Public Sends a Message: Don’t Call
Americans sick of dinnertime sales pitches flocked to a new national registry Friday to block their phone numbers from telemarketers.
The Federal Trade Commission’s “do-not-call†list was expected to log nearly 1 million numbers in its first day. Starting in October, registered numbers will be off-limits to most telemarketers, who will face fines of up to $11,000 every time they call a listed number.
“When Americans are sitting down to dinner or a parent is reading to his or her child, the last thing they need is a call from a stranger with a sales pitch,†President Bush said in a White House ceremony.
Consumers Union spokesman Michael McCauley called the response a “collective ‘enough is enough’ from the American public.â€
The Federal Communications Commission estimates that telemarketers make 104 million calls a day, generating about $700 million a year.
“I hope this really works,†said Christine Bonzon, a postdoctoral fellow in San Diego who said she has ended particularly persistent calls with “me screaming and practically cursing.â€
Said Jim Conway, a vice president of the Direct Marketing Assn.: “We’re going to have to change some of our business practices, but we’ll survive.â€
Numbers can be registered at a Web site, www.donotcall.gov, or at a toll-free telephone number, (888) 382-1222.
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