I gathered up this information and thought I would pass it along. There are some things here that I never knew so I am sharing them with you.
Did you know that you can sue, and in some cases, even file criminal charges against telemarketers?
I hate telemarketers. One time, one called the house and when my wife answered they asked to speak with me. When she told him that I was unavailable, he said it was an emergency. She immediately gave me the phone and it turned out that he was trying to sell me time shares. When I asked about him telling her it was an emergency, he instantly hung up. I never got his name, number, or other information. If I had known the information below, I may have been up to $8,000.00 richer, and would definitely checked to see if what he did was criminal.
For starters, if you tell a telemarketer not to call you anymore, they are legally required to take you off their calling list and are not allowed to call you anymore for at LEAST 10 years.
So, Step 1 is to first to go http://www.donotcall.gov and register your phone number there. If you're on that list, they are not supposed to call you. Sometimes, it's ignored and they call you anyway.
Step 2 is to gather evidence. They must answer any or all of the next 10 questions completely and truthfully. If they don't, you have the legal right to sue them for $500.00 for each infraction. Be polite and friendly. Keep them talking. If you ask the questions, they must answer. If they hang up on you, you will not get to ask all the questions.
1. Is this a telemarketing call?
2. Will you tell me your full name?
3. What is the name of the organization you're calling for?
4. What is the company's main phone number?
5. Does your company keep a do not call list?
6. Does your company have a written policy that says you can't call me if I ask you not to?
7. Can you send me a copy of your company policy dealing with do not call lists?
8. If I ask you to put my number on your do-not-call list, can you make sure your company won't call me again for any reason?
9. Will your company keep me on that list for at least 10 years?
10. I would like my number put on your do not call list.
For each item above, you are legally allowed to sue for up to $500.00 per infraction. That's up to $5,000.00 But it doesn't stop there. Here are other things that they cannot do, and you can sue for $500.00 for each of these also.
-- If you asked them to stop calling you, and they do anyway.
-- If they call you before 8:00 AM or after 9:00 PM
-- If they call you using those pre-recorded messages also called "Robo-calls"
-- If they fail to begin the call by telling you what they're trying to sell
-- If they fail to tell you that their contest DOES NOT require you to buy anything in order to participate or win
-- If they send you a fax
That's another $3,000.00 in possible lawsuit.
That takes you to step 3.
-- gather up all your notes and any evidence you may have. They may try to deny that they called you, so remember to get your phone records
-- go to small claims court and file a $500.00 claim for each violation.
Most telemarketer companies will try to settle out of court, so you will probably be offered a check before you ever even set foot back inside a court. You can also bet they will never call you again.
I compiled this information myself and this is not a chain letter asking you to hurry up and send to everyone in your contacts list. That's up to you. Feel free to print this, and keep it near the phone and share it with anyone you wish, but try not to alter the information. The goal is to stop annoying telemarketers from calling you, and maybe even teach a few of them lessons along the way.
Lord