# Stick It To The Telemarketers! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 28, 2003, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945 "2003-06-28T07:10:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/1 "2003-06-28T07:10:51Z")
The Federal [Do Not Call List](http://donotcall.gov/) is up (sometimes) and you can plug in your phone number and those nasty telemarketers can’t bother you any more. Don’t call the phone number for this list, however. Apparently, it’s really really close to the 800 number for a plumbing company and the poor bastard who owns it has been besieged by calls. On MSNBC, he said that his phone company, Qwest, is going to make him pay for the calls and the tab so far is something like $50K!:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/2 "2003-06-28T10:38:37Z")
My husband (bless him!) signed us up about 5 minutes after he woke up yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/3 "2003-06-28T10:39:59Z")
When do we get the national “don’t send me spam you &\*#(@$ e-tailers!” list? ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/4 "2003-06-28T13:14:10Z")
Hey, it’s taken this long for the government to figure out we hate telemarketers, it’ll be another few years for spammers. ---
**Author:** ![Asylum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Asylum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asylum)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/5 "2003-06-28T14:09:42Z")
Heh, it’s like Christmas come early. According to the front page of The Washington Post they were at one point getting hit with 108 calls _per second_! The government was expecting a huge number of calls and website hits but it blew away anything they were expecting. I hate those damn telemarketers, and the only thing I’m going to miss is coming up with new ways of torturing them when I tell them for the third time that I’m interested and they continue with their speil. ---
**Author:** ![Mooney252](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7c8e57/32.png) [@Mooney252](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooney252)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/6 "2003-06-28T16:00:18Z")
Except there’s a whole raft of companies that can still call: > [@](#): > > Q: If I register my number on the National Do Not Call Registry, will it stop all telemarketing calls? > > No. Placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry will stop most, but not all, telemarketing calls. Some businesses are exempt from the national registry and still can call you even if you place your number on it. Exempt businesses include: > long-distance phone companies > airlines > banks and credit unions; and > the business of insurance, to the extent that it is regulated by state law. > However, many telemarketing calls are placed by professional telemarketing companies, and even if the company whose goods or services are being sold is exempt, the telemarketing company may be covered. > > You may still receive calls from political organizations, charities, telephone surveyors or companies with which you have an existing business relationship. > > The FCC has initiated a rulemaking proceeding that would extend the National Do Not Call Registry to many of the businesses that are exempt from FTC coverage. > > Q: I get calls soliciting money for political organizations or for charities – will the National Do Not Call Registry stop those calls? > > A: Political solicitations are not covered by the National Do Not Call Registry. Telemarketers calling to solicit charitable contributions are not covered by the registry, but if you make a request to a specific organization that they not call you, they are required to honor your request. If they subsequently call you again, they may be subject to a fine of up to $11,000. This is taken from the consumer FAQ: [http://donotcall.gov/FAQ/FAQConsumers.aspx#Exceptions](http://donotcall.gov/FAQ/FAQConsumers.aspx#Exceptions) ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/7 "2003-06-28T16:26:16Z")
I’m gonna call them during dinner time & sign up. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/8 "2003-06-28T17:48:24Z")
Actually, **Mooney** , the FCC got behind it and those rules now apply to intrastate calls, faxes, common carriers, banking, and airlines. See: [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/dowjones/20030626/bs\_dowjones/200306261117000872](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/dowjones/20030626/bs_dowjones/200306261117000872) ---
**Author:** ![Baraqiyal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@Baraqiyal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baraqiyal)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/9 "2003-06-28T19:15:34Z")
Those exemptions suck. Most of my telemarketing calls come from banks wanted to send me a ‘free’ trial credit card, and long distance companies. Why do they get a free ride? At least now the telemarketers for these companies will have to explain over and over about the exemption when they call people on the Do Not Call List. ---
**Author:** ![AfterAugust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AfterAugust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AfterAugust)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/10 "2003-06-28T20:19:34Z")
I hate that long-distance phone companies are exempt…they’re the most annoying! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Big\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@The\_Big\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Big_Cheese)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/11 "2003-06-29T11:21:10Z")
We’ve got something similar, and supposedly better in our state, and they still get thru. I still get about one day, including the "you’ve won a free trip’ automated messages on my machine when I get home. Long-distance companies are the worst, but Politicians are a close second, and they can still call. With all those exceptions, makes me wonder who they are going to stop. You’ll still get them, I just feel less guilty when I hang up on them now. ---
**Author:** ![d\_redguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5fc32e/32.png) [@d\_redguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d_redguy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/12 "2003-06-29T11:24:11Z")
I just wanted to say thank you for the link, **Tuckerfan**. I had heard rumblings, but didn’t know it was so darn easy! ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/13 "2003-06-29T14:30:12Z")
I’m not going to sign up. Why? Because I do not want to say, “Oh, Big Brother, I can’t handle this, will you take care of it for me?” I am quite capable of screening my calls or saying, “No, thank you,” and hanging up. Plus, we don’t get that many calls, maybe one a month. I am not slamming anyone for signing up. I know some people get dozens of calls a week and find them extremely intrusive. But as a libertarian, I have a issue with letting gov’t solve a problem that I can handle on my own. Now, if everyone else signs up and all the telemarketers have to call is me and no one else, I might change my mind. I just don’t find telemarketers intrusive enough in _my_ life that I need to sign up for this. YMMV, of course. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/14 "2003-06-29T17:20:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Baraqiyal \* > \*\*Those exemptions suck. Most of my telemarketing calls come from banks wanted to send me a ‘free’ trial credit card, and long distance companies. Why do they get a free ride? \*\* Very, very well paid lobbiests and lots of donations to politicians. As for why solicitations from political organizations are exempted too, I’ll leave that as an exercise to the reader. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Tree\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9dc877/32.png) [@Tree\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tree_Boy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/15 "2003-06-29T18:19:07Z")
I did away with my landline about a year ago and I have never recieved a telemarketing call on my cell phone. Has anyone else? The only unwanted calls I get are from people who misdial or have outdated information. They usually apologize and hang up though 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-it-to-the-telemarketers/184945/16 "2003-06-29T19:08:00Z")
My cellphone gets a lot of “Caller ID Blocked” and calls with no number, but I don’t answer them. I assume they’re telemarketers.