Dear Lifehacker, I received an alarmist message about telemarketing with an urgent call to click the included link. What do you make of it? More »
Yesterday, we looked at two tactics for dissuading telemarketers from calling again: giving them a fake name so you can detect them next time, or hanging up without another word. If neither of those appeal, here’s some more options. More »
It’s not nice to lie, but it’s also not nice to get repeatedly called at dinner time by someone trying to flog you a mobile phone or pretending that you’re a Telstra customer when you’re not. If the Do Not Call list isn’t quite cutting it for you, giving a false name is one way of potentially scaring off telemarketers — or at least making them easier to detect. More »
The Do Not Call register launched on May 3 2007, so it celebrates its third birthday next month. That’s good news for those of us sick of having our dinners interrupted by dodgy mobile phone sellers, but it also means we need to make sure our registrations are current. More »
The exemptions for survey forms and charities might ruin your day when you’re working at home, but new data suggests that the Do Not Call register has been a success in cutting back on unwanted telephone spam. More »
In our recent post about expanding the Do Not Call Register, several commenters hoped their personal fax numbers would also be covered. The good news: they will be. More »
Plans to extend the national Do Not Call Register to business might seem a good way to cut down on telephone spam, but telemarketing businesses are already planning to fight the move. More »
It’s no great shock to learn that when it comes to interrupting your dinner with an unwanted phone call, telecommunications companies are at the top of the list. According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority, 55% of complaints regarding violations of the Do Not Call register relate to phone products and services. And it turns out that the usual “few bad apples” principle applies:
ACMA estimates that 5 per cent of the businesses complained about are responsible for about 70 per cent of the total complaints received
Have you found being on the Do Not Call register has helped cut down telemarketing calls? More »
