Comments on: Do not call

By: TigroSpottystripes Katsu

TigroSpottystripes Katsu — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:45:13 +0000

Does any of you got any experience with Google voice in regards to this topic?

By: Shockwave Plasma

Shockwave Plasma — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:42:45 +0000

We have the same law here here in the UK, and supposededly the fines are quite high, but it only covers UK companies, so then they started to use Indian call centres.

So I now have all my calls go to the answering machine.

I sometimes get recorded calls from the US, but these days the machine making the calls seems to know when it gets an answering and then it will then hang up.

But yes, as Chaddington said, routing your calls to a Asterisk or Freepbx server can stop or slow down these calls.

For example Asterisk can ask the caller to press phone keys eg 5-6-3-8 and that will put them through. Or it can reject all calls with no number being displayed.

By: Pocoloco Darwin

Pocoloco Darwin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:28:44 +0000

Hee hee, I hear ya Tateru — hmmmm, a company that stops calling when you ask them too, that would be a nice invention. I said that merely to demonstrate a logical conclusion. This is a Law that won’t render affect on those who don’t subscribe to it’s intended outcome.
I have cut the SPAM/UCE coming in to my home over telephones by actively screening for years, moving, and changing numbers a few times. As luck with have it shortly after the time I finally got a cell phone the rules in that industry got changed and phone #’s for cell’s were no longer by default unlisted. At least by default my cell service provider does still provide reverse ID service for incoming calls so I can actively screen incoming calls on it.
But I do attribute this lack in being a marketing target greatly to not volunteering my contact info to large aggregators such as these supposed “Do Not Call” lists. I have no doubt it took moments from implementation of such programs for some groups to decide to “qualify” for access to the list and wholesale copy it merely for the opportunity to sell valid numbers to other less reputable companies.

By: TigroSpottystripes Katsu

TigroSpottystripes Katsu — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:02:39 +0000

good luck there

By: Cyberkim

Cyberkim — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:56:30 +0000

Owww!!

(That’s the sound of your post, touching a raw nerve.)

By: Tateru Nino

Tateru Nino — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:07:12 +0000

PocoLoco: “those are the outfits that stop calling after the first time you tell them to not contact you again.”

I don’t think I’ve ever been called by one of those.

I’m assured that there are penalties – though I have not dug through the act to determine exactly what they are. I seem to recall hearing that they are somewhat softer than the general public expressed a preference for. But it’s nice to have a lawful option to unlawful behavior than to rely on a technological solution (like screening) for unlawful behavior.

However, the ACMA is apparently taking onboard concerns that the list may be misused and is surveying how many calls come in before listing compared to after. It seems difficult to think we might get more than we do. I’m tired of getting telemarketing calls as late as 3am.

By: Ritulia

Ritulia — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:49:14 +0000

I’m registered. Haven’t had any such calls for ages. Not that I had too many of them to begin with.
What also helps is using the old dial-up modem for internet all day. %)
If only there was a way for door-knocking, too…

By: chaddington boomhauer

chaddington boomhauer — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:29:45 +0000

We have this in Canada and it does not work at all. The marketers who use the list re-sold it. Something that does work quite nicely is using something like this http://www.trixbox.com/ or just about any VOIP service for your home phone, and to screen all unknown callers.

By: Peter Stindberg

Peter Stindberg — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:19:53 +0000

It’s called “Robinson List” in my country and doesn’t work either.

By: Gwyneth Llewelyn

Gwyneth Llewelyn — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:16:27 +0000

Gosh, I so wish this would be available world-wide. Australia leads the world

Aye, I understood that it might not be effective, but I can imagine that at least you’d have somewhere to complain, and get those pesky telemarketeers fined heavilly. Granted, some might think it’s still worthy to pay the fines and continue to pester people (like Microsoft did for years, paying their one-million-USD-day fines for not being compliant with a judicial order not to include IE with Windows, since it was better than losing browser market share )

By: PocoLoco Darwin

PocoLoco Darwin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:09:12 +0000

So what are the penalties for non-compliance? If there are any penalties.
Is there any meat to these penalties? How will these penalties enable
observable change in the activities of telemarketers AND, more important imo, the
activities of fraudulent marketers?
I’m in the US and we have similar Laws in place.
The one thing NOT to do is put yourself on a No-Call List.
All you accomplish is putting a name to number. The reality for
many, so I’m told, is that the volume of Unsolicited Calls to
Sell You Something will increase many times over. After all,
what you did is submit your name and a valid phone number
to a list that is readily available to those who would like to sell
you things over the phone.
Sure sure, legitimate sales outlets may use the list as intended.
But those are the outfits that stop calling after the first time you tell
them to not contact you again. The people you don’t want calling
are the very orgs that will be abusing this list.