The end of telemarketing?!?!

[lost4life]

*Originally posted by Edward The Head *
** All I know is that I haven’t gotten any email since I registered this morning. **

I never got mine either. The latest report was somewhere around 700,000 people have already signed up.

[Doomtrain]

I’ve read that PROFESSIONAL telemarketers are subject to these rules. So some businesses (themselves) can still call you, but professional TMs have to abide by it. Heck, might create some in-house jobs.

[ftg]

Note that Yahoo (and possibly others) are [rul=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yhoo/story.asp?guid={EA0D3D28-499C-433E-AC18-24EC8BD8B929}&siteid=myyahoo&dist=myyahoo]inadvertantly dropping the verification emails into the spam bucket.

This law won’t affect telemarketers all that much.

First, some companies will just ignore it. Ever tried tracking them down?

Second, many telemarketing centers are moving overseas. US law doesn’t apply in India. Again, try to track down and sue a Calcutta based company. The US firm they’re selling for can always claim cluelessness: “They did, oh my. I guess we’ll start using the company next door to it.”

Thirdly, wanna bet some companies are going to try to become exempt? “Hello Mr. FtG. Would you like to donate to Save the Universe from Heat-death? Good, now all you need to do is switch to MCI and we’ll donate .5 cents to them on your behalf.”

As to who is buying that stuff from telemarketers: mainly the elderly. Many older folks are just incredibly naive about fraud and such. They come from an era when just hanging up was rude. And once someone does buy, their number is immediately sold to others. So such a person ends up buying a lot.

[ftg]

Try that link again.

[fortytwo]

We’ve had a similiar system in the UK for some years now, and it does work. It’s not foolproof you still get some calls, but when you mention you subscribe to the The Telephone Preference Service ( it’s a free service ) they back off straight away.
I understand your telephone number is entered into a computer which is meant to inhibit any calls to you.
We also have a similiar service for junk mail I believe.

V

[Mockingbird]

Now here is some government action I can get behind.

[Fuji_Kitakyusho]

Why not just get a 1-900 number, so there is a fee to the caller? Most legitimate traffic would still call (if it’s THAT important), but this would make bulk calling prohibitive.

-FK

[Fern_Forest]

*Originally posted by ftg *
Thirdly, wanna bet some companies are going to try to become exempt? "Hello Mr. FtG. Would you like to donate to Save the Universe from Heat-death? Good, now all you need to do is switch to MCI and we’ll donate .5 cents to them on your behalf."

Sadly MCI wont have to do that.

*Exemptions at the site *
Q: If I register my number on the National Do Not Call Registry, will it stop all telemarketing calls?

A: 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.

Or is it that they have to do it themselves and hiring a telemarketing firm to call you will now be illegal for that call firm?