Don’t you hate it when unwanted telemarketing messages invade your home? We get at least two or three a week. Funny, because I thought being on the official “Do Not Call” list would eliminate unwanted telemarketing calls.
The calls are even more annoying when they come prerecorded. They are also known as “robocalls.” As anyone who has heard it knows, I have been cursed or blessed with a naturally very soft-spoken voice that doesn’t usually get picked up clearly by answering machines or voice recognition systems unless I remember to actively project it. (I have this same problem talking on the phone or talking in a large group.)
While projecting has become almost second nature, when I am tired or stressed (such as at the end of the day or while preparing dinner and monitoring my kids and their friends), I can forget or not have enough energy to project. This leaves me shouting “hello” several times before I get that little prerecorded message telling me how I can save money on my car insurance or get a great new roof before winter sets in.
Why is it that I still get these calls when I registered our phone number with the “Do Not Call” list? It seems that there has always been a slight loophole in the law. Prerecorded sale pitches are allowed if we ever had a business relationship with a company. Sub or sister companies of that original company are also allowed to call. It is hard not to do some sort of business with multiple companies over the course of the year. We have to shop for groceries, we often need plumbing or other home repair work done, we go to the dentist or chiropractor, we get our hair cut, we buy appliances or other purchases from major department stores, etc. This is potentially hundreds of sales pitches to our home phone in a year, especially when you consider that past business relationships count as well.
Well, next year that will change when the Federal Trade Commission puts a stop to that with a new rule that requires that these businesses give consumers the option to opt out of the messages.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog and caring for little ones in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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