FTC Hangs Up on Telemarketers With New Ruling (finally a good ruling!)

[Robbien]

The Federal Trade Commission effectively slammed the phone down on the U.S. telemarketing industry earlier this month, rejecting a request to allow pre- recorded calls to consumers without their expressed consent.

Acting on a 2004 petition filed by Voice Message Broadcasting Corp. of Costa Mesa, California, the FTC decided it wouldn't allow companies to use taped calls, even if they claimed a ``prior business relationship'' with the consumer. The only way around the ruling, the agency proposed, would be if the customer consented in writing that he was willing to accept such calls.

``This adds protection for consumers so they don't have to deal with pre-recorded messages'' said Allen Hile, assistant director of the FTC's division of marketing practices.

The decision followed an outpouring of 13,600 comments --all but 600 in opposition to the request. Many pleaded with regulators not to create a loophole in the National Do Not Call Registry, which allows consumers to limit the telemarketing calls they receive and contains some 130 million numbers.

. . .

The FTC will begin enforcing the rule Jan 2. It will supersede an existing rule by the Federal Communications Commission that allows pre-recorded calls to existing customers.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aaxE7G_pxqRU&refer=home

[Union Thug]

1. Man, if I could find a way to send a bullet through a telephone line!!!!

[TheMadMonk]

2. Ever played the telemarketer game?

http://www.nutricraze.com/health_talk/the-telemarketer-game-to-998.html

Id suggest doubling bonus points (where applicable) if you can get a supervisor to do any of those things and double again for a manager.

And an extra 250(500(1000)) if you can get your interlocuteur to swear at you.

[JohnnyRingo]

3. The FTC has been sending a message to the telemarketer network for years:

"Hire the big-buck lobbiests"

In a government for sale, I suspect that they simply haven't been paying their dues to the institution.
Maybe I'm a cynic, but I've yet to see this adminstration do anything "for the sake of the people".

[Raine]

4. Good I can't stand telemarketers

now if people could just learn how to place a phone call instead of calling the wrong number than when you answer slamming the receiver on your ear...life would be good.:D

[Vidar]

5. Now let's apply the same to junk mail & spam.

[no_hypocrisy]

6. 1-800-DO NOT CALL means just that. No exceptions. n/t

[Retrograde]

7. yeah, right

tell that to the so-called charities and other non-profits who call me regularly. Some stretch "non-profit" so far you can see a telemarketer's heart through it.

[sybylla]

8. There are exceptions

Charities & political organizations are exempt from telemarketing laws. Always have been. Probably always will be.

But I'll take a charity asking for money any day over a fraudulent call trying to sell me a trip to Disneyland.

[JerseygirlCT]

10. And charities have a vested interest in not pissing potential

donors off. So ask to be taken off the call list, and most likely you will be. They don't have the money to waste on calls that won't return anything -- and may even hurt other fundraising efforts.

[patcox2]

9. Y'all powerless slaves to your telephone?

I can't understand this rage and hatred over telemarketing calls. just don't answer. duh.

[RaRa]

11. How about just wanting some peace and quiet?

My phone rings constantly even though I am on the do not call list. I have 3 young children and sometimes that damn phone wakes them up. Or, I have to run to catch the phone, only to have it be one of these. I have enough wanted calls to warrant my bothering to check who's calling that it really pisses me off to have these strangers invading my home (yes, that's how it feels to me when I get a call at 9:30 at night or to have them hang up on me automatically.) Plus, I have a spanish last name, and often they have the nerve to immediately speak Spanish to me. No one in my household speaks Spanish, but I speak German and consequently reply in German to them. Shuts them up fast. Ok, I'm done with my rant now. thank you..

[Cozumel]

12. coincidentally..

it's 12:30am, and wouldn't ya know I just GOT A DAMNED TELEMARKETING CALL!!! and it was a damned recorded message at that. wtf!?!!?!?! i want to set up a telemarketing company that calls telemarketers.