telemarketers. Yet they claim that Opt Out is a viable model for email marketing?"

Comments

fantasy system:

[timothy]

[Medium Closeup: telemarketer dials]

[SFX: ringing phone]

[SFX: an audible click, followed by a recording]

[Slow zoom, from closeup to extreme closeup, onto a telephone or computer with exaggerated blinking lights to show activity]

Recorded voice: "Hi! You're reached my telephone number. If you'd like to agree to be charged up to $10/minute at my sole discretion, please hit the "1" key now! I don't charge my friends, but if you're wasting my time with an unsolicited sales call generated by a database, please be advised that your calls are valuable to me."

[Medium closeup: telemarketer, with can of soda in one hand, hangs up, frustrated]

[Extreme closeup: hand crushing soda can]

Re:fantasy system:

[MattCohn.com]

I convinced someone trying to sell me long distance that I did NOT have a phone.

Sir, could I speak to the owner of the household?
>That's me.
And you have no phone?
>Correct.
You are at YOUR house?
>Yep.
And you OWN the house?
>Yes.
Yet you have no phone?
>Nope. No phone.

Went on for about 15 minutes. I think he started to belive it at the end.

Pray that it will back-fire

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe they can successfully make the argument that opt-out lists like the proposed "Do Not Call" won't allow them to operate effectively. Bear with me here...

So, instead of a "Do Not Call" list being maintained that they have to honor, people will have to register for a "Do Call" list. This list will contain the phone numbers of people who have registered themselves as wanting telemarketing calls. This list is also the only list which telemarketers can use when calling people.

Okay, a pipe dream, but it surely would be a more manageable list, no?

Opting-out

[doc_traig]

I'm so scarred by the daily battles with spam that the whole thought of opting-out of anything repulses me... I feel like if I get on some DNC list that a bunch of offshore telemarketers will get their hands on that list so they have "live" targets.

My wife recently told me that she was clicking on an opt-out link on some bit of spam and I nearly tackled her out of her chair to keep her from doing it.

You can't let them know you're there! Pull the shades! Rip the phone out of the wall! Gag the dog!

You know, my mugger told me the same thing.

[dark-nl]

Muggers have to make a living too. The guy was aware that taking my watch and my wallet might annoy me, but hey, he's got to make money somehow, and muggers don't have it easy.

I told him to place me on his "do not mug" list, but he didn't seem interested.

The way to stop telemarketers

[jmorse]

I despise telemarketers. I also despise evangelicals. It's fun to use one against the other. Here's how my typical solicitation call goes:

[Telemarketer]: Good evening, sir! I'm calling from -insert company here- and we'd like to tell you about an amazing new offer on our new -insert product here-!

[Me]: Well, I'd certainly be interested in your -insert product here- but first, I'd like to talk to you about the Lord Jesus Christ(TM) and your future in the Kingdom of Heaven(TM).

[Telemarketer]: huh?

[Me]: Now, sir, are you absolutely sure that your soul will go to Heaven(TM) when you die?

[Telemarketer]: Um, well, ...

[Me]: Because, you know, Jesus(SM) died for your sins, and those who know Him(TM), I mean the True Him(TM) are guaranteed a place in God's(TM) Kingdom(TM) when the Rapture(TM) arrives.

[Telemarketer]: Well, I never, um...

[Me]: And it's a documented fact that the Bible(TM) guarantees that the children of Jehovah(TM) have a place in that Holy Domain(TM). Now sir, do you go to church regularly?

By this time, the telemarketer is so damn disturbed that s/he usually hangs up and I never get a call from them again.

I suppose you could use a telemarketer spiel on the Mormons(TM) and Jehovahs(TM) that come to your door, but they've stopped bugging me since I got my "No Bible Thimpers" sticker from darwinfish.com.