Telemarketing Do Not Call List
I am sure that many people have experienced that annoying ring
of the phone just as dinner is put on the table and when answered,
you find out that it’s not a call from your friend or family
member, but from a person promoting a particular product or
service – a telemarketer. Well, a number of telemarketing laws
are expected to dramatically reduce those annoying telemarketing
calls, and one of the most well-known is the Federal telemarketing
Do Not Call List.
What is the Telemarketing Do Not Call List?
The telemarketing Do Not Call List, also known as the National
Do Not Call Registry, was actually developed by the Federal
Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency.
As noted, the law will be enforced by the FTC, the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) and state law enforcement officials.
Basically, the telemarketing Do Not Call List was created to
offer consumers a choice regarding telemarketing calls. It then
gives you a chance to limit or reduce the telemarketing calls
you receive. You are allowed to register your home and personal
phone numbers if you choose, and this means that the number
of telemarketing calls you receive will be reduced by approximately
80 percent.
Ways to Register
There are basically two ways to register to the FTC’s Telemarketing
Do Not Call List. First, you can sign up for the registry through
the FTC’s toll-free phone numbers, which is (888) 382-1222 (TTY:
(886) 290-4236). And, the other way is to sign up online with
the online registration that is made available by the Federal
Trade Commission website itself, the www.donotcall.gov.
Telemarketing Do Not Call List Exemptions
There are certain exemptions from the telemarketing do not call
list or registry. One of those is the solicitation calls. Just
note that not all solicitation calls are covered by the registry.
What is covered actually depends on the type of call that is
being made. Although you have registered your phone numbers
to the telemarketing do not call list, you can still be contacted
by charities, survey researchers, political campaigns, companies
with which you have a business relationship, as well as by the
companies to which you have given written consent to remain
on their calling list.
Company-Specific Do Not Call Lists
There are actually two Do Not Call Lists: the National Registry
and a company’s internal do not call list. In terms of the latter,
it is important to note that most of the telemarketers are still
required to maintain their own company-specific do not call
list. This remains true even to those that are exempt from the
Do Not Call Registry. Thus, if you are called by a company that
is exempted from the National Registry, you have the option
to ask to be placed on the company’s in-house do not call list.
Everyone can take advantage of this in-house strategy, even
those who do not subscribe to the National Registry.
So, if you ask a particular company with which you have an existing
business relationship to put you on their company-specific do
not call list, that company can no longer contact you. This
applies even if you continue doing business with them. And,
it is worth noting that the Federal and state laws give you
the right to take legal action against telemarketers who do
not add your number to their internal telemarketing do not call
lists and who call you back within a year of requesting to be
placed on that list.
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