I live in a cave, so this may not be news to most of you:

In a few weeks, cell phone numbers are being released to
telemarketing companies and you will start to receive_ sales
calls on cell phones.
Call this number from your cell phone_ 888-382-1222.
It is the national Do Not Call list._ It blocks your number for
5 years.
Here is online form https://www.donotcall.gov/register/reg.aspx


OK, don't say I didn't warn you.

Wayne Orr, SOC

I actually just read an article today that said even the list isn't going to do any good because they just changed some of the wording and now they CAN have pre-recorded messages call you instead. The list only applies to real-live people making the calls!

What is this world coming to? I can't believe it's legal at ALL! It's my phone (cellular or otherwise) and I pay the bill, no-one should call me unless I ASK them to do so specifically! Especially when it will cost me to answer the damn thing!

Simple solution:
Inform the caller immediatly that you bill $50/hr with a minimum 1 hour charge to listen to their sales pitch. Ask immediately for their billing information, and tell them that by staying on the phone, they consent to this agreement. Then send them a bill. Then send them another. Then contact a collection agency.

I actually came up with this idea with my lawyer for dealing with phone/cable companies that dick you around on the phone for customer service. He said technicaly you'd have to send them a letter ahead of time to make any kind of a case for it, but I think treating telemarketers this way would certainly give them a bit of a scare, especially if we all did it.


Or you could just hang up.

Even if you just hang up on them, on a cell phone it just cost you one minute of airtime. And that adds up.

I think this is being confused with a proposed 411 service for cell phone numbers. The cell phone user has to actually sign up to be in this directory. Who would want to do that anyway? Apparently there has been an e-mail floating around that has created the fear of this cell phone telemarketing. I think wireless providers would block that from happening before losing customers to that disease called telemarketitis. Here are a couple of links that help explain what is going on.


www.komotv.com/news/mnewsaction.asp?ID=34467

www.wjz.com/finance/finance_story_353091737.html


For alot more info, just go to www.google.com and type in Cell Phone Telemarketing and have fun reading for days.

There was another controversial proposal a few years ago where advertisers wanted to be able to send text messages, images, spam!, etc. to cell phones. This would also charge the end user as well not to mention cause untold amounts of network congestion. That idea disappeared really quick.

<<<-- Originally posted by Rhett Allen : Even if you just hang up on them, on a cell phone it just cost you one minute of airtime. And that adds up. -->>>

I've got unlimited cell phone time, so it doesn't bother me, but you do have a point!