An Update on Canada's Do Not Call List

I know everyone has their job to do but I seriously detest telemarketers.  First they are invading our  space using the services we are paying for.  In essence they are stealing our services.  Having a phone line does not entitle telemarkets to call your number.  Second they call at obscene times quite often disrupting dinner or sleep.  So I declared war on them.  I posted about Canada's National Do Not Call Registry in my personal blog back in early February of 2009.  This was after adding our phone number to the registry.  Instead of having the effect we wanted the telemarketing phone calls actually increased!  Later in Novemeber of 2009 I posted about our new phone system with a lot of built-in features that would not only save us money on our Bell telephone services but also give us the peace of mind of immediately blocking telemarketer calls.  All non-identified calls (no number, private number, and etc) can be collectively blocked with one push of a button while those identifying the number can be Googled to confirm it is a telemarketer then blocked.

One great site for finding information on a phone number call you is Who Calls Me but there are others.  If the phone number calling you is a telemarketer, scammer  or in at least one case a prank caller who must have had excellent long distance service, it will show up on this site.  Included on this site are comments from others who have received calls from that number and in many cases the company or agency will at some point be identified as well.  At this point you can now make an informed decision as to whether this is someone you want calling your house.  If you don't then call block them and/or report them. 

I stumbled upon information today that adding your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry is not a good idea.  Many have reported that telemarketing calls increased after they added their number much the same result we saw.  The reason for this is the National Do Not Call Registry provides their list of numbers to telemarketers under the premise that the telemarketer is to remove these numbers from their call list.  Unfortunately some telemarketers are now using these lists to their advantage by selling them to off shore telemarketers meaning you will get bombarded with telemarketing calls from outside of Canada.  In light of this new information:

If you have not added your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry:

1. Do not add it!
2. Subscribe to caller ID from your phone service provider.
3. Don't answer any phone number you don't recognize.
4. Check that phone number on a site such as Who Calls Me.
5. If the phone number is a telemarketer and you don't want them calling, block the number.
6. Report your experiences to online forums such as Who Calls Me.

If you have added your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry:

1. Follow steps 1 through 6 above.  It is pointless reporting to the government link above although you can try.  One more report against them won't hurt.
2. Turn your answering machine or voice mail off.  In most cases unless you are away you don't need it on and if you are away those needing to contact you will already have your contact information.   Telemarketers quickly realize they are wasting their time calling your number so it will get bumped off their list.
3. If this is a problem telemarketer that gets around your phone defenses.  If you are using your own phone system to block their calls this should not be a problem.  If it is a problem, go online!  This type of thing is perfect for disclosing on forums, newsgroups, blogs and Twitter.

Garden Gnome
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