Do Not Call List Inching Closer to Permanence

Wed Oct 31, 2007 4:08PM EDT

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Last month I reported about a legislative action involving making permanent the Do Not Call list, which millions signed up for during its 2003 launch... and which are now set to expire in 2008. The good news just got a bit better: The Bill introduced in September to make the Do Not Call registry a permanent registry has passed both House and Senate committee sessions, which would eliminate the five-year expiry after which registered numbers are dropped from the list.

The lone governmental holdout against making Do Not Call entries permanent has been the FTC, which has previously said that expiration dates were needed to account for people who change phone numbers or move. However, critics of that policy have rightly argued that disconnected and reassigned numbers are automatically purged from the list once a month. The "permanent" DNC list would up that pace to twice a month.

Even more good news: While the bill is working its way through Congress, the FTC has reversed itself by announcing that it will not purge expiring registrations until the matter is sorted out in Congress (and hopefully signed by the President). So, no need to rush out and re-register your phone numbers on the list now. With any luck you'll never have to register them again.

Still need to register? Visit donotcall.gov to get on the list.  

LINK: Bill Makes Do Not Call Listings Forever 

Comments on Do Not Call List Inching Closer to Permanence

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  • 66 Posted by joanne248@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    How about a DO NOT EMAIL list. I get bulk emails every day for drugs and sex enhancement products. These people are disgusting. Spamming does no good either.

  • 67 Posted by footballbob@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:01PM EDT Report Abuse

    It is great that the government is doing something constructive for the people it represents instead of siding with big business. Now, if only the President will side with his constituents.

  • 68 Posted by abrickhouse1@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    I suggest everyone check to see if they are still on the "no call" list. I was one of the first to get on the list and last week, I checked and found my number was no longer on the list. What Gives??

  • 69 Posted by intermountain@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:24PM EDT Report Abuse

    FYI No I am not a robot it took me two years to get my license and my profession is insurance. I am an intellegent individual I help the elderly understand medicare because it is a confusing maze of options. My business is very reputable I worked hard to get where I am and now I have the government telling me I can't call people? I help people that's what I do. That is my profession how I go about helping people understand their current issues and needs. So the question is now how do I reach the people that need my help???(You would be surprised at how many people actually do have coverage they don't need and don't have coverage they do need.)

  • 70 Posted by winjoywin7@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    we are bombarded daily with these calls in our plumbing bus.too soon is not soon enough The Robys

  • 71 Posted by veban777@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:32PM EDT Report Abuse

    it's really too bad that it has come to this. What about the people who make an honest living by calling people offering them viable and useful services. I know that they are not few and far in between.

  • 72 Posted by fetegler@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    Hurray for the D.N.C. list. Unfortunately, my experience is that some savvy telemarketer has discovered a way around this rule. Recently, my voicemail and Caller ID are showing calls from 415-000-0000. When I try to report these invasions to my privacy, I (understandably) get an error message about an incorrect phone number.

  • 73 Posted by veban777@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:32PM EDT Report Abuse

    telemarketing is harder than any other 8-5 real job as you call it. try it sometimes. you could nopt stomach it. i know. and yes i sympathize with the telemarketers that are honest, hardworking and ethical. there are some out there.

  • 74 Posted by ningerbil2000 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:39PM EDT Report Abuse

    This is excellent news. It's almost as good as a permenant ban on telemarketing, period. Telemarketing has outlived its usefulness by at least 30 years. As someone who did that once as a summer job (worst job ever), I fail to see how companies can even make money this way. The ill will generated by these aggravating calls has got to outweight any modest benefit, especially when you count the high turnover in staff and the high amount of sales that ultimately are not counted for whatever reason.

  • 75 Posted by psheehan26@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:20PM EDT Report Abuse

    We need to do something about the "survey" companies who aren't legit -- they begin to sell after a few bogus survey questions. Kantar Ops ring a bell with anyone?

  • 76 Posted by dranft@verizon.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    I agree - what needs to be added is removing the exemption our always sleazy politicians gave themselves. We need to be able to add them to our do not call list.

  • 77 Posted by glycoblessings on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:10PM EDT Report Abuse

    Honestly, I do not know what this do not call registry can actually do. I have all my numbers registered but I am still getting calls to the point that I do not want to answer my phones anymore. It seems to have increased the number of calls after the registration. I have in occasion asked the party that called to delist me from their call list. But the calls have not slowed down. Any suggestions please?

