Telemarketers Who Must Die

Can I just say that I hate templates? I tried to change mine to something really cool, and every time I mess with it, things get lost. I've switched back to one that's controlled by Blogger, and it's OK, but I don't like being a sheep. I'd rather have something different.

I spent two hours yesterday getting ready to file a lawsuit against a company for their telemarketing practices. I am not a sue-happy person by nature, but I do have a strong sense of fairness. Telemarketers are governed by a federal law called the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which is summarized here. Now, I know telemarketers aren't fun for anyone, but for the most part they are just people doing their job. There are a million pranks you can pull on them, and just as many ways to be annoying. I figure it can't be a fun job, though, so I am polite but clear when I tell them I'm not interested and ask them not to call again. Probably 99% of them are happy to comply. I'm not wasting their time, and they can get on to the next call where someone might actually buy something.

Every once in a while, though, you run across a company whose disregard for consumers' requests is so egregious and full of hubris that you feel the urge to do something about it. For the past several months, I've been contacted by a "travel company" who wants me to attend a presentation on their timeshares, and oh wow, I get a free trip to boot! My first thought was "What the heck, I can kill 90 minutes for an airline ticket." After a couple of calls, though, I became increasingly irked by the woman's sales tactics even when I'd already agreed to attend, and I canceled. I asked her to put me on the company's Do Not Call list (which they're required to maintain under the TCPA).

She called me back 40 minutes later.

And then four hours later.

And again, twenty minutes after that.

I could have chosen not to answer the phone. I'm aware of that. But dangit, this is my phone, and I should have to (A) ignore the ringing, especially when I have a chorus of "Mom, the phone!" "Aren't you going to answer it?" "Mama, da bone is winging!", (B) turn it off an miss a call that might actually be important, or (C) continually answer and repeat for the fifth time, "DO NOT call here again!"

Over the next three months, the same woman called me back another five times. She gave a different travel company name a couple of times, but it was the exact same woman and the same number on my caller ID. Depending on how much time I had, I'd either repeat my "Don't call" line, or ask to speak to a supervisor. Requests for a supervisor were either met with an argument: "Why? Why do you need a supervisor? We are just talking here. We are talking just fine."; or she'd hang up on me. Only once did I actually get the supervisor, who claimed that unless I was on the national Do Not Call registry, they did not have to remove my number. (He's wrong.)

After doing a bit of research, I found the above document summarizing a telemarketer's responsibilities under the TCPA, and decided I'd had enough. A quick search on the Texas Secretary of State's website, which costs $1 per search but is worth every penny, gave me the address of the company and the name of the president/registered agent. I also found instructions on how to sue a telemarketing company without hiring a lawyer. The "travel company," which has conveniently changed names three times, just happens to be located in the next county. The demand letter is going in the (certified) mail today, along with documentation of 9 violations of the TCPA, and I've given them a deadline of two weeks to respond.

Do I think anything will come of this? I don't know. Given that they change incorporations like most people change cell phones, it's not looking great. Am I in it for the money? No. I've reached the point where I feel someone needs to stand up to them and point out "Hey, idiots who don't listen to me and keep calling here, you're breaking the law!" If no one does anything, it's only going to get worse.