Telephone Marketing & Do Not Call Lists

On Monday at dinner time (as usual), we received another phone call from a duct cleaning company. I asked what the company name is and told them I don't appreciate getting a call everyday at dinner time. I promised to get my ducts cleaned by anyone other than Frontline Duct Cleaning because they call too often and don't respect "no" for an answer.

This morning I received another call from a duct cleaning company (Aqua Duct Cleaning from Toronto). Considering our number is on the national do not call list and we have been telling every caller for at least a year, to take us off their list, I think I was justifiably angry when I told the man I will be blogging about their company violating my right not to be contacted.

Almost every day for the past several years, we have received at least one phone call from telemarketers selling something. For every call I would nicely say we weren't interested and to please take us off the calling list. At one point the man on the other end said to me in his heavy accent that he didn't know what that was, so I calmly explained what the "do not call" list means.

For several months this year we had fun with the telemarketers. Regardless of the product they mentioned, we would say we didn't have any. No ducts, no windows. The one I confused the most was calling for Bell (who also don't take no for an answer). I told him I didn't have a phone and paused for a minute to listen for his reaction but obviously that man was too confused to say anything at all. Victory for me on this day.

I know everyone is trying to make a living but short of cancelling our phone, I'm not sure what to do to stop this type of harassment. So this morning I registered my number again through The National Do Not Call List. After the registration on the following page was this message,

"Important information for consumers Do not expect calls to stop immediately.
Telemarketers have up to 31 days to update their lists and to make sure they do not call you. You could still receive calls within those first 31 days.
Registering on the National Do Not Call List (DNCL) will not eliminate all telemarketing calls. There are exemptions within the Rules that may allow calls from organizations such as charities, those with whom you have existing business relationships, political parties and newspapers.
You can further reduce unwanted telemarketing calls by asking these organizations to place your number(s) on their own do not call list."

You can check and register your own phone number on this page or by calling 1-866-580-3625. Check this page for more information as well as to file a complaint for Unsolicited Telecommunication.
Remember to renew your registration every 6 years.

Good luck to us all