My phone rings at the most inconvenient times only to bother me with
an unsolicited and unwanted offer. I heard someplace that it is
possible to get listed in a government list prohibiting telemarketers
to call me. How do you get into this list and/or does anybady know
more about it?

Hello vaac-ga,

I believe your referring to the National Do Not Call List. Here is a
FAQ on what it covers.
https://www.donotcall.gov/FAQ/FAQConsumersNew.aspx
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a brief overview taken from their site:

"The National Do Not Call Registry gives you an opportunity to limit
the telemarketing calls you receive. If you registered by August 31,
2003, you should be receiving fewer telemarketing calls since October
1, 2003. If you registered after September 1, 2003, telemarketers
covered by the National Do Not Call Registry will have up to three
months from the date you register to stop calling you.

Who is covered by the National Do Not Call Registry?

The National Do Not Call Registry applies to any plan, program or
campaign to sell goods or services through interstate phone calls.
This includes telemarketers who solicit consumers, often on behalf of
third party sellers. It also includes sellers who provide, offer to
provide, or arrange to provide goods or services to consumers in
exchange for payment.

The National Do Not Call Registry does not limit calls by political
organizations, charities or telephone surveyors"

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is where you can put yourself on the Nat'l DNC list
https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx

There are also State Do Not Call lists
http://www.the-dma.org/government/donotcalllists.shtml

We put our house on the DNC List for both out state and national, and
we've had probably a 85% reduction in calls since it went into effect.

Google Search
Go Not Call List
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=do%20not%20call%20list&btnG=Google+Search


If this answer requires further explanation, please request
clarification before rating it, and I'll be happy to look into this
further.
Nenna-GA
Google Answers Researcher

---

Request for Answer Clarification by vaac-ga on 13 Oct 2004 19:10 PDT

When telemarketers will call in violation of this restriction and
refuse to leave name or phone number how can they be reported? If they
cannot be reported and punished what incentive do they have to refrain
from calling?

Are people responding to an ad or acquaintances calling me for
information they think I would like going to be be restricted?

How will telemarketers know that they are not supposed to call me?

---

Clarification of Answer by nenna-ga on 14 Oct 2004 08:33 PDT

Hello again Vaac,

For your first question, let's address the telemarketers information.

It says in the FAQ's of the website

Q:  	 What if I get a telemarketing call, but can't get the
telemarketer's name or phone number?

A: 	For law enforcement officials to take action on your complaint,
they need either the telemarketer's name or phone number, as well as
the date of the call. If you want to report a do not call violation,
please get that information.
https://www.donotcall.gov/FAQ/FAQConsumersNew.aspx#FilingComplaint

Most places tell you outright at the beginning of the call who they
are and where they are calling from...this is all you need to file a
complaint.

"Hi, I am Nenna with the XYZ Company, and I'm calling to talk to you about...."

Also, anyone you ask to call you is not in violation of the DNC, along
with other groups as well.
Please read this portion of the FAQ's, as it describes it in detail
https://www.donotcall.gov/FAQ/FAQConsumersNew.aspx#Exceptions


Nenna-GA

Thanks. Information provider and information in references cited answer my questions

This may help:

https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx

Say you need to call your boss/wife/mother and lay the phone down
quietly. Hang up 15 minutes later.

i know theres that one machine that can erase your number from their
telemarketing place, but im not sure if its true or not, because i get
those too.

Here in the UK, you can opt to be in the 'Telephone Preference' scheme
which cuts down the traffic.

It also shuts up a lot of callers if you mention the scheme.
Supposedly there is a huge fine.

I always ask THEM for their phone number ... But, of course, they never give it.

Some of these people simply dial at random, rather than from a list.

I also get A LOT of door knockers who, strangely, never want to sell
me anything! I usually pretend that I don't speak any English ...

I even get acosted in the street!

Yes, every pretty young woman stops me and ....

Ah, well that's another story.

Hi again Vaac,

Seems you and I share in similar dilemmas of percieved invasion of
privacy. Just clicked on this question, and saw it was you again,
after your question on Spam mail.

Telemarketers have tricks. Make sure you do also. You refer to a
service which I believe is only available in the States so far, not
sure. Point is, why should you have to make the effort to stop the
crap? You have choices .. 1/ Never answer the phone initially ..
canvass all calls by way of messages left. 2/ Disconnect your phone
and modem. Then again, why the hell should you.

Or .. have some fun. 1/ Tell them that you will call them back (as per
Probo's suggestion as for asking for their number). 2/ Agree to
everything they say, until they ask for your personal details. 3/ If a
charity .. "I have already allocated my charity funds for this
financial year" - this is a good one. 4/ Q? "What reason do you have
for not choosing to subscribe?" A: "Telemarketing".

The only problem with this is that we are talking with the poor bugger
trying to earn a wage. Our anger is vented more toward their employer.
I usually tell them to tell their employer so, not directed at the
individual.

If the telemarketer becomes beligerant, I generally suggest that they
get a real job.

In thought, Phil

The problem is that many survey companies don't use lists; their
computers randomly create phone numbers. In any case, getting on "the
list" will probably help, but not totally remedy the problem.

I used to work in the polling industry (bad memories there!), and the
very best way to get them to stop calling is to politely interrupt as
soon as you know who they are, and say "Please take me off your list."
By law, they must not call you again.

Kriswrite

Do what I did before the National Do Not Call Registry took place:

Download a WAV or other similar sound file from the Internet of that
doo-Doo-DOO "We're sorry, you're call cannot be completed as
dialed..."

Record the "doo-Doo-DOO" tones to the beginning of your voice mail or
anserwing machine's greeting.  The calls will drop off dramatically in
the first week.

When your voice mail or answering machine picks up, the "doo-Doo-DOO"
will trick the telemarketers' computers into thinking that your phone
line is disconnected.

Free and very effective.

They will hang up on you.

I like how sienfield handled it during an episode.

He received a call and said that he was busy but could he call them
back and ask for their name and home number... (They will probably
hang up on you at this point) BUT because this was a TV show the
person said NO and he said NO why not? Could it possibly be because
you don't want me to call you at your home?

just a comment.

Thanks
Steve

Hey Bschonec,

How does that go again? doo-Doo-DOO ?? How about beep-Beep-BEEP ?? or maybe 
"Do-wanna-be-bop .. you're my lady" .. much more polite !!
That's it !! .. on-hold hang-uppable music for home phones.

Maybe a solution is to present every caller with a menu of options
that goes on and on, as they do.

Then a message, 'Your call is important to us .... (Music) ... We do
know you are waiting ... (Music) ... All our agents are busy ...
(Music) ... Have you visited our website .... (Music) ... Did you know
that you can a now fly to Baghdad Free by just signing up for 10 years
with The Royal Iraqi Mounted Police ....'

Y'all are just sooo funny!!
:)

probonopublico: too much!! LOL!!

Sorry for the off-topic post, vaac. Good luck! I have the SAME
problem. I went to the donotcall site about a month ago. They say it
takes about 3 months to work.