Minimizing Marketers Contact

You can take several steps to reduce the amount of contact from telemarketers and junk mail you receive. The federal do-not-call list is perhaps the most widely known, but several other options are available, as well, such as avoiding getting on contact lists and requesting omission from those lists.

Don't Give-out Your Contact Information

Steps that can be taken to reduce the amount of contact, and the potential for fraud, involve avoiding the placement of contact information into lists companies use to contact consumers. For instance, many companies collect contact information, such as name, address, and telephone number, through forms submitted to win contests or surveys taken in malls. Some companies collect name and telephone information using Caller ID, a local telephone company service that provides that information when calls are received.

Register and Reregister on Do-Not-Call Lists

Most states maintain do-not-call lists, which prohibit certain entities from contacting, by telephone, subscribers to that list. The United States government also maintains a do-not-call list at www.donotcall.gov.

Registration on the federal list is essential to anyone who wishes to substantially reduce the number of sales calls they receive. To receive the full protection of the federal list, consumers must register on the federal list every five years, and they must reregister when their telephone numbers change. Because no reminder is sent to subscribers, consumers should either mark their re-registration dates on a calendar or should regularly check the website to ensure that there is no lapse in coverage. Additionally, savvy consumers should realize that not everyone is bound to honor the list, such as nonprofit, political, and survey organizations.

Do Not Authorize Sharing of Contact Information

Consumers often do not realize that companies frequently rent or sell their contact information, including their names, addresses, and telephone numbers, to other companies and organizations. Consumers should ask companies with whom they do business not to share their contact or personal information with other marketers. If this is not done, sharing of contact information can quickly mushroom, with the result that consumers receive far more junk mail and far more telephone calls than they wish to receive.

Once contact has been made, consumers can be proactive, as well. For instance, vigilant consumers may, upon receiving unordered catalogs, call to cancel the catalogs and ask to be removed from not only that company's contact list, but also any lists it rents or sells to other organizations. Similarly, consumers can use either answering machines or Caller ID to screen calls before answering the telephone, and they may always ask telemarketers not to call again, even if they had initially granted a particular company permission to call.

Script Your Replies

Finally, many consumers find it helpful to have an idea of what they would like to say when telemarketers do call. For instance, general questions about products, their prices, or delivery dates could be planned in advance. Also, consumers could keep logs next to the telephone on which to the date and time of calls received, along with callers' identities and companies. Using such a plan, consumers could feel more confident being firm, but polite, hanging up the telephone, when necessary, and making complaints, when warranted.

Enforcing Rights to Avoid Unwanted Contact

Violations of state do-not-call lists may be reported to state agencies, such as Attorney General offices, that guard consumer interests or to local law enforcement organizations. Violations of state do-not-call lists may be reported to these sources, and additionally, to the Federal Trade Commission.

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