Avoiding annoying calls
No longer will Pennsylvanians need to gripe about all those unwanted, unsolicited phone calls that come right as you sit down to dinner or hop in the shower. This week the state’s new Do Not Call registry was activated. Those who do not want to hear sales pitches upon answering their phones, can let telemarketers know either by logging onto www.nocallsplease.com or calling 1-888-777-3406. Judging by the number of people clamoring to get on the list in the first day, it seemed nearly everyone was fed up with pesky calls. The Web site (designed to process 12,000 forms an hour) and phone lines (that can handle 1,000 calls an hour) were jammed. But two days later, it was easy to get through.
Telemarketers will be required to check the lists quarterly. Those who fail to do so can face stiff fines.
Attorney General Mike Fisher in announcing the launch of the Do-Not-Call register said, “Pennsylvanians have the power to hang a Do Not Disturb sign on their telephones and reclaim a piece of their privacy that has been relentlessly invaded by telemarketers.”
Fisher, who happens to be the Republican’s gubernatorial candidate, skipped over the finer points. Only telemarketers who are making sales pitches are covered.
Those claiming the umbrella of charity along with political parties and candidates can still bug you with their pitches.
Just one more example of those little exceptions that lawmakers write into legislation to protect their own. Apparently they think what they are selling is worth buying.