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| If the representative pleads ignorance regarding the "do not call" list, ask to speak to a supervisor. A supervisor must be on duty at all times at a telemarketing company. Other violations of Federal Trade Commission telemarketing laws include a representative failing to provide you with his or her name and/or the name of the company, calling outside the hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., or calling with a prerecorded message. You can screen your phone calls using caller I.D. technology (contact your phone company to sign up for this service). Devices and telephones that use this technology typically identify telemarketers as "unknown callers." Telemarketing hang-up calls are the work of a device called a "predictive dialer"--a machine that calls telephone numbers and weeds out busy signals and answering machines. When you get a hang up, the machine has predicted incorrectly. |
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The final way to stop telemarketers is the one-on-one method. Here's how it works: When you receive a call from a telemarketer, simply say "Please put my name on your 'do not call' list." By U.S. federal law, a telemarketing company must maintain such a list, and if you want to be on it, the company must comply. Once your name is on this list, the company can't contact you for 10 years. Sweet victory. (Note: Charitable and nonprofit organizations are exempt from this rule.) Some telemarketing companies, however, don't quite operate on the up and up. If you believe you're dealing with such a company (if, for example, you're receiving more calls after you've asked to be on the "do not call" list), you can take action: Start documenting each call. Write down the date and time of the call, and the full name of the representative you talked to, as well as the company's name. (In particular, you need to document the person you asked to put your name on the "do not call" list.) Ask for a copy of the company's privacy policy. This document should contain the "do not call" requirements, and it's U.S. law that every telemarketing company have one. If it's not sent to you, this is further ammunition for your case. If it is, you have proof that the company violated its own policies. Contact a lawyer. Every call a telemarketing company makes to you after you've asked to be put on its "do not call" list is a violation of U.S. Federal Trade Commission laws, and each violation entitles you to sue for a civil penalty of $500 (U.S.). For a complete rundown of potential telemarketing violations, as well as telemarketing laws, check out the Federal Trade Commission's website. Hopefully, though, you won't have to go this far. Your efforts to remove your name from marketing lists will be successful--giving you the peace and quiet you deserve, and restoring your healthy relationship with your once-feared phone. -end-   All steps at once (printable version) |
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Know your rights
