I don't think the FCC takes the do-not-call list seriously...

[LeeH]

A couple of months ago I kept getting phone calls from companies who saw Auto-Trader ads I had placed and called me offering various services. I explained that placing an ad to sell a car was not an invitation for solicitations. The callers argued otherwise. Fine... I looked up the procedure for filing a "do-not-call-list" complaint on the FCC's web site.

I carefully entered every piece of information that was asked for on the FCC's on-line complaint form and hit "send." Now, three months later I get a letter from the FCC explaining that I did not include all of the information required to file a complaint (?). Apparently they want a lot more info than they ask for. I wonder how many millions of these letter get sent out every day.

[competentone]

Companies are just disregarding the Do Not Call list. I'd bet that not a single company has been fined -- or whatever the penalty is -- for calling people on the list.

With VOIP the calls cost them virtually nothing. And with no risks of them being caught or fined, I guess they just figure they'll ignore the list and try calling everyone.

You'd think marketers would realize that they are wasting their time calling people who will be annoyed by the call, but that doesn't seem to stop them.

I almost have to admire their "optimism" when they call me thinking that maybe they'll be able to make a sale. If I have the time -- but normally don't -- I try to waste as much of their time as possible.

[widgeon13]

Most likely at least one for each complaint.

[Rick Lee]

Companies don't necessarily call you because they think there's a good chance you'll buy their product. Getting a live voice on the other end confirms it's a good phone # and that goes on ther list, which they can then sell or rent for good money. When I worked in direct mail, we never expected a mass mailing to even come close to paying for itself. But the .1% of people who responded with checks instantly became a valuable list to sell or rent or just hit up again for donations.

[Rick Lee]

BTW, if you want to find out who's giving your info away, use a different middle initial when you sign up for something. When I was writing copy for fundraising letters, I sometimes signed up for the mailing and used the middle initial "X". That way I knew where it started. Once or twice I got my own letter that had been copied by some other organization and used in their own fundraising. A lot of places use "salted" lists like that so they can track them if an unauthorized user get hold of it.

[holtjv]

Unfortunately, I have some experience with the FCC and DNC; we had a big time dc lobbyist (patton boggs) who took us in there to help the fcc enforce the regulations with our software.

No dice. They have fined only 1 company (at&t, I think) a couple of years ago but have issued 50 or so "penalties" or "findings"--basically wrist slaps. The penalty is like $11k per instance so it can add up quickly. I think ATT actually had to pay $6m, IIRC.

One of the bigshots there as much as said that they aren't in the enforcement business, so there it is.

JH

[Rick Lee]

DNC and RNC, AFAIK, are exempt from the do not call list. I think the politicians exempted themselves and their parties' fundraising arms from the law the imposed on everyone else.

[911michael]

I rely on DNA. Do Not Answer. I literally do not answer my phone unless I am expecting a call. If I hear a voice on the answering machine that I want to talk with, I pick up. I don't consider a ringing telephone a command for me to do something. This behavior drives my g/f nuts.

[holtjv]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
DNC and RNC, AFAIK, are exempt from the do not call list. I think the politicians exempted themselves and their parties' fundraising arms from the law the imposed on everyone else.

Rick, I was referring to the Do Not Call list; not the committees. But you're right, charities and registered political committees are exempt from the dnc regulations.

[Rick Lee]

Aha.

Well, I have no home phone. I have a cell phone and a Blackberry and I've gotten maybe one or two sales calls in the last 5 yrs.

[Tobra]

Originally posted by competentone
snip...

I almost have to admire their "optimism" when they call me thinking that maybe they'll be able to make a sale. If I have the time -- but normally don't -- I try to waste as much of their time as possible.

That is what my brother does, but I don't think he admires their optimism.

[competentone]

Originally posted by Tobra
That is what my brother does, but I don't think he admires their optimism.

I didn't say I admire their optimism, I said I "almost" admire their "optimism."

[jorian]

If its an 800 number (always a giveaway) I let my 3 year old take the call.

[billwagnon]

Missouri's Do Not Call list rocks!


Telemarketers

Telemarketers that violate Missouri's No Call law by calling Missourians that have registered their home phone numbers to the No Call list are in jeopardy of facing a legal action initiated by the Attorney General.

To date the Attorney General's Office has collected $1,713,500 in penalties against telemarketers that have violated Missouri's No Call law.

http://www.ago.mo.gov/nocalllaw/nocalllaw.htm

[rammstein]

Where I work, people make cold calls all day long. The do-not-call list is not even considered. The company makes its employees sign a form every month saying they follow it, so when the $hit finally does hit the fan, the agent is the one to get the fines. I have a feeling that eventually, somebody is gonna get fed up enough to make a serious stink about this company. I am just glad I am on a different end of things now, so if anything does happen I can get out the popcorn and laugh.

[Christien]

Tell them you've got another call coming in, can they hold on a minute? They say yes, press the mute or hold button, come back 5 minutes later, talk for a sec pretending to be interested, oh wait, hang on a second... Repeat ad nauseum. I once held a telemarketer up like this for over 15 minutes! Went to the bathroom, changed the baby, talked with my wife, etc. Eventually I just went back and hung up.

They waste their long distance bill, plus they're not bothering other people. And I got a great deal of satisfaction

[notfarnow]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
BTW, if you want to find out who's giving your info away, use a different middle initial when you sign up for something.

I did that 7-8 years ago with a magazine subscription. Use "captain" in front of my name. I STILL get junk mail with "Captain" on the front of it. Sometimes I'll go a year without seeing it, then their lists must get sold off and I'll start getting different junkmail with "Captian"

[Rick Lee]

The person making the call doesn't pay a dime for it, so you ain't hurting them by putting them on hold. In the old days they used WATS lines for this stuff, which made it next to free. Now they use VOIP which is even cheaper. Only way to hit them where it hurts is to get an authority to fine them for calling the Do Not Call List.

[Rick Lee]

Originally posted by notfarnow
I did that 7-8 years ago with a magazine subscription. Use "captain" in front of my name. I STILL get junk mail with "Captain" on the front of it. Sometimes I'll go a year without seeing it, then their lists must get sold off and I'll start getting different junkmail with "Captian"

Junk mail really bothers me. West Marine is the worst with their Yellow Pages-sized catalogue that can barely fit in my mailbox. I ordered a pair of shoes there once for my dad and I know they have spent more on mailing me stuff than I spent on them and I will never buy from them again. As for all the mortgage and credit card mail I get, I just write "REFUSED" on the envelope, don't even open it and throw it back in the mailbox. It won't cost them anymore in postage, but they do sometimes go through the returned mail, called NIXIES, and purge their lists.

[Christien]

I realize LD charges are minimal, but imagine if more people kept them on hold for 15 minutes how many less people they'd call in a day...