So the Australian Do Not Call register launched yesterday (only for the web site to fall over under the demand).
It sounds good in theory. But I’m pondering if I (with a silent line that virtually nobody ever calls except people I know) should bother joining. Apart from the fact that the registration expires after three years (yeah in three years I’d really change my mind and want to be bothered by continual callers), you can call me paranoid, but I was wondering if registering would in any way expose my phone number to the rather long list of organisations exempt from the register.
That long list is the real beef with how it’s been set up:
- charities or charitable institutions
- educational institutions
- religious organisations
- government bodies
- registered political parties
- independent members of parliament
- political candidates.
Can market researchers still call?
Yes. Market and social researchers will still be permitted to call when conducting opinion polling and standard questionnaire-based research. However, these calls are subject to the industry standard for telemarketing and research calls.
What a list! I don’t want to be called by any of these jokers. Market researchers exempt? You’re kidding me? They’re some of the worst! Political candidates? That means more John Howard recorded messages, doesn’t it.
Basically, I don’t want anybody to call my home number except family members and the personal friends of the people who live here. It shouldn’t be too much to ask. In general I keep that number absolutely secret. Business and other contacts only get the mobile number, giving me more control over when it’s on and when it gets answered.
Alas, last week when giving blood I slipped-up by providing my home number when asked to those nice people at Red Cross. I know they’ll probably use it to remind me to give blood next time. Whoops. Should have stuck to my “ring me on the mobile” policy. Oh well.
7 replies on “Do Not Call!”
I have the opposite problem of WANTING people to ring my home number, but NO-ONE other than the kids’ schools has my mobile number (to contact me immediately if one of them is sick and needs to be picked up).
But I (accidently?) gave Medibank Private my mobile number and, despite howls of protest, they keep ringing my mobile to bloody market their extras and other products (we only have hospital cover)
Sorry for the rant, but “I feel better now”.
Roger
I also have a silent number, and virtually never get any telemarketing calls, well worth the money if you ask me. The only time I do get calls is from organisations I have a relationship with eg banks etc. Even then I ask them to remove me from all marketing lists.
And who bothers me with calls? Charities, religous orgs and the worst, market researchers. Not much help to us at all.
charities or charitable institutions have forced me to stop answering my phone – everything is now screened. I wish I had the guts to tell them to rack off, but I always end up feeling sorry for them.
What idiot created this exemption list?
Plagued by a spate of scratchy, delayed calls from far flung destinations we started to employ the tactic of not replyin once you have worked out it is a telemarketer, puting the phone down on the bench and continuing with whatever you were doing. It works a treat..
I signed up, but then I thought about it and realised the calls I get that I don’t want are from companies on the ‘exempt’ list…oh well back to hanging up on people!!!
Whats the point of having a list when some companies use the old “start with the area code and work your way through it” system ,ie 8341 0000, 8341 0001, 8341 0002.
I know this cos I used to work for a telemarketing company (holds head whilst being pelted)