| Comment Number: | OL-108417 |
| Received: | 12/8/2004 12:13:04 PM |
| Organization: | |
| Commenter: | Helena Henderson |
| State: | LA |
| Subject: | Trade Regulation Rule on Telemarketing Sales |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 310 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
I do NOT want any telemarketing calls on my phones or cell phones, especially prerecorded ones, even if there is an established business relationship. This are my phones, in my home or business and most importantly, it's my time and money that get used and abused without my consent. I ESPECIALLY DON'T want prerecorded announcements to be allowed - they are most offensive. Being interupted without consent is offensive but having prerecorded calls is tantamount to abuse. You've already annoyed someone without consent on the phone that he/she pays for, but to exacerbate it with the insult of a prerecorded announcement is abuse of my rights by telemarketers and/or politicians. With these calls, you're stealing our money, our time and diminshed our dignity. We know how to find the products, services and yes, even the politicians we want and I'm angry that you'd presume it's acceptable to make me pay for it. I don't want political calls made to my phones EVER and believe allowing this was the most egregious display of politicians' self-dealing to allow these calls. NOTE TO POLITICIANS: Already, I do NOT vote for any candidate who uses this offensive method to contact me. I consider these type of calls as an indicator that a politician/candidate is ignorant of what the people want, it's evidence that they've engaged in poor decision-making and will be unable to effectively and intelligently represent the community. I DON'T want to be contacted by phone, by prerecorded announcements or by a live person. I cannot understand why Congress, the FTC and the Direct Marketing Association don't realize that the American public doesn't want contact this way - GIVE IT UP!!! Telemarketing is an obsolete strategy that's gone the way of Western Union telegrams. Only backward thinking special interest groups are pushing this issue and you're wasting precious resources in our justice system on an issue which people clearly have given their mandate: we want privacy on our telephones and cell phones, and highly value the right to be left alone. Lawmakers who sponsor or vote for this amendment are not only staying in the dark ages of telegrams, but are wasting precious justice system resources by pandering to telemarketers who promote harassment of the American people.