Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Do-Not-Call List Could Be Opened For Phone Spam

Posted by timothy on from the our-company-bought-your-information-friend dept.

Wick_7654 submits a link to this story at the Chicago Sun-Times, which begins "The agency overseeing the national Do Not Call Registry is considering opening a loophole to allow companies to deliver 'pre-recorded message telemarketing.' The effort is being organized by Allen Hile of the FTC's division of marketing practice. Be sure to let the FTC know how you feel about it." The proposed change specifies that recorded calls would be allowed only when an "established business relationship" exists, but provisions like that tend to be stretched to absurdity.

9 of 339 comments (clear)

  1. Pre-existing Business Relationship by Cyberherbalist · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes, sir, your uncle's second wife's stepsister's kindergarten teacher once bought a widget from us. That establishes a clear prior business relationship between you and us.

    --
    "The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance."
    1. Re:Pre-existing Business Relationship by pmazer · · Score: 5, Funny

      And when we say 'us', we mean the company that recently phoned the company down the street from our sister company which resides in Malaysia. And of course, we had records of all of this, but we recently put them in the paper shreader and then burned it, for your security's sake.

    2. Re:Pre-existing Business Relationship by Crazy+Man+on+Fire · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So, you've got a business relationship with me yet you don't know my number? Right...

  2. got ya by frovingslosh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Now your unlisted number, that you went ahead and put on the do-not-call list to protect yourself from callers who just selected numbers randomly, will be given to the telemarketers as a number that is fair game for them to call. Your tax maney at work.

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
  3. Are you insane? by nordicfrost · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What the hell is going on over there? Has the entire USA become a free-for-all (big business that is) annoyfest? I'm on an European do-not-call-list and have recieved two calls in four or five years one was a mistake, that didn't help I reported them anyway.

    The other was from a company I already do business with (I yelled at them anyway and moved my business to another company that don't anoy me at work). They used the pre-business loophole so I told them what my opinion was with that and talked to everyone I could reach in the company. I also reported them to the consumer ombudsman, since they are abusing their power grid monopoly in Oslo to justify pushing sales calls.

    From an outside perspective, it seems like the only ones enjoying freedom in the US are big, bug business. They can trample the freedom of private citizens quite easely, it seems and bother them at will while the government drags its feet. And counts its money, I presume. We have the loophole too, but we are at least working on closing it, not opening it more.

    1. Re:Are you insane? by SuperBanana · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Has the entire USA become a free-for-all (big business that is) annoyfest?

      No. In fact, ever since I added our phone number to the federal do-not-call list, telemarketing calls have in fact stopped.

      The exception is the occasional charity, but even those have pretty much ground to a halt. When they do call, the conversation goes something like this:

      "Hi! This is the Save Small Kittens from Cancer fund, will you give us money?"

      "We're on the federal do not call list."

      "We're a non-profit charity, we are exempt, sir".

      "And, given that we are a household that has registered as not wanting telemarking calls, what genius thought calling us would be a good way to get money from us?"

      "Uh...well...er...um..."

      "Did it occur to anyone that, in fact, by calling a household listed on the do-not-call list, you would in fact generate substantial ill will, and virtually guarantee we'd never send you a dime, even if we might have been planning to do so?"

      "Uh..."

      "Don't call us again." [click]

      It's very simple- any time you get a telemarking call from an NPO and you're on the do not call list, tell them that, by calling you, they've been crossed off the list of charities you donate to. Particularly if you've already donated to them- they can see this on their screen- it will be HIGHLY effective.

      Well, that and (I believe) under the new laws, even an NPO can't call you BACK if you tell them to piss off...they have to honor the request, at least for a few years.

      --
      Please help metamoderate.
  4. You had me at Hello. by DonnyCarcharo · · Score: 5, Funny

    "What do you mean no prior business relationship? You said hello. Hello is a greeting and greetings are an integral part of relationships. Now about that home mortgage..."

    --
    -- Don Carcharo
  5. Help! by mrchaotica · · Score: 5, Funny
    Has the entire USA become a free-for-all (big business that is) annoyfest?
    Yes. Please come liberate us!
    --

    "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  6. Re:Military recruiters by bitslinger_42 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Back in high school, I had a friend with very anti-military parents. One day, when Eddie was out, the Navy called and Eddie's mom answered. She told the recruiter that Eddie couldn't come to the phone because he was spending the night at his boyfriend's house. Eddie never got another call from any of the military branches :-)