NEWS
Two years later, Wisconsin No Call List remains popular
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Also by Kira Sparks:
- 'Wisconsin Works' gets mixed marks (April 11, 2005)
- Representative introduces TABOR (April 18, 2005)
- House passes energy bill, drilling for oil in arctic refuge (April 25, 2005)
- Budget sparks debate (March 29, 2005)
- Doyle proposes veteran funding (March 14, 2005)
Related Stories:
- Wisconsinites flock to No Call list (September 24, 2002)
- Do Not Call list gets an extension (September 5, 2007)
- Don't call me! (September 5, 2002)
- Officials seek to expand Do Not Call List (January 31, 2005)
- Bill would restrict telemarketers (April 30, 2002)
by Kira Sparks
Tuesday, October 5, 2004
The state No Call List, started two years ago, is making news again as users are re-registering to keep their phone lines telemarketer-free.
The list requires people to re-register after two years to remain on the list. With the first participants having signed up Sept. 1, 2002, the Department of Consumer Protection is busy fielding calls from anxious residents hoping to continue barring telemarketers from calling their homes.
The No Call List was implemented in 2002 as a solution to the growing number of complaints against telemarketers. It was created as a way to end unwanted telemarketing phone calls and also serves to lessen the amount of complaints that telemarketers and other agencies have to field.
Citizens are not required to pay or provide personal information, except their phone numbers, to be placed on the list. According to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, more than 1.5 million people have signed up for the No Call List since its creation.
Telemarketing agencies who violate the No Call List are charged a maximum of $100 per violation, according to the WDATC website. Penalty fees can add up if thousands of these illegal calls are placed every day. One telemarketing agency alone had to pay $80,000 in violation fees, according to Glen Lloyd of the Department of Consumer Protection.
While most consumers are happy with the list, some complain it does not go far enough because some agencies are not forced to comply with laws. While telemarketers are not allowed to call individuals on the list, non-profit organizations and calls placed for polling, surveying and political campaigning are still allowed.
Many customers unfamiliar with the exact stipulations of the list are filing complaints against these types of agencies. Some students who work for organizations not subject to the No Call List have encountered a number of individuals who say they are violating state law.
“I think people need to look at the fine print when they sign the do-not-call list because I get so many people that tell me that I can’t call them because they are on the No Call List,” said Matthew Basler, a student employee of the UW Survey Center, which specializes in academic research and is excluded from No Call List rules. “I try to tell them that academic research is not included, and they never listen.”
For the most part, however, residents are pleased with the list. Lloyd believes that most citizens who were placed on the list before found it useful and will sign up again.
“We know that a lot of people are signing back up because they are telling us they are when we are out [promoting the list],” Lloyd said. “We promote the No Call List a lot. For example, at the state fair we were encouraging people to re-register, and a lot of people told us they were going to.”
Anonymous (October 5, 2004 @ 9:50am):
"While most consumers are happy with the list, some complain it does not go far enough because some agencies are not forced to comply with laws. While telemarketers are not allowed to call individuals on the list, non-profit organizations and calls placed for polling, surveying and political campaigning are still allowed."
The people who complain about survey research and non-profits often end up being the same people who complain that they don't know enough from public opinion polls or need help from non-profits. If you prevent survey researchers and non-profits from calling people on the no call list, those people will know even less from public opinion polls and will not be able to get help from non-profits.
