| Comment Number: | OL-110330 |
| Received: | 12/16/2004 9:24:51 AM |
| Organization: | |
| Commenter: | Timothy Leixner |
| State: | FL |
| 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 strongly oppose both of these proposals. It is time that the government started paying attention to the wishes of the overwhelming majority of citizens rather than catering to lobbyists and their clients. After having signed up for the Do Not Call Registry, which is far from perfect, the idea of coming home to a barrage of pre-recorded solicitations, or having to deal with them when I am home, as exceptions to the Registry restricitions, is a ridiculous concept. As is the related proposal to, in effect, lift the 3% restriction on calls. These would be serious set-backs to an already flawed Do Not Call Registry. "Flawed," because it already has too many loopholes. For example, the absurdly broad definition of "pre-existing relationships" has permitted many telemarketers to continue to harrass us at home. That definition needs to be substantilaly revised. I understand that the spokespeople for the telemarketing industry claim that companies wouldn't abuse their customers with messages as they "cherish their customers and want to keep them." Oh yeah? Then why do they do it now? What nonsense!! And apparently FTC employees such as Allen Hile are buying this pitch!! Doesn't anyone have an ounce of common sense or respect for the public? Further, if telemarketing companies won't abuse customers by making such calls, then it would follow that they would suffer no harm in being restricted from doing so. More double talk at the behest of lobbyists. I am also upset that the FTC has not been proactive in soliciting comments in a more public manner. I only found out about this through a newspaper article. Even then, the email address required is not typical (https) and could easily cause problems for many people. I can hear it now: "Well, we asked for comments, but very few people did and so we felt most people did not object." Why do I have the feeling that the wishes of the great majority of people will once again be ignored and the telemarketers and their lobbyists are going to be smiling when this is over?