Shutting down the telemarketers, part two
Filed under: Extracurriculars, Shopping, Simplification, Fraud, Relationships
On December 1, the Federal Trade Commission closed one of the major loopholes that were still open to telemarketers. Although the 2003 Do-Not-Call Implementation Act made it illegal for telemarketers to contact registered phone numbers, the law did not extend to charities and companies with whom the residents had a prior relationship. This meant that, every time you applied for a credit card or ordered a magazine subscription, you effectively opened the door to an endless series of annoying phone calls. As of Monday, however, electronic phone calls from marketers must offer you a way to opt out of future solicitations.For those of us who had phone numbers in 2003, this feels like the final battle in a long, brutal war. Prior to the implementation of the Do-Not-Call Registry, telemarketers seemingly had total carte blanche. They would call for most of the day and a large portion of the night, offering deals, demanding donations, and generally breaking up the flow of one's routine. Admittedly, this led to a little bit of fun, as I used to tell them that I was dead, act out domestic disasters on the phone, or ask for the caller's home phone numbers so I could call him at an inconvenient time. However, even the most ridiculous reverse harassment didn't change the fact that they had the legal right to regularly interrupt my life.
When the registry went into effect, it was like I had been liberated. Call volume in my house massively dropped, particularly after I began answering the phone with the words "I'm on the registry. If I don't know you, you're breaking the law." With every hurried click of a phone hanging up, my heart became a little lighter. Soon, however, telemarketers found the great loophole: If I had previously done business with them, they were legally allowed to call me. While the phone calls never returned to pre-registry numbers, they were still pretty high.
Time will tell if this new technique works or if it is merely opening the door to the next twist in the battle. The irony, of course, is that these phone calls are not very effective. In fact, when the McCain/Palin team began using "robocalls" in the final days of the last presidential campaign, they drew criticism from both parties. Even Governor Palin criticized the tactic. Maybe, with any luck, the days of unsolicited phone calls may be drawing to a close!
Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. Now if they could only apply the death penalty to habitual spammers...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 12)
12-03-2008 @ 2:07PM
Don Pritchard said...
Thanks for the info, but I have a related problem, I think.
I get calls twice a day from "unknown name, Unknown number" and have been getting them pretty regularly, I have picked up several times but there has been nothing on the line. How can I stop this
Reply
12-03-2008 @ 4:27PM
FB said...
If their caller ID doesn't identify who it is, then I just let it ring. If its someone important they will leave a message and I will call back.
WORRIED ABOUT TRAILER THEFT?? You need to:
http://www.carrythebigstick.com
12-03-2008 @ 4:52PM
MARY said...
SIR, AS YOU CAN TELL I DO NOT SEE VERY WELL AND I AM DISABLED (CAN'T WALK VERY WELL), SO IS MY HUSBAND. YOU CAN IMAGINE THE FRUSTRATION WE HAVE WE REACH THE PHONE AND "NO ONE IS ON THE LINE" AND THE SAME AS YOU, " UNKNOWN NAME UNKNOWN NUMBER". OUR SON GAVE US A TELEPHONE THAT " ANNOUNCES WHO IT IS", IE " UNKNOWN NAME " OR IN OUR CASE " UNKNOWN NAME NUMBER 111-111-1111, WHICH IN FACT WAS OUR SON CALLING FROM IRAQ. WE KEPT IT RIGHT BY OUR BEDSIDE UNTIL HE RETURNED THANK GOD SAFE AND SOUND. HOWEVER NOW WE USE IT TO SCREEN OUT THIS NONSENSE UNKNOWN NAME UNKNOWN NUMBER BECAUSE IF WE ARE NEARBY AND ANSWER IT, GUESS WHAT? NO ONE ANSWER. I TRULY BELIEVE IT IS ONE OF THOSE AUTOMATED TELEMARKETERS AND THAT IS WHY "IT CAN NOT LEAVE A MESSAGE " AS TO WHY THEY SAY NOTHING WHEN YOU ANSWER IS BEYOND US. ANY IDEA'S?
12-03-2008 @ 5:34PM
George said...
Check with your service provider and find out if they have a feature called Anonymous Call Rejection. I will block calls that do not show a legitimate telephone number. Check with your service provider for exceptions.
12-03-2008 @ 5:48PM
Tom said...
Don. I can sympathize with your problem. My wife and I receive dozens of these calls a day. My theory is that the "unknown" and "no number" calls, which do not respond when you answer the phone, are attempts to verify that you are home for a later call, or, it's some group simply trying to verify your phone number or your residence. I know that this doesn't help you, but good luck.
12-03-2008 @ 6:09PM
Dennis said...
I get the same calls from a company recorded message stating that my creidt is in trouble and promts me to press 1 then I get hung up on. I am on the do not call list also, I get the calls at least twice a week.
