Telemarketing Calls: A Modest Proposal

"The real problem is telemarketers.  Even with Caller ID, we often have no idea who is calling us or why.  (I’ve given up answering the phone unless I recognize the name and number of the party calling.  If no message is left -- and there almost never is -- I know I’ve dodged another telemarketer.)  But, even ignoring the calls leaves a problem not found with other unsolicited contacts: we are frequently charged for the privilege of receiving such calls whether they come in on a metered landline or by wasting our minutes on a cell phone.  This is particularly harmful for the poor and the elderly.

Nothing that has been done by our governments (at the national or state levels) or by regulatory agencies has done anything to reduce this problem.  The Do Not Call lists are a joke.  On us.  Enforcement is nearly impossible.  Rogue callers will simply shift to a different corporate name or address or phone bank.  Many calls originate outside the country, anyway.  What to do, what to do? "

 

Read on ........

 

[American Thinker]