I Don't Maintain A Phone Line To Make Sleazy Politicians' Sales Efforts Cheaper
The FTC is holding a robocalls summit:
The Federal Trade Commission will host a one-day public event on Thursday, October 18, 2012 to develop solutions to the rapid rise in illegal robocalls.The Summit will include a report on the current state of the robocall technology and the industry, along with a discussion of the laws surrounding the use of robocalls. This will be followed by an exploration of potential technological solutions to the problem of illegal robocalls, including panels on caller-ID spoofing and call authentication technology, data mining and anomaly detection, and call-blocking technology.
I saw a tweet about the summit from anti-robocalling activist @SDakin and wrote the FTC this email (upon getting a robocall from California sleazebag legislator Henry Waxman, who thinks nothing of breaking state robocalling laws -- details below -- to make his re-election costs cheaper):
Sleazy politicians left a giant loophole in the TCPA -- allowing themselves to make robocalls to voters.I just got a robocall from Henry Waxman -- illegal in California, due to his lack of a live person (per CA law) to introduce the call. Yes, here we have a man trying to be re-elected lawmaker by ILLEGALLY harassing California voters in their homes.
A call from a politician or about an issue is no less interruptive than a telemarketing call.
It hijacks a phone line we pay for and steals our time.
We don't maintain phone lines so we can let our calls go to voicemail or so we can make politicians' marketing efforts cheaper.
We maintain them so we can hear from friends, family, and people of interest to us.
Kill the exemptions to the telemarketing law -- now.
Do not enable sleazy politicians in stealing our time and use of our phone lines.
Typical Federal Government -- nothing works. From the FTC's Facebook page today (yes, the FTC has a Facebook page):
Good morning. If you are joining us for our Robocall Summit, we are experiencing audio issues. You can watch the webcast here with closed captioning: http://bit.ly/VaRgWX. You can call-in to hear the summit as well. In the U.S., please call (866) 286-9705. Internationally please call (904) 486-9014. Host is Bruce Jennings. Confirmation number is 268781. More details posted on our website. Thank you for your patience!
PS When politicians call you at home, or have their recorded messages phone you, interrupting your life, it seems clear they think it's okay to invade people's home lives. So, what is there to do but find their home number, if possible (try Zabasearch.com) and call them at home and chew them out. I've done this on a number of occasions and it's extremely satisfying.
We finally got rid of our house phone after the last election round. On my cell, I won't answer any calls that don't show the ID. If it's a real person they can leave a message and I'll call back.
Living in a swing state and registering independent is a recipe for endless, endless political calls.
Astra at October 18, 2012 6:45 AM
Reminds me of the time I was with a friend of mine, visiting her elderly father, after his wife had passed. She and her brother had recently reconnected the phone, because he hadn't paid the bill, and they wanted to be able to get in touch with him, and for him to be able to call them in case he needed their help. They told him it was for his convenience.
We sat there with him, having a couple of beers, and the phone started to ring. And it rang. Finally, Kim says "dad, the phone's ringing. Aren't you going to answer it?" And he says "what for? you're here, aintcha?" And she says, "well, it might be something important." And he says "well I thought you got it for my convenience. And it ain't convenient for me to answer it right now!"
Flynne at October 18, 2012 6:59 AM
Henry Waxman. An Orc from Lord of the Rings? Or a creature from The Island of Dr. Moreau?
http://votetheclownsout.com/images/henry-waxman.jpg
"Tawk amongst yeh-selves!!!!"
Feebie at October 18, 2012 7:06 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/10/18/i_dont_maintain.html#comment-3387138">comment from FeebieThe midget from The Island of Dr. Moreau was 19 inches tall. Waxman comes off much smaller.
Amy Alkon at October 18, 2012 7:31 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/10/18/i_dont_maintain.html#comment-3387148">comment from Amy Alkon(I have to have a land line to appear on radio shows.)
Amy Alkon at October 18, 2012 7:35 AM
These robo calls are most annoying as they will often fill up my answering machine (I know, I'm old fashioned to have that instead of voice mail, but, hey, I'm unemployed and don't have an Obamaphone!)
Fortunately, this election hasn't seen too many as I'm in a deep-blue area.
