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429,000 Do-Not-Call Complaints
The Ghetto Imp writes "Is the do-not-call list working for you? According to CNN Money, there have been over 429,000 complaints filed with the FTC over do-not-call violations. The list is incredibly popular, with apparently some 62 million numbers registered. Apparently the worst offenders are the Credit Foundation of America, and our friends at AT&T. In an era where companies use computers to spam pre-recorded messages through our phone lines, does the FTC have the teeth to make unsolicited calls a thing of the past? At $11,000 per violation, let's hope so!"
You can file a complaint, and they can be FINED $11,000. Or you can sue them and collect up to $1,500 per incident. It's a lot more work to sue them than it is to simply file a complaint, and they stand to lose more money from fines than individual lawsuits.
They partner with a business that you have a legitimate relationship with.
:(
I'm really not sure that's a legal loophole. Yes, there is a loophole for a company you currently do business with (which really pisses me off when Best Buy refuses to sell me something w/out a phone number -- yes, that happened, and when I pushed the matter, the cashier grabbed a random customer's phone number out of their DB right in front of me!)
Anyway, sorry, was ranting. Yes, someone you do business with has a loophole of sorts. But a credit card company, simply by "partnering" with AAA, doesn't get to call you. They're still an independent company offering an independent product that has nothing to do with the business relationship you've established with AAA. I really don't see how they can get around the law on that one. They should have been reported.
Now, if it actually *was* AAA calling, then you simply need to tell AAA to put you on their own DNC list, and they have to. Like anyone ever did in the past. But still, they have to, and then NONE of the other "partnership" scams they might enter into will work.
Let me try and rephrase all this, 'cause I'm hungry and telemarketers still raise my blood pressure:
AAA calls on behalf of a CC company: legal (but a terribly violation of your trust in AAA)
A CC company calls on behalf of AAA: Illegal (but I'm not a lawyer, and besides, does it really matter?)
Anyway, that's the way I'd *expect* it to work. I'm probably wrong.
The regulations don't apply to political and charitable solicitors, but all other telemarketers who call numbers on the list face fines up to $11,000 per violation.
The article doesn't divulge how many of the complaints are actually valid, but I think it's reasonable to assume that a large percentage of the "429,000 complaints" figure were solicitations from organizations claiming to represent charities or political bodies (all of the phone solitations I've gotten since registering fall into this category).
While such calls are exempt, I'd like to see additional regulation of the groups who hide behind this loophole; not because I oppose legitimate charities seeking donations, but because of the high probability that money donated over the phone will actually reach the charity.
Here's the way it often works: a legitimate charity contracts a telemarking firm to collect a predetermined amount of money. After the firm reaches the quota, they may continue to make solicitations ostensibly on the charity's behalf, but--according to the terms of the contract)--they get to keep all the money beyond the stipulated quota.
If you want to support a charitable organization or political entity, consider donating directly.
If your complaint was valid...you were illegally called even though you were on the DNC list...you shoulc get a percentage of the fine.
If you are on the Pennsylvania DNC, you get 10% of the fine. I've collected 3 bounties so far.
Even before the "Do Not Call" list, you could tell telemarketers "don't call back" or "take me off your list". It's actually illegal for them to call back after being told this. If they called repeatedly I would ask for a supervisor and file a complaint with the FTC.
they can only not call you on the very same offer. other people in the household are still viable, new offers (were) still okay, etc.
I'll try to keep this short, but it's complex.
...only to get a voice mail box that was full. The woman's voice slurred the name of the firm, so I couldn't quite tell who they were (sounded like Charity Organizations of America).
I have caller ID, and was on the DNC list the very day it was offered to the public.
About 2 months ago, I started seeing my caller ID log fill up with calls from someplace in Georgia.
But the calls were always during normal work hours (when I'm not home) so my answering machine was full of hang-ups.
Well one night, they called at 7 pm, while I was home. I answered the phone, waited for the pause (while a computer transferred me to a live human)....and was promptly hung up on!
That just plain pissed me off, so I immediately called back the number on my caller ID....
A helpful computer option said to press 1 to be connected to the main operator.
I did so, and was promptly told by yet another computer that the main line was no longer in service!
Some investigation on Google (and white pages, and reverse lookup anbd what not) gave zip. The number didn't exist.
A call to my local phone company the next day had no information, but if I wished to place a complaint, it would be looked into, *in 4 to 6 months* (no, not weeks...months).
Well I knew the area code, it belonged to Bell South. So I contacted the Georgia one, and they too, had no info for the number, no listing, nothing.
I have a police friend down there, and they have access to all kinds of cool toys we don't, and even *she* had no info for the number!
Ditto a call to the Non-Profit registry service of my state, nor of Georgia.
More than just a simple case of DNC abuse was going on here.
Long story short (too late!) after much time calling, and looking about on the internet, I called Bell South back and pretended I worked for that number and was having phone problems, and could they be so kind as to help out?
Turned out is was a telemarketing firm, who had registered one legit phone number, and a bunch of trunk lines, all with voice mail boxes attached, pointing to each other with the main line being disconnected. All very illegal. A few more questions and I had the main line to the firm, whom I was able to track down easily on the web and contact them, stating in no uncertain terms if they ever called back, under *any* guise, I'd nail their ass to the wall for fraud, DNC abuse, and whatever else I could think up at the moment.
They never called again, and I've not had any more telemarkter calls since.
Moral of the story? Don't piss off a geek with too much free time on his hands...
So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
I wonder if VoIP is also included in the Do Not Call bill.
I use Vonage, and normally I'm a huge supporter of theirs, but last week I got a voicemail from them trying to get me to upgrade.
There was never an actual "phone call", as the message was placed directly into voicemail at 3 AM on the 19th. However, that is also the intent of many, if not most, telemarketers, i.e., to leave a "personal sounding" voicemail rather than talk to a live person.
I was pretty upset that they spammed my voicemailbox like that.
" we asked AT&T to place us on there "Do not call list" and were told that because they had establish a buisness relationship with us that we could not do this for three years."
Then AT&T lied to you. This is from the donotcall.gov Business FAQ:
Q: What about an established business relationship?
A: A telemarketer or seller may call a consumer with whom it has an established business relationship for up to 18 months after the consumer's last purchase, delivery, or payment - even if the consumer's number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. In addition, a company may call a consumer for up to three months after the consumer makes an inquiry or submits an application to the company. And if a consumer has given a company written permission, the company may call even if the consumer's number is on the National Do Not Call Registry.
One caveat: if a consumer asks a company not to call, the company may not call, even if there is an established business relationship. Indeed, a company may not call a consumer - regardless of whether the consumer's number is on the registry - if the consumer has asked to be put on the company's own do not call list.
Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.
How many have used the SIT-tones to deter autmated/prerecorded phone-spam? I am seriously considering recording those three tones first on my answering machine. I know that's all those tele-zappers are - a device that generates those three tones at specific frequencies.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.