The Stay at Home Mother

Did you know that if you are a consumer you can choose to reduce the number of telemarketing calls you receive by registering your residential, wireless, fax or VoIP telephone number on the National Do Not Call List in Canada?

You can also file a complaint about telemarketing calls now - Ah - hah! Take that you pesky telemarketers!.....

So if you register your number on the Do not call list, who can still call you?

The bad news is that people also should understand that registering on the National DNCL will reduce but not eliminate all telemarketing calls. There are certain kinds of telemarketing calls that are exempted from the National DNCL Rules.

The exemptions include telemarketing calls made by, or on behalf of:

• Canadian registered charities;
• Political parties, riding associations and candidates; and
• Newspapers of general circulation for the purpose of soliciting subscriptions.

Telemarketing calls from organizations with whom you have an existing business relationship are also exempt. You are considered to have an existing business relationship with a telemarketer if you:

• Purchased, leased, or rented a product or service in the last eighteen (18) months from the telemarketer;
• You have a written contract with the telemarketer for a service that is still in effect or expired within the last eighteen (18) months; and/or
• You asked a telemarketer about a product or service within the last six (6) months.

Telemarketers may also call you if you have provided express consent to be called. Express consent includes:

• Your permission on a written form, electronic form, or an online form; or
• Your verbal permission.

The National DNCL Rules to not apply to telemarketing calls made to businesses.

What can you do to reduce telemarketing calls that are exempt from the National DNCL Rules?

If you do not want to be called by a telemarketer making an exempted call, you can ask to be put on the telemarketer’s own specific do not call list. Every Canadian telemarketer is required to maintain such a list and respect your wishes not to be called. Organizations conducting market research, surveys, or public opinion polls are not required to keep their own specific do not call lists.

What about calls from market research or polling firms?

Calls from organizations conducting market research, surveys, or public opinion polls are also exempt from the National Do Not Call List Rules and are not required to keep an internal do not call list. These types of calls are not telemarketing calls because the caller is not asking you to purchase, lease or rent products or services.

So go to it and list your number on their site - the link is https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/index-eng

Apparently so many people tried to list their number the first week it came out in September that is literally crashed their site....it would appear many of us feel the same way about unsolicited calls at home. So no more runnning to the phone with groceries in our hands, or with a towel on our head from the shower - only to hear the voice on the other end - go silent and then connect to a voice that mispronouces our name and ask us to either purchase something we don't want or need. And the kicker? Most of them are now pre-recorded....well, at least we could hang up on those faster. LOL.

So pass it on and register your number today. You'll be glad you did. :)