Canada’s Do Not Call Registry

Grrrr. What a worthless piece of legislation! The Do Not Call Registry has more holes in it than a fishnet.

The phone does not run my life, when friends really have to reach me, we have a series of rings worked out they use. Helps me pay attention and I know they are calling about something important if they take that extra step. 
I’ll be damned if I’m going to fork out money for call display, I’m at my limit at what I can pay for communication devices I use in my life; and if we are going to have a Registry, then I will dutifully report.
 

Having said that, I think I’m getting more calls since I registered than before I put myself on the list.

Grrrrr.  Tonight while I was distracted, I picked up the phone.
There is no way any charity which calls me, no matter how reputable, which is ever going to get a donation. That’s not how I give and not how I’ll ever give. Charities that have called and identified themselves are on my private do-not-donate-ever-again list. No credit card company, no salesman is ever going to get my business if they chose to invade my space.

If it’s a robo-call I hang up. Shoot, I hang up on real people, without a twinge of guilt.
The Do Not Call Registry faqs says:

You will continue to receive calls from organizations conducting market research, polls or surveys even though you are registered on the National DNCL. These are not considered telemarketing calls because they are not selling a product or service, or requesting donations.

Okay.  I’m continuing to receive calls.
According to the registry I can file a complaint.
Lucky me.
I decided to try the complaint process.

Right away I was transferred to a supervisor who clarified the identity of the company, gave her name, the company phone number and explained they were calling for Canada Revenue. (I think she meant Revenue Canada, but that’s how she said it came up on their screens). Then she asked if I’d like to do the survey. I nearly snorted V8 juice through my nose and said no thanks.

Right off the bat there are still 12 hours of my day where people can legally interrupt me. 
I doubt I’m the only person in this country that is not okay with that little fact.

Rules telemarketers must follow when they call:

• Among other things, telemarketers must:

• identify who they are and, upon request, provide you with a fax or telephone number where you can speak to someone about the telemarketing call
• display the telephone number that they are calling from or that you can call to reach them, and
• only call or send faxes between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on weekdays and between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on weekends.

Okay.  
I can ask to be put on that companies internal do not call list, but they don’t have to keep one, there are exemptions I haven’t looked at yet and a company has 31 days to put your request on their internal list.

So does that mean I have to keep a list of companies if I’m going to follow though?
Yep. Okay.
I decided to file a complaint anyway, because the only way any legislation is going to get any teeth is if Canadians crash the complaint site and keep complaining about what the government has deemed ‘legitimate’ interruptions.
We’ve been numbed and desensitized, haven’t we?

HAHAHAHA! While I was writing this I got another call. I asked if they were calling from Canada. Yes. What location? I’m not allowed to disclose that. What is your company name? They told me. I asked them to spell it and they did. I asked for their phone number. I’m not allowed to disclose that.  I said my number was on the Do not call Registry and what was your location and phone number again?  sigh. May I speak to your supervisor please? 
She said they’d put me on their internal do not call list and hung up.

Okay. I’m still filing a complaint, since I have the complaint window open. This company is technically allowed to call me for a month.  I happen to think that is not acceptable, but that’s the rule. 

• Complaints about telemarketers can be made through the National DNCL website (www.LNNTE-DNCL.gc.ca) or by calling the toll-free numbers 1-866-580-DNCL (1-866-580-3625) or 1-888-DNCL-TTY (1-888-362-5889).
• Types of complaints can include receiving a call even though you have registered on the National DNCL, receiving a call outside of permitted calling hours, a telemarketer who does not put your name and number on their do not call list, or any other violation of the rules.
• When making a complaint, remember that you must provide information such as the date of the call and the name or telephone number of the telemarketer.
• The CRTC will investigate complaints and can penalize telemarketers found to be in violation of any of the CRTC’s Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules.
• The CRTC can levy penalties of up to $1,500 for an individual and up to $15,000 for a corporation, for each violation.

If every household filed a complaint even against those exempt or supposedly exempt from the law, Bell Canada and the CRTC would beg the government to tighten up this process. There are  hundreds of companies and just one of me. However, there are a millions of people like me probably very willing to bookmark the complaint site and be the one asking company calling the questions. We’ve already been interrupted and inconvenienced. One complaint a day is still 365 complaints.

The complaint site is persnickety. 
To pass go you need:

1. The telephone number at which you received the telemarketing call;
2. The telephone number and/or name of the telemarketer;
3. Whether the complaint relates to a fax, residential or business number; and
4. The date of the telemarketing call.

a) Fields have to be precisely filled out
b) There are a list of options
c) Pick one and it’s probably a waste of time because of the exemptions
d) You are asked if you are willing to give the CRTC this information

Well *&^% yes.
Accept.
‘scuse me, I have another complaint to fill out and a phone to unplug.:^)