How to stop telemarketing calls

Get telemarketers off your phone line and enjoy dinnertime uninterrupted by registering your telephone number on Canada's national do-not-call list.

Updated:: 2009-10-04 22:13

Published:: 2008-09-17 00:00

By: Aileen Brabazon

How to get on Canada's do-not-call list

Being called incessantly by anyone is annoying. The irritation factor doubles when you're tele-hounded by organizations pushing you to buy whatever they have to sell. If you can't stomach the pestering of unsolicited calls anymore, help is around the corner.

On Sept. 30, 2008 the Canadian and Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) launches its national Do Not Call List (DNCL), which promises to reduce the telemarketing calls you get.

If your number is on the list, telemarketers aren't allowed to contact you. What's more, the service is free and available for any personal Canadian phone (landline and cellular) or fax numbers. (Businesses aren't permitted on the national DNCL.) This doesn't mean you'll be shielded from every unsolicited call -- some organizations are exempt from the list.

Keep reading for the ins and outs of the national DNCL, including pointers on registration and what to expect when you enrol.

How to put your number on the do-not-call list
You can add your number to the DNCL either online at www.LNNTE-DNCL.gc.ca or by calling 1-866-580-DNCL (3625). The only personal info you need to provide is your telephone number, which is kept discreet, according to Nancy Webster Cole, senior manager, telemarketing regulations at the CRTC.

As operator of the list, Bell Canada can view your digits, as may the CRTC. "Telemarketers also have access because they'll download the numbers regularly to ensure they aren't called," says Webster Cole.

After three years, numbers are automatically deleted from the list without sending you notice, and it's up to you to re-register. Since the list only contains numbers and doesn't include your name, you also have to sign up again if your telephone number changes, says Webster Cole.

You can stop some -- but not all -- unsolicited calls
Once you've enrolled, don't expect the calls to suddenly stop. It can take about a month before the pestering subsides, as telemarketers are given a 31-day grace period (from the time you register) to get the most updated version of the national DNCL, according to the CRTC.

Meanwhile, you may still receive unsolicited calls from the likes of companies you've done business with during the past 18 months, charities, political parties, newspapers (selling subscriptions) and pollsters, because they're exempt from the list. Wondering why?

Part of the rationale is that, in many cases, these exempt parties and their calls are deemed beneficial to society. "It was recognized that charities are calling for a social good," explains Webster Cole. "And as we live in a free and democratic society, we have elections and they're partially paid for by donations from citizens." Newspapers, she says, contribute to free speech and help keep the public in the know.

How to stop telemarketing calls

How to get on Canada's do-not-call list

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