12-03-2008 @ 7:46PM
cat77mc said...
i am on the registry and use the anonomous block. sometimes i have to redo the anonomous block since i have digital phone but no big deal. my newest problem is google calling saying that i subscribed to something on the internet and thats why they were calling. when i informed them that i did not and if they like i prefer to receive emails. the women was rude so i told her not to bother sending me emails now lol. amazes me these people have the nerve to catch attitude with me. i also been getting that stupid your vehichle warrenty is about to run out... can u say scam... my car is a 97 and 240k on it lol havent had a warrenty in a long time and i have asked around and alot of others have received the same call. dont give out any info to these people im sure its a rip off. actually i wouldnt buy anything from anyone who is trying to sell me over the phone with all the identity theft out and so forth. :D
12-04-2008 @ 7:45AM
Fae said...
If you are getting calls from someone your caller id can't identify, try dialing *69. You must dial *69 before another call comes in. If *69 doesn't work it means the phone company's network cannot read the call either. In that case, try *57. *57 intiates a trace. After dialing *57 there will be a short silence and then a recording will tell you how to proceed.
Other information about what to do for these types of calls is available on both the Verizon and FCC web sites.
12-04-2008 @ 9:37AM
Jon Boy said...
I find this very handy when dealing with any company....
Secret Customer Service Numbers
http://www.curiousread.com/2007/09/secret-customer-service-numbers.html
12-04-2008 @ 1:59PM
Annette said...
Those telephone calls with no one on the other line are simply ways for companies to identify when you are home. When you answer, it records that the call was answered at such and such a time. Later on, you will be called by a human agent. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think alot of those numbers originate from the police dept., fire department, paramedics, etc. At certain times of the year, like now, you get live calls from all of them asking for donations.
12-04-2008 @ 2:03PM
Bill said...
The latest slimey tactic is that the caller ID lists a number that is either "stolen" or completely fake. I now see many Dish Network calls coming in with a private party ID, and when I hit the call-back button, it is clear from my folloup conversations that telemarketers have developed some kind of computerized caller ID theft. Hopefully the several complaints I've made to the FCC & FTC have some level of impact, and an investigation into the matter is undertaken. Please do some "screaming" of your own. After all, we still live in a nation where, "the squeeky wheel gets the grease."
12-09-2008 @ 9:57AM
CR said...
I do the same as FB. I don't answer unknown callers/resricted #s. If it is important they will leave a mesage.
12-30-2008 @ 3:31PM
Martie said...
Keep record of date & time & note "caller unknown" on all unsoliciated phone calls made as far back as you have them on your caller ID. Keep records for at least a week or more to show consistancy. Submit, via e-mail (listed in your phone book) that list w/brief message to your telephone company, your States Attorney's office, & your Congressman.
Then re-register on a "do not call list" thru your telephone co. that costs $10 a year. It has solved my problems of getting the same call 3 times a day from telemarketer in Utah selling satellite dishes even tho I have Dish network. They said to hit #9 to stop their calls but it didn't work for over 2 wks.
12-03-2008 @ 2:17PM
Gloria Mac said...
I find it easy to ask the telemarketer to " hold on
for a minute " and then I just leave them hanging .....
Reply
12-03-2008 @ 2:56PM
deidre said...
LOL I just hung up from a Wayne Green talking about how I have won 3million...of course I mention 419 scam and he hung up..but gloria that is a great idea ask them to hold and then leave them hanging. I get calls from that USDW out of Arizona and they "claim" I have done business with them, which is not true but next time they call I will definitely do that...
12-03-2008 @ 3:26PM
Lorraine said...
When you keep a caller 'on hold' they hang up usually in less than a minute because this is considered a non-contact. You are still on the list to be called back, probably that day. If this is a legitimate merchant you have dealt with, just speak with them enough for them to take notes on the status of your business with them, don't hang up, and they will not call back for 4-5 days if the matter is still not resolved, and not at all if you resolve the matter - pay your bill, or whatever was the request.
12-03-2008 @ 3:51PM
da governator said...
The best way to get back at telemarketers is to prank them when they call you. Here are a couple of my favorite examples...
Tom Mabe makes the telemarketer think he's in trouble with the cops:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5z4Vs26-TI
Eugene Mirman talks with an anti-gay phone company:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk8b5WGhAuY
12-03-2008 @ 3:24PM
Geri said...
How do you stop the calls. All of a sudden they have picked up again. I want to reach thru the phone and rip their face off.
Reply
12-03-2008 @ 2:17PM
QUENTIN said...
THE DO NOT CALL COSTS THE ECONOMY ABOUT 250,000 LOST HOME SALES EACH YEAR. YOU IDIOTS EVER WONDER WHERE YOU GET YOUR PAYCHECK? FROM A SALESMAN.
Reply
12-03-2008 @ 2:28PM
M said...
Quentin, you idiot, are you one of them telemarketers? Give us your phone number so they could all call you at home. Besides, where do you get your ridiculous info that telemarketers have anything to do with home sales. Get a life asshole