How to Get Telephone Marketers to Stop Calling You
If you have a public telephone number, you have likely received calls from businesses marketing their products or services. In the past, you could handle the problem by ignoring their phone calls or hanging up on them. Due to consumer complaints about these unwanted solicitations, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission established a Do-Not-Call Registry. Consumers can register their number with the registry and businesses must stop calling within 31 days. However, registering your number does not stop all unwanted calls. You may still receive calls from businesses with whom you already have a relationship, from non-profit organizations or from organizations conducting political polls or surveys.
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Instructions
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Call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you wish to place on the Do-Not-Call list. Press 1 twice and enter your phone number.
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Visit the website at donotcall.gov if you prefer not to use the phone to register your number. This option is helpful if you have more than one phone number to register.
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Click the “Register Now” button or the “Register a Phone Number” link on the website.
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Provide your email address and up to three phone numbers you wish to stop marketers from calling.
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Click the “Submit” button and verify that the information appearing on the screen is the information you entered. Review each number and listing for typographical errors. Click the “Register” button if all the information is correct as it appears.
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Check your email for a message from donotcall.gov and click the verification link included.
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Address businesses with whom you already have a relationship by modifying your manner of initial contact. Notify each company by phone, letter or email to tell them they must stop calling you immediately. Give them 31 days to comply. If they continue calling after this time, inform them that they are in violation of the law and that you will file a complaint if they call again.
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Keep a log of companies that call you on a regular basis. Note the date you registered your phone number or the date you asked them to stop calling. Determine if any of them are still calling you after 31 days.
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File a complaint if you continue receiving calls 31 days after registering your phone number or requesting a company to stop calling. Call 1-888-225-5322, fax 1-866-418-0232, click the “File a Complaint” link on donotcall.gov or mail your complaint to Federal Communications Commission, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division, 445 12th Street, SW Washington, DC 20554. Provide your personal information, the business' information, your relationship with the business, whether you gave the business permission to call, and the date and description of your last contact with the company.
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References
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