FTC Moves up "Do Not Call" List Registration

tbase writes "AdAge.com has an article about the new FTC "Do-Not-Call" List which will be opening for registrations earlier than previously announced. The FTC Press Release says online registration will be available "on or around July 1." and that "Companies will face an $11,000 fine for each telemarketing call that violates the FTC's new consumer-protection provisions.""

Comments

Woo Hoo

[the_Bionic_lemming]

Looking forward to saving 15 bucks a month getting rid of Privacy Manager and caller ID.

Why $11,000?

[dmomo]

I am not complaining about a penalty. But why so much for EACH offense? Is $11,000 arbitrary, or is there some reasoning behind it? Where does the money go, and what is it used for? It just seems like a big contrast with the couple hundred dollar fine at the State level.

Re:Why $11,000?

[mactov]

How about spending the revenue from the fines on a series of public-service announcements and ads reminding people that the best prevention for these things is for them to produce no results? The big problem with spam, telemarketers, et al is that every now and then someone actually does buy something and encourages them.

Aside from a few very lonesome shut-ins (who are victims of this sort of stuff, not genuine consumers) I don't know of anyone who likes getting spam or telemarketing calls.

A sigh of relief

[andyring]

Finally, this idea is taking hold. I'll admit it does run a bit contrary to my conservative, smaller government, pro-business beliefs, but on this issue, I agree, this is the right thing to do. Of course, we'll hear a bunch of whining and moaning from the telemarketers about how it will hurt them. And, quite frankly, I don't care. Their calls harass me enough that I think it is worth it.

I worked at RadioShack for six months a few years ago, and we were supposed to try and push additional things on our customers (cell phones, batteries, cables, more cell phones, and cell phones again). I hate suggestive selling. I hate doing it and I hate it being done to me. If I want it, I will buy it.

If I want info on refinancing my home, new windows, fixing my credit, buying a coupon book, getting another credit card, etc., LET ME SEEK IT OUT. I despise the thought that others (aka telemarketers) believe they know what I want or need better than I do. I am perfectly capable of deciding what products or services I wish to purchase, so let me decide on my own without invasive selling.

Doesn't matter, most calls from India now

[shodson]

This new law probably won't matter because it seems like most of the telemarketing calls I've been getting lately have been coming from India. If MCI hires an Indian telemarketing company to call me did MCI break this law? How does this apply to overseas telemarketers?

Re:Nice!

[Hellkitty]

Caller ID has been working 100% for me for the past few years, and it only costs $1 a month. It is quite simple - if you show up as "Out of Area" or "Unknown Caller", there is not possibly anything that we have to talk about. You know who I am when I pick up the phone - I need to have the same information on you before I determine if I choose to communicate with you or not.

I'll sign up, but I doubt that it will work too well. I did a little bit of telemarketing work while in college for some beer money, and let's just say that the place I worked for would not give two shits about this fine. I think they really stretched the boundaries of the law, and they'll probably find a way to do so with this. Enforcement will be difficult. If they call me even though I'm on the list, they are banking on the fact that I don't care enough to follow up on it. And if one call gets through to you once every six months, are you really going to be enraged enough to file a complaint? And once you do file the complaint, you know it will be caught up in beauracratic BS for quite some time before any action comes out of it.

Salesmen, speak up! What about cold calling?

[Eric_Cartman_South_P]

How does this affect someone like myself who owns a small business and makes cold calls as a part of the marketing? I cold call other business people, usually at there place of work, and don't sell anything over the phone, I simply try to get an appointment to meet with the person to talk about their productivity and see how my consulting service might help them. Is there any risk to what I do now? Should I even bother with the DNC list, or is it cool since I'm only calling them at work (doubtful number is on the list) and I'm not selling anything during the call?

I don't understand organizations fighting this.

[djh101010]

In our state, we recently had a no-call list instituted state wide. The telemarketing groups, of course, fought it tooth and nail.

What I don't understand, is how they think that they are losing business. If I sign up for the list (which I did), I am stating an unwillingness to deal with a telemarketer already - they haven't lost a potential sale, because there is no way I'd buy from one anyway, and if anything they've saved their call center a bit of time and abuse.

Even more puzzling are those who choose to ignore the state law and call anyway - like they think I maybe forgot I signed up, or that I'll be so happy to hear about the new windows or whatever they're selling that I'll change my mind.

Why do telemarketing groups fight something which keeps them from wasting time calling folks who identify themselves as "not interested"?

Ask them if they mind if you record the call..

[Torqued]

I've started doing this lately when I've gotten a telemarketing call.. A few of them were really caught off guard by it. Most have just hung up the phone.. no one has said "yes" yet! :)

Re:Nice!

[smartin]

True, caller ID can give you a reasonable indication that the call is not worth answering. The problem is that you've already got up from what you are doing to go and answer the bloody phone only to find that it is not worth answering. Personally at that point i'm pissed enough to either answer and chew them out or answer and jerk their chain by wasting their time in some manner. My current fav is to just say hang on while i get the person whose name they ask for and leave the phone off the hook for a while.

As for enforcement and getting people to report abusers, that's easy. The govt should just pay the victim a portion the fine. Give me $500 of the $11k and i will persue it every time.

This is the greatest news ever!!!

[lawaetf1]

Seriously, I can't think of a single thing that the government has done in the last year to improve quality of life as much as this new reg. The only sad part is that there are going to be those who won't hear about this for years to come. Any millionaires want to sponsor The Last Call to inform Americans about this new option? It'd be an ironic gesture, sure, but it'd also be the noose around the neck for these irritating parasites, may their stomachs roast in Hell forever!!