How to stop telemarketing calls

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.

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How to stop exempt callers from calling you
If you'd rather not be contacted by a company that's on exempt list, simply tell the caller so. "Ask them not to call you again and they are obligated under the rules (established by the CRTC and parliament) to put your name on their own do-not-call list for a period of three years," say Webster Cole.

As well, you can avoid unsolicited calls by withholding your telephone number when you do things like shop, make charitable donations or fill out ballots. "People can call if you've given them consent," Webster Cole says. If providing your number is necessary, then request that they don't contact you in the future.

How to file a complaint
If telemarketers call past the initial 31-day grace period, you can make a complaint, according to the CRTC. To do so, keep the telemarketer on the line to get their name and number (they're obligated to give you this information, according to the CRTC's rules), which you need to supply when filing your grievance, says Webster Cole. Then call the registration number or visit the website to report the call within 14 days of being contacted. "We will investigate the complaint and endeavour to ensure that the telemarketers follow the rules," she says.

The 411 on the operator
According to Webster Cole, Bell Canada has a contract to run the list on behalf of the CRTC for five years. The phone company oversees the list, but you don't need to be a Bell subscriber to be on the national DNCL. As a third-party operator, Bell Canada's job is to register consumer numbers, receive complaints and provide telemarketers with up-to-date inforomation, reports the CRTC.

When their contract ends, and if all has gone well, Bell Canada may be asked to remain operator. But no matter what happens, Webster Cole believes the national DNCL will continue on in the future.

Once you're on the national DNCL and on other do-not-call lists of your choosing, being bombarded by unsolicited calls should be an experience of the past.

Feeling empowered now that you've shaken pesky telemarketers? Keep it up! Get what you want anytime, anywhere.

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