An end to robocalls! ...except for the ones that everyone gets.

[Trieste]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/28/robocall.ban/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Starting Tuesday, many "robocalls" from telemarketers will be illegal.

Businesses that try to push products on consumers with automated and unsolicited calls will face fines of up to $16,000 per call, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

"American consumers have made it crystal clear that few things annoy them more than the billions of commercial telemarketing robocalls they receive every year," FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said in a news release.

Calls from politicians, public service announcements and "informational" calls will be exempt from the new rule. A call alerting a traveler that his or her flight has been delayed would still be allowed, for example.

Banks, telephone carriers and most charitable organizations are also excluded from the ban, the FTC says.

The FTC asks people to report questionable robocalls by visiting its complaint Web site or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP.

"If consumers think they're being harassed by robocallers, they need to let us know, and we will go after them," Leibowitz said.

The ban on many pre-recorded calls was approved by the FTC in August of 2008 and is the last of a series of amendments to go into effect, said Lois Greisman, the FTC's associate director of marketing practices.

She said the ban applies only to pre-recorded calls and encouraged consumers to sign up for the federal "do not call" registry for additional protections.

Robocalls to mobile phones already are illegal, she said.

People still will be able to receive telemarketer calls if they give companies written permission to contact them.

Nate Anderson, a blogger at Ars Technica, a technology site, cheered the amendments but said many calls are illegal even without the new amendments.

"Most of the robocalls received by people in the office here are already illegal to do begin with -- pitches for time shares and bogus car warranties top the list of such calls," he wrote.

Give me a break. I don't want robocalls from politicians, non-profits, or my phone company either!  >:(

[Revolverman]

When I get my own place I'm not even going to bother with a phone. My parents currently get 5 telemarketer calls an hour.

[Oniya]

If they could only make it a requirement that all callers provide valid Caller ID information, I'd call it a win.  As it is, I don't answer anything that comes up 'Unknown Caller' or '[State] Call' unless I've vetted the number by Googling it.

[Ket]

Yeah, but not everyone has caller ID. 

I dislike robocalls from anyone.  Telemarketer, politician, pizza place, wwe wrestler (yes I've received them from a local pizza place and a wwe wrestler...I guess you could technically file them as telemarketers since they were trying to sell something. Anyways.)

Any charity who calls me, sends me crap in the mail, etc. is told that I will communicate with them when I so choose. I return all those address labels and crap.  If they weren't shelling out thousands of dollars for that, maybe they wouldn't need so many donations. 

[Trieste]

I get so much junk mail from the lady who lived here before. The postal workers won't take it back if I put "return to sender" on the front because they put "or current resident" on their address labels.

I'm like, so I have to deal with this bullshit? Seriously, I have to have my mailbox literally stuffed FULL every other day because they send crap and I can do nothing about it? It's ridiculous.

[Vekseid]

If they have prepaid return envelopes, drop a rock in it, make sure it weighs more than an ounce, and mail it off >_>

[Trieste]

I freaking love you. They're mosly catalogues, but I think most catalogues have enveloped in the middle..

[Oniya]

One ounce is roughly a tablespoon of flour, or 30 paperclips.  But the flour is more likely to make them panic ;)

[Caeli]

One ounce is roughly a tablespoon of flour, or 30 paperclips.  But the flour is more likely to make them panic ;)

Would you get in trouble for sending something that looks dangerous? O.o; That would be the only thing I'd be concerned about.

* Caeli has considered packing envelopes with other things before. Like bugs.

[Oniya]

Hmm.  Might want to stick with the paperclips - or a handful of those 'extra parts' that always seem to accompany repair jobs.

[Caeli]

Hmm.  Might want to stick with the paperclips - or a handful of those 'extra parts' that always seem to accompany repair jobs.

Or maybe send back junk mail? :P

[Oniya]

Hey, two birds with one stone!  Gets rid of the junk mail, and makes them pay extra shipping.  ;D

[RubySlippers]

I found out a local telemarketing compnaies bosses, and put them all on the lists for various fruitcake religious groups including the Jehovahs Witnesses, Mormons and Scientologists. Using a computer at the library where I don't have to sign up. :)

Revenge.

I'm a telemarketer myself but take inbound calls for customers who know they are talking over supplemetanl health coverage at least its honest. THIS company I said to remove my name several times and well had to respond.

>:)

[HairyHeretic]

Send the mail from one group to another group using their return envelopes.

You get rid of the junk and it gives them something new to read :)

[Ket]

But in all seriousness, if they have a prepaid envelope, cut out the part with your address on the back of the catalog, write DO NOT SEND/RENT in big letters and mail it back to them.  They are required to take your name off both lists if you do that.


Though, an envelope full of gravel does sound fun.

[Trieste]

What's the /RENT for?

[HairyHeretic]

Presumably selling / renting / trading your contact details to other advertisers.

[Bayushi]

When I get my own place I'm not even going to bother with a phone. My parents currently get 5 telemarketer calls an hour.

Just get a cell phone.

When I was using a cell, I never had telemarketing. Now that I'm at a place with a home phone, we get six-eight telemarketing calls an hour between 9am and 8pm. It's patently absurd.

Also, get on the national Do Not Call registry. If you receive calls after that, then you have grounds to make complaints.

[Callie Del Noire]

Just get a cell phone.

When I was using a cell, I never had telemarketing. Now that I'm at a place with a home phone, we get six-eight telemarketing calls an hour between 9am and 8pm. It's patently absurd.

Also, get on the national Do Not Call registry. If you receive calls after that, then you have grounds to make complaints.

Within constraints..charities and politicians can still do calls but it does RADICALLY drop them.

[Oniya]

Being on the Do Not Call registry works for those that follow the law.  Despite being on the DNC list, I was still getting calls from a company called 'Card Services' that told me that 'because I had a credit rating, they were allowed to call me'.  This company also spoofed their Caller ID information, so I couldn't report them to the FTC.

[Moon and Star]

Hell I still get this stuff about "a great offer for my credit card account." -.- I don't own a credit card... and I've asked them to removed from their calling list/dialing computer whatever, three times now.

[Oniya]

I would so milk that one in that situation.  I'd start by asking them which credit card it was, then ask them how high they could set my limit.  I'd end the call by asking if they could beat my current interest rate (which would be 0%, in perpetuity, since the credit card they were competing with doesn't even exist.)

[The Overlord]

I get so much junk mail from the lady who lived here before. The postal workers won't take it back if I put "return to sender" on the front because they put "or current resident" on their address labels.

Magic marker out your address and then collect it all up marked "return to sender" and drop it in a mailbox somewhere. If the postal service doesn't want to take a stand on it, shove it up their ass.

[September]

There is an excellent "cold call counterscript" for getting rid of human telemarketers.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~egbg/counterscript.html

[Oniya]

That's beautiful.  I might have to use that if I ever get another NRA call.