Just got an oh-so-helpful insert with my first BellSouth bill. Among other things, they mention that “Under Federal law, you can tell a telemarketer not to call again. If you want to exercise that right, be specific — don’t just say that you’re not interested.” This is the first time I have read anything from any telephone company admitting that I have any rights at all against telemarketers. (And it’s true; check out Junkbusters for all the details, including a script to use when telemarketers call.)
What is particularly ironic is that, the first time I exercised these rights, it was against BellSouth themselves. I had signed up for an unlisted phone number. In response, BellSouth immediately sold my name and unlisted phone number to a telemarketing firm, who repeatedly called me (5 times in 3 days) to try to sell me BellSouth’s new deluxe “privacy manager” program. In this program, anyone who calls you is required to identify themselves before your phone ever rings; then your phone rings, and you hear their recorded name, and can decide whether to take the call. This program has 3 problems:
On the fifth time, I happened to be at my computer, and looked up the Junkbusters Anti-Telemarketing Script while he was chattering. By the time I’d started, he’d given his entire speech, and was quite shocked to hear that I did not, in fact, wish to pay $20 a month for a completely useless service when I had the right under Federal law to make them stop for free.
The next day I got another telemarketing call from TimeWarner, and used the same script on them.
That was a month ago. I haven’t gotten a single telemarketing call since.
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