There is a part of a Federal Act (and I can't recall the exact one right now) that requires every telemarketer to maintain a "do not call" list. If they make two more calls after your request to be put on the "list" the telemarketer is subject to fines and a suit.
Now for my story. I was living in Boulder, Colorado and the local newspaper doggedly called once a week - so it seemed - to solicit a subscription from me. Now I was a bit edgy, trying to study for my comprehensive exams. No, make that very, very edgy. I finally asked the paper to place me on its do not call list and began to keep a contemporaneous diary of telemarketing calls. I did receive two more calls from the paper within a month or two and duly recorded the days and times.
I then went to the courthouse and filed a small claims suit for $500 against the paper for its violation of the Federal (Tele)Communications Act of 1990 (I think that's the one). I waited and waited with no response and the court date drew near. A few weeks before the date I received a letter from the paper's attornies offering to settle for $350. I accepted the amount but said that I must receive some sort of assurance that the paper's operations had been changed in such a way to fix the problem permanently. The paper fired the telemarketing firm, the calls stopped and I dont' get that many from other firms even today.
It feels good to win one once in awhile
