Telemarketing Do Not Call List

I am sure that many people have experienced that annoying ring of the phone just as dinner is put on the table and when answered, you find out that it's not a call from your friend or family member, but from a person promoting a particular product or service - a telemarketer. Well, a number of telemarketing laws are expected to dramatically reduce those annoying telemarketing calls, and one of the most well-known is the so-called telemarketing Do Not Call List.

What is Telemarketing Do Not Call List?

The telemarketing Do Not Call List, also known as the National Do Not Call Registry, was actually developed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency. As noted, the law will be enforced by the FTC, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and state law enforcement officials.

Basically, the telemarketing Do Not Call List was created to offer consumers a choice regarding the telemarketing calls. It then gives you a chance to limit or reduce the telemarketing calls you receive. You are allowed to register your home and personal phone numbers if you choose, and this means that the number of telemarketing calls you receive will be reduced by 80 percent.

Ways to Register

There are basically two ways to register to the FTC's Telemarketing Do Not Call List. First, you can sign up for the registry through the FTC's toll-free phone numbers, which is (888) 382-1222 (TTY: (886) 290-4236). And, the other way is to sign up online with the online registration that is made available by the Federal Trade Commission website itself, the www.donotcall.gov.

Telemarketing Do Not Call List Exemptions

There are certain exemptions from the telemarketing do not call list or registry. One of those is the solicitation calls. Just note that not all solicitation calls are covered by the registry. What is covered actually depends on the type of call that is being made. However, although you have registered your phone numbers to the telemarketing do not call list, you can still be contacted by charities, survey researchers, political campaigns, companies with which you have a business relationship, as well as by the companies to which you have given written consent to remain on their calling list.

Company-Specific Do Not Call Lists

On the most basic, there are actually two Do Not Call Lists: the National Registry and a company's internal do not call list. In terms of the latter, it is important to note that most of the telemarketers are still required to maintain their own company-specific do not call list. This remains true even to those that are exempt from the Do Not Call Registry. Thus, if you are called by a company that is exempted from the National Registry, you have the option to ask to be placed on the company's in-house do not call list. Everyone can take advantage of this in-house strategy, even those who do not subscribe to the National Registry.

So, if you ask a particular company with which you have an existing business relationship to put you on their company-specific do not call list, that company can no longer contact you. This applies even if you continue doing business with them. And, it is worth noting that the Federal and state laws give you the right to take legal action against telemarketers who do not add your number to their internal telemarketing do not call lists and who call you back within a year of requesting to be placed on that list.