I am a dispatcher here in Gilroy and I work the phones nine
hours a day. On average, I receive at least five calls a day that
ask me to
”
please hold for an important message
”
Dear telemarketers: STOP!
I am a dispatcher here in Gilroy and I work the phones nine hours a day. On average, I receive at least five calls a day that ask me to “please hold for an important message” or “Hey … did you know that you can now blah blah blah.” I really don’t know what they say because the very second that I can tell it is a recorded message, I hang up.
What gives? I thought there was a bill passed years ago that required phone solicitations to be handled only by a live person. I understood that this bill/law would prevent persons from being assaulted by these recorded, “please stay on the line” type messages.
I have my personal phones on the “do not call list,” and have recently had my home phone turned off. Many of my friends and family have made the same decision, as we have all become cell phone owners.
I finally realized that the only calls I was getting at home were usually phone solicitations and annoying recorded messages, and the whole time, I was paying the phone company for their access to me.
Can you shed some light on the current phone solicitation rules and who to contact when companies blatantly ignore them?
Red Phone:
Dear Caller, telemarketers have become the plague of modern civilization. We feel your pain. Laws governing what marketing types can do vary from state to state. You can go to the California Department of Consumer Affairs, www.dca.ca.gov/r–r/telemarket.htm, to learn what your rights are. But Red Phone drilled down a little deeper on the site and found this nifty piece of advice:
You can get your name removed from many telemarketing lists through a free service offered by the Federal Trade Commission. Simply register at the Commission’s Web site, www.donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222 from the number you wish to add to the Do Not Call database. For you, dear caller, the next paragraph should be of particular interest:
“Once you have been on the Do Not Call list for three months, if you receive calls from a telemarketer that you believe is covered by the National Do Not Call Registry, you can file a complaint online at www.donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222. (You must know the name or phone number of the company that called you.)
Please (don’t) advise
The Red Phone advice to the woman who had the truck (with debris) parked out in front of her house was bad advice. You cannot approach people – they get defensive and vindictive. I complained to my neighbor about his barking dog and he vandalized my house. The comment about “Nancy Grace” was uncalled for. You should get a better counselor.
Red Phone:
Dear caller, what? Red Phone’s match-book degree in basket weaving from Baby Doc College doesn’t qualify it to dispense counseling services? Well! All we can say is, Red Phone resembles that remark! As for the “woman” who called, we never mentioned the caller’s gender. But you’re right, sticking our nose in the middle of feuding neighbors by suggesting civility is never a good idea. As for Nancy Grace, we didn’t realize she was so toxic. We only meant that to speak sincerely to one’s neighbor might prove more fruitful than hitting them over the head with legal jargon. Lesson learned. Now you’ll have to excuse Red Phone, it has patients waiting in the lobby.
Furry reminder
I want to remind all our readers that if your dog gets lost, the police department picks them up and holds them for five days. I’m not sure about cats, but I know they hold dogs before turning them over to the animal shelter. Please remind readers to check with the police if they lose their dogs.
Red Phone:
Dear Caller, you’re right indeed, and we consider ourselves reminded.
