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Do-Not-Call List, Two Years Later
Carl Bialik writes "The Wall Street Journal is reporting that two years after the National Do Not Call Registry took effect, regulators say the system is working, but only six federal fines have been issued. More than half of registered consumers say they're still getting unwanted calls, according to a recent phone survey. Now, a fresh fight is brewing over which calls are restricted and which ones aren't. Twenty-five states maintain their own do-not-call lists, and many of them impose tougher restrictions on the kinds of calls that telemarketers can make."
Am I the only one that finds it shockingly ironic that the survey to determine if consumers are still receiving unwanted calls is done by initiating unwanted telephone calls?
I mean isn't that bound to skew the results?
Consumer: Hello?
Survey Operator: We're conducting a survey on unwanted phone calls
Consumer: OK...
Survey Operator: Have you received any unwanted calls lately?
Consumer: Yes... Quite recently actually!
From TFA:Regulators say the system is working, but a recent random survey (by telephone) by the Customer Care Alliance, a Virginia-based consortium of three customer-relations consultants, found that 51% of registered consumers say they're still getting calls they think the list is supposed to block.
So they conducted the survey by CALLING the people on the do-not-call list...The DNC list goes against free market capitalism which our country was based upon. Yes it's legal by the letter of the law, but it grossly violates the spirit of America. We are a country of entrepreneurs and all this law does is chop down the new cherry trees of companies before they have a chance to blossom and provide jobs for poor people. Think of the recent victims of Katrina and Rita, think of how much better those people would be if there were more companies to lend them jobs?
...except that sometimes that doesn't work. 7-8 years ago my parents had a line dedicated for modem use only. AT&T would call that line three or four times a week, usually around 7pm (ie dinner time). The "magic phrase" didn't deter them in the slightest, so some of the screaming and yelling and getting angry at telemarketers in general may come from similar experiences. Bad experiences are hard to forget.
Of course, I like to find the good in every situation, which in this case was answering the phone with greetings like "Thanks for calling the Psychic Hotline, but I know this is a wrong number." or "Genital Piercings R Us, would you like to hear about our special on clitoral spikes?" or "$City chapter of the Cult of Satan...". You get the picture.
It's nothing but crumpled porno and Ayn Rand.
You've taken a job that you know annoys the hell out of 90% of the population. That shows an utter lack of consideration of any type for the rest of humainty.
Wow, thank you for opening my eyes to what an evil person I am. I will now quit my job and watch my kids starve, so that your already comfortable life can get infinitesimally more comfortable.
No, wait, I won't. You're a selfish, self-important asshat who's probably never been short of money in his entire pampered life, let alone been responsible for feeding any other mouths. Here's some news for you: some of us are poor. Some of us don't have college degrees. Some of us have to take what jobs we can, instead of getting to pick and choose from the cream of high-pay, low-effort sinecures that the rich families keep for their kids. And if that means working call-centers, then that's what we'll do, fuckwad.
Yeah, but then you can't play games like:
"Special Ed"
"Evangelical Christian"
"Guy who gets turned on by Telemarketers"
"I have these voices in my head... "
"Get head and get Called"
"Terrets Syndrome Poet"
and my personal Favorite:
"How come you don't call more often... I think you don't like me anymore.... *plays gunshot mp3*, *throw something heavy on the floor and drop phone*, *moan*.... why don't you LOVE ME!!!!"
Cliff Claven
K.E.G. Party Chairman
Founding Leader of: Koncerned for Egalitarin Governance
Wow, that's only 0.0014% of reports turning into lawsuits.
Yeah, but it's 28.5% of lawsuits turning into fines.
Jeez, try to think of the glass being half-full once in awhile ;)
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Sometimes, I just lay the phone down and say nothing or cut a big fart or hold the phone down and get my cat to meow. I've used airhorns, the alarm clocks on Dark Side of the Moon, police whistles and tape recordings of me talking about something.
Have some fun with 'em.
Wansu, th' chinese sailor
I worked as a telemarketer for a year. I heard people yell at me every day and it didn't change anything. Those people would get calls over and over and over. It was the ones who were calm and said the magic phrase didn't call again.
I used to work for Vito and I got the same thing. People would beg and scream for me to not break their legs, but all they needed to say were the magic words: "please place me on your don't-break-my-legs list". People should have some respect. I was only doing my job.
Except for the exceptions....I get just about zero calls trying to sell me something, but a couple of calls a week asking me for donations (usually clothing), from groups I've never donated to. Often they ask for "Mrs. $myLastName", which is interesting since there isn't now, nor has there ever been, a "Mrs. $myLastName" at my phone number.
That doesn't mean their calls aren't unwanted... Just not illegal.
So the survey was worthless because it didn't even ask the right question! They should have asked if the individual had recived any calls that should have not happned becuase they were on the Do Not Call list.
"Did you get any unwanted calls lately?"
"Well yeah, the Gas company called to tell me I'm over 60 days past due. My boss called me to come in on my day off. My mother in law called and berated me while I was trying to watch the game last Sunday, and I'm ten minutes late for work right now and YOU called!"
19% said they no longer get junk phone calls.
32% said they still get junk phone calls.
43% said they still get junk phone calls from Cowboy Neal.
6% said they don't have phone lines, you insensitive clod!
That might add up to 100%. If not, see my sig.
Mathematics is made of 50 percent formulas, 50 percent proofs, and 50 percent imagination.