Avoid telemarketers through the National Do Not Call Registry
Posted 14 May 2013 12:00 AM by Shentel
Everyone has been approached by telemarketers on a home or mobile phone. If you want to limit the number of telemarketing calls you receive, you can register those phone numbers in the National Do Not Call Registry.
“The Registry does help prevent telemarketing calls” said Kevin Folk, Vice President of Customer Service for Shentel, a telecommunications company that serves phone customers in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. “Once you register your telephone number, it stays on there for good.”
Since Jan. 1, 2005, telemarketers have been required to search the Do Not Call Registry at least once every 31 days and drop from their call lists the phone numbers of consumers who are registered. The dedicated, fully automated and secure Web site at www.telemarketing.donotcall.gov provides this information to telemarketers and sellers.
Your phone number will remain on the registry from the date you register until you choose to take it off the registry or your number is disconnected. The system automatically deletes numbers that are disconnected for any reason. Should your phone service be disconnected and then reconnected, you must re-register your number.
You may register up to three personal numbers, including wireless phone numbers. The National Do Not Call Registry is only for personal phone numbers. Business-to-business calls are not covered by the registry. To register via telephone, you must call from the phone you wish to register. Registrants will not receive confirmation that their number is on the list if registering by telephone. However, by calling 1-888-382-1222 or by going online to www.donotcall.gov, and following the prompts, you may verify that your number has been included on the registry.
Placing your number on the registry will stop most telemarketing calls, but not all. Because of limitations in the jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), calls from or on behalf of political organizations and charities and telephone surveyors are still permitted.
Also permitted are calls from companies with whom you have an existing business relationship, or those to whom you’ve provided express agreement in writing to receive their calls.
“However, you still have the option of asking those companies, charities and organizations to remove you from their individual telemarketing lists,” said Folk...
If your number has been on the National Do Not Call Registry for at least three months and you receive a call from a telemarketer that you believe is covered by the National Do Not Call Registry, you can file a complaint at the registry’s site - wwwdonotcall.gov. To file a complaint you must know either the name or telephone number of the company that called you, and the date the company called you.You may also call the registry’s toll-free number 1-888-382-1222. You must have the information required to file a complaint.
For more information about the Do Not Call Register or to see a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), please visit the website at www.telemarketing.donotcall.gov.
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