(insert joke here about politicians and pirates)
Charles at October 18, 2012 10:15 AM
As much as I agree that robocalls can be a problem, I hope they don't paint with too wide a brush. There is such a thing as a good "robocall"...for instance, a service that calls and sings a Happy Birthday song...this is technically a robocall, but one I doubt anyone would be pissed to receive on their birthday.
Dangerboy at October 18, 2012 10:34 AM
They'd better have my written permission to robocall me to sing Happy Birthday. 1. I own't know the number so I won't answer. 2 I'll report the number to the FTC.
nonegiven at October 18, 2012 12:16 PM
(I have to have a land line to appear on radio shows.)
I presume it doesn't have to actually be plugged in, does it, unless you are on your radio show? Unplug the damn thing. Problem solved.
gharkness at October 18, 2012 12:50 PM
I did a lot of volunteer GOTV phone banking and just hated it..the voters receive so many robocalls and polls and surveys now that they just hate hate hate ANY call they get, if they even answer. Which they usually don't.
I have to question how the calls help anyone, but they're still gospel with the political parties. It always seemed like the friendlies had already voted and the rest were just enraged.
carol at October 18, 2012 1:54 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/10/18/i_dont_maintain.html#comment-3387589">comment from gharkness(I have to have a land line to appear on radio shows.) I presume it doesn't have to actually be plugged in, does it, unless you are on your radio show? Unplug the damn thing. Problem solved.
Really? Do you think I was too dim to figure out that I could leave my phone off the hook at all times?
I get calls on it.
And I don't pay for a phone so I can leave it unplugged. Instead, I like to go after the rude, time-thieving asswads who pig up my line. I particularly love to call them in their home if I can get their number, but I'd like to see this loophole closed.
For anyone who thinks government protects you, consider that the next time you pick up your phone and it's some recorded jerk trying to sell you something.
Amy Alkon at October 18, 2012 2:08 PM
> Unplug the damn thing. Problem solved.
OK, this is officially bizarre. People are, like, impatient with Amy for not collapsing to a posture of immediate submission over what is a genuine, if small, annoyance.
I think this is part of the homework in France thing. Like when Tressider used to be angry with me for mocking the TSA.
We're all supposed to want life to be as easy as possible, and we're all supposed to completely excavate our own spirits in order to summon this breezy paradise.
Crid [Cridcomment at Gmail] at October 18, 2012 3:31 PM
"Really? Do you think I was too dim to figure out that I could leave my phone off the hook at all times?
I get calls on it."
Well, you SAID the reason you must have a land line is because of your radio show, with the clear implication that you would not have a land line were it not for the show. Not because you want to have one (which apparently is actually the case). If the only reason you have a land line is for the radio show, then yes, I might wonder a bit if you weren't a little slow at figuring out the solution.
I don't really care why you have or want a phone line. If you hadn't practically been excusing yourself for having one, I wouldn't have thought a thing about the rest of your commentary.
gharkness at October 18, 2012 5:57 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/10/18/i_dont_maintain.html#comment-3387786">comment from gharknessIf I'm paying for a phone, I'm going to use it.
Amy Alkon at October 18, 2012 6:13 PM
Scam: Telemarketers with No Number or Location
I recommend to always press "1" or whatever key leads to the live representative. Lay the phone down if you don't want to use any of your time. Say "Wait a second while I turn down the TV" if you want to burn a bit more of their time. String them along with false stories if you feel like it. You owe them nothing, and they have already broken the law. Give them no real information.
They provide key press 2 ("delete your phone number") to speed up the transition to their next call when you aren't interested. It doesn't do anything for you, and it frees up their line.
They call hundreds of people with robot dialers to get one live response. If everyone pressed "1", they would be out of business. They couldn't handle all of the useless live responses.
Of course politicians and charities have exempted themselves from regulation. They want the money, after all, and don't mind bothering 200 people to get one contributor.
Again, listen to a short introduction, agree that you will listen to their recorded message, then set the phone down after the message starts. This ties up one of their lines for a while. The worst thing is to quickly hang up, which minimizes the cost to them, after they have already bothered you.
Andrew_M_Garland at October 18, 2012 8:13 PM
Maybe you can do this.
Jim P. at October 18, 2012 8:40 PM
Jim P - I think that I will try that next time -Yep, I'l tell them that I was waiting for a sign and that they are, in fact, the angel of death to tell me to go ahead. thanks!
Charles at October 18, 2012 9:08 PM
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