Do Not Call Loop Holes

You can register online at www.donotcall.gov. Along with your phone number, you'll need to provide an email address. You complete the registration by clicking on a link in the e-mail confirmation message that you receive.

Or you can register by calling the toll-free number 1-888-382-1222. If you register via the toll-free number, you can only list the number of the phone that you are calling from.

Last September, telemarketers were required to scrub their call lists against the National Do Not Call Registry every three months. On October 1, the FTC and the States will begin enforcing the National Do Not Call Registry Telemarketing Rule. Violators are subject to a fine of up to $11,000 per incident.

If your number has been in the registry for at least three months and you receive a call from a telemarketer, you can file a complaint online. To file a complaint, you must know either the name or telephone number of the company that called you, and the date they called you.

There are several giant loop holes in the National Do Not Call Telemarketing Rule. You can still receive calls from political organizations, charities, companies that you have done business with, and telephone surveyors.

Any moron can change a sales script into a "survey". The only real way to avoid annoying telemarketers is to get an answering machine. Don't worry, if the state lottery commission calls to inform you that you‘ve won, they'll leave a message.

If an annoying telemarketer leaves a message on my answering machine, I hope he can find a place to buy ice water in hell while waiting for me to return the call.

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