Just Say “No” To Telemarketers

Many of us still have a traditional land line telephone in our homes.  I don’t know about you, but every time I pay the monthly bill, I ask myself why I am keeping this service.  More and more of our friends and relatives use our mobile numbers or send a text or even email.   There is no doubt in my mind that 75% or more of the calls that come in on the land line are unwanted solicitations for money, votes or windows.

Dinner time at our house is often punctuated with several calls from telemarketers.  Yes, I have placed our names on the “do not call” list, but that seems to have had little impact on the volume of calls.  In recent months the telemarketers have branched out to the cellular networks.

Perhaps there is hope for a peace in our castles.  Last week federal regulators made it more difficult for telemarketers to interrupt our family dinners or jam our mobile phone with unwanted calls or text messages. The FCC in a 3-2 vote passed new rules that will give consumers more ways to opt out or even block unwanted messages and prerecorded, automated robocalls.

These new rules enable consumers to put a stop to unwanted messages simply by telling companies not to call again. They also allow phone companies to offer blocking of robocalls. It is too early to know if this service will be offered by Cincinnati Bell.

Twenty-four years ago Congress passed the Telephone Protection Act, which was supposed to protect us from these unwanted telephone calls. Nevertheless thousands of consumers still complain they are receive unwanted and annoying messages.  The fact is that while we have been able to sign up for a "Do Not Call List" for more than a decade, the calls continue.

So the next time you get an unwanted telemarketing call tell the caller that you do not want to be called again.  According to the new rules, this notification is all you need to do.  Time will tell if these new rules are more effective than the previous ones.  I am hopeful but cautious.