  • 78 Posted by don.potter@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    I live in Los Angeles and have been on the DNC list from the beginning. However, I get daily calls, mostly from overseas operators about refinancing my mortgage. Of course, I would never do business with any company that violates my request not to call, how dumb are these people anyway? Plus, I get calls from local contractors, carpet cleaners and the like on a regular basis. They don't seem to understand or care that they're breaking the law. Once we finish getting this effort into law, maybe it's time to look at more ways to tighten the current restrictions.

  • 79 Posted by snowflakehenri on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:30PM EDT Report Abuse

    You should have listed the Do Not Call phone number for those who need to use it.

  • 80 Posted by dlmitchell3@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:45PM EDT Report Abuse

    Look, I use to be a telemarketer too and I hated it because I was selling a product that I wouldnt even buy myself. I just had to pay the bills. It is out of control now, telemarketers and "charities" are calling too much. I agree with the person who said be a customer service agent. If you can telemarket, you can definitely do customer service. It would be nice to not have to wait an hour on the line to get help with something. I really hope they ban telemarketing permanantly. I shouldnt have to make 15 changes to my phone line or turn it off just to avoid these stupid calls. I cant believe that telemarketing has lasted as long as it did all these years...there are actually people out there that buy stuff over the phone??

  • 82 Posted by actiont@pacbell.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:45PM EDT Report Abuse

    Telemarketers have already diversified and go after us online with SPAM - as well as via other media. That's arguably an invasion of our privacy, however, calling us at home without our express permission is unarguably (unless you're a Telemarketer) a REAL invasion of our privacy, and only recently has that been legally actionable. Telemarketers will continue to mutate and will just shift their tactics and bombard us via some (any) other media in order to try and separate us from our dollars. That's pretty much a given, however, they absolutely had no right to our personal telephone numbers in the first place, and certainly had no right to call us in the supposed privacy of our homes. Sadly, they obtained our telephone numbers from companies we elected to do business with - and those companies quite literally sold us out. They collected money for selling our telephone numbers - as well as personal information about us, our finances, our buying habits etc. Because of THAT violation of confidence, we all became targets for the Telemarketers. If you want to know who sold us out in the first place, you can take a clue from the companies who now inundate us with so many "Privacy Policy" notices from their companies. Usually we have/had some kind of business relationship with their companies, and they are the ones who had access to the type of information Telemarketers were drooling over. So, the next time you receive a printed Privacy Notice in the mail, just think - it's highly likely that (in the past), they were the ones who sold us out to begin with. Now they're legally covering their asse(t)s by sending out those Privacy Policy notices. To me, the single most valuable thing to come out of this proposed law is this: The Telemarketers (both the legit and illegitimate ones) will no longer find it so easy to prey on the elderly and in some cases, to bilk them out of their life savings. THAT's where the real protection was needed and that is the group who will most benefit by this proposed law. For this, I am grateful. Our current crop of elderly survived, in part, by believing in and by relying on their fellow man. That's how they were able to survive The Great Depression, and that's how they were able to survive more than one World War. That's how they survived rationed food, gasoline and other essentials that most of us have never known a short supply of. Their word was their bond and they survived by pulling together and helping each other through - and that especially included strangers. That's what has made the elderly such easy prey for the Telepredators. This proposed law would slam that door shut for the Telepredators, and they will be forced to find new ways to steal money, but no longer will the elderly be such easy pickings for these scum. No longer will the Telepredators be able to con the elderly out of their life savings, their homes and their chance to live out the twilight of their years in relative comfort. That's the greatest benefit of this proposed law. For us, the Telemarketers are basically an annoyance and at times an inconvenience. For the elderly, they are the predators. That's far worse. Chalk one up for the good guys.

  • 83 Posted by mg78660 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:17PM EDT Report Abuse

    This is great now how do you get the ones that you file against everyday to stop actually calling.....

  • 84 Posted by calee02@snet.net on Fri Nov 2, 2007 3:32PM EDT Report Abuse

    I am on both the Federal DNC list and the CT State DNC list. I get ZERO calls. It's kind of boring now. I used to see how long I could get them to stay on the phone. They wasted my time, I did my best to waste theirs. Another fun thing was to ask them questions... "When you were growing up, did you say "I want to be a TELEMARKETER when I grow up", "When you go to a party, do you tell people what you do for a living, or do you lie?" Tough job? Then QUIT. Angry that people you call are rude? Don't complain about rudeness... calling me cold is ruder.

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