Infinitely OT - "Do not call" list

This is not a new ploy - I made my DH promise not to buy raffle tickets since each time he did, our phone service was changed! This is called getting "slammed". My mamma always said "there's no such thing as a free lunch" and "if it seems too good to be true, it probably is". Thanks for sharing the tip, I have signed up for this list! I'm now waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I don't consider this Off Topic at all. Anything that takes me away from doing what I love to do is something that I need to know about. But what really made me angry about that promotion (I got one too) is the front of the card says "Receive a complimentary case!" Now for a CASE of Pepsi, I would be willing to check my caller id before answering for awhile. But on the back it said a 12-pack. Must be some kind of New Math.

Cindy - a 12 pack does not a case make.

What you don't know about the "do not call" list.

Any company who has solicited you within 18 months of you signing up - is exempt.

All non-profits - diabetes foundations, heart foundations, companies calling for police, firemen and vets - are exempt.

Any company who sent you flyer in the mail before you signed up - is exempt.

Any company from whom you bought something wherein you gave address or other personal information (like delivery for furniture or appliances) - is exempt.

Exactly WHO does the "do not call" list screen?

Nobody.

That said - I signed up for it anyway, hoping it will stop the calls.

I figure they'll stop in about 5 years - right when I have to renew - since I get garbage in the mail all the time, I've been solicited by timeshares, insurance, vacation plans, phone companies, mortgage companies, every major credit card company, and so on in the last 18 months, via phone or mail and sometimes, spam.

Each time one calls - you simply ask to be put on the do not call list. Eventually - it may work.

Barring that - get a cell-phone only - although the companies are pressuring to get cell phone telemarketing instituted, it still isn't law, from what I understand - mostly because consumers would get mighty angry if they had to PAY cell phone minutes for telemarketing.

However, with the new flat fee plans some cells have - it may be what pushes the law through.

Merry Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once

I finally gave in and now pay Qworst to put a message on my phone that says "this home does not accept solicitations. If you are a solicitor, hang up now and do not call again." We get a few calls, but this has helped a lot.

When I do get a call, I politely ask to be taken off their list IMMEDIATELY. If they tell me that it takes 6 weeks or if they call again, I politely inform them that I will call the police if they call me. If they call me yet again, I file a police report. I actually do. That's what I had to do to get the Denver Post to quit calling me 3-4 times a week. I explain to the police that this is harrassment, since the company had been asked repeatedly not to call, and insist on filing a report. The police can't actually do anything, but the fact that I've called them has been effective in getting people not to call.

-- Teresa in Colorado snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net

In article , MerryStahel writes

I am pleased to tell you that "Do not Call" works better in the UK, unlike many things.

Once you are on it, that it is.

Since we went on it, we never receive calls from any company or charity with which we do not regularly have real dealings.

The "Do not fax" works, too, at least for us. One reason is that we have an 870 number for faxes and people have to pay national rates rather than local rates to send a fax.

Even though these types of organizations are exempt from the do not call list, that doesn't mean you can't stop them. When they call, tell them do put you on their do not call list. They have to comply with the request.

Debra

I, too, have signed up and it really cut down the calls to about 1or 2 a month. The thing that really bugs me about this is that Congress managed to exempt political calls from this list. Do they actually think they are charity? I love caller ID and use it all the time.

What they will tell you is that companies have many advertising contracts - just because you go on the do-not-call list for one ad company, you may still get calls for the other ones.

My kids would be in a lot of trouble with me and with the authorities if they just started going through the phone numbers from 000-000-0000 through

Caller id is not sufficient at times. I still have relatives that come through as unavailable - so I don't have the luxury of ignoring these calls.

-- Teresa in Colorado snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net

Marie, is the UK working on a "Do not e-mail"?

Actually, I believe this exemption only applies if the organizations are doing their own calling. If they farm it out to a fundraising firm, the firm has to abide by the list.

Nurse Ratched (remove "cuckoo" from address to reply) We'll all get back to normal if we put our nation first, But the trouble with "normal" is, it always gets worse. ~Bruce Cockburn

No, they're political speech, which is what the Founding Fathers really intended to protect with the First Amendment.

Nurse Ratched (remove "cuckoo" from address to reply) We'll all get back to normal if we put our nation first, But the trouble with "normal" is, it always gets worse. ~Bruce Cockburn

Hi Nurse, I realize that these parties need to raise money, however the 2 main parties raise millions of big dollars and that is who they cowtow (sic) to. There are so many scams out there that I have made a policy of NOT donating to anything on the phone. If you want my money then you better send me something in writing. In Texas last year the big scam was collecting money for sheriff dept charities and after Sept 11 all the calls for donations to Firefighters etc. Do your research and don't be fooled. Americans are generous people by nature and that makes us easy prey if we are not careful. Stepping off my soapbox. Nana

Me, too. "I do not spend money in response to telephone calls" is what I say on the rare occasion when someone actually calls. (Florida has had a no-call list for almost ten years, and I've been on it almost the entire time.)

Nurse Ratched (remove "cuckoo" from address to reply) We'll all get back to normal if we put our nation first, But the trouble with "normal" is, it always gets worse. ~Bruce Cockburn

In article , Nurse Ratched writes

Do you know, I have never received a political phone call? I think they exist in the UK but they must be rare.

I have - but only once! I told them that I would never vote for a party that didn't have the courage to face the electorate face to face!

PA's do not call list went into a year ago. The telmarketers had 3 months to get your name off their list--but it's been a rousing success, in my book. I don't get sales calls any more, ever, and I don't miss them in the least.

I got a flyer from an organization that I have major disagreements with philosophically, asking me for money. I called them and told them that I actually supported their opposition, and I wanted off their list. NOW. I never heard from them again.

Dianne