| Comment Number: | 525547-00386 |
| Received: | 12/8/2006 11:03:45 PM |
| Organization: | |
| Commenter: | Thomas |
| State: | MD |
| Subject: | Telemarketing Sales Rule |
| Title: | Request for Public Comment |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 310 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
I have been receiving a number of annoying marketing recorded solictations. Well over 20 in just the last 30 days! After tracing the calls through the phone company at a cost of over $1.50 per trace I discovered they were nothing but solicitations from prerecorded messages. While the calls were gracious enough to say "I'm sorry I have the wrong number" instead of leaving dead air space before hanging up, it was still very annoying and costly. They are bothersome, disturbing, invasive and very inconvient. Often times I am busy when they call but since the phone rings during the day if I'm home working I often answer them on the assumption it is someone who either needs to speak to me, or perhaps the school calling with information concerning my children. In my opinion we should have an opt in system rather than an opt out system which has to be sent in to the merchant or renewed each and every time you do business or make an inquiry. Even if you do choose to opt out, it takes weeks for it to go into effect, when it should be immediate. It's tedious and very time consuming to remember to opt out, and then remembering to either renew it when it expires. You also have to now remember to opt out each and every time you shop for anything even if you want nothing but information or have a question while shopping for a service or product know requires you to opt out first? This is obsured. Why not just ask the consumer upfront if they want to get information or offers and promotions rather than assuming we want them?