Comment Number: 525547-00559
Received: 12/17/2006 6:18:13 PM
Organization:
Commenter: Charlie Casabona
State: WV
Subject: Telemarketing Sales Rule
Title: Request for Public Comment
CFR Citation: 16 CFR Part 310
No Attachments

Comments:

Prerecorded telemarketing calls amount to an invasion of privacy. They frequently result in one being unable to clear the line until the recording is over (you can hang up and pick up and the recording is still there). Often, if you listen to the message with the idea of speaking to someone to ask to opt out, no live person ever answers the phone. This results in further unwanted calls. We end users pay for the phone lines for our convenience and to fill our needs, not so that telemarketers can waste our time. With prerecorded calls, we can't even interrupt the sales pitch to opt out. Abandoned calls result in a further infringement on the time and freedom of those of us who pay for phone service. The use of equipment to dial more numbers than the telemarketers can possibly answer amounts to harassment. This practice is worse than a prankster ringing your line constantly and then hanging up when you answer. Computer dialing of numbers for telemarketers who cannot possibly attend to them should be banned.