"Hello?" Do Not Call List to Expire

I cannot believe it's been close to 5 years since I called to get my name put on the 'Do Not Call List'. The 'Do Not Call List' or 'Do Not Call Registry' as it is formally named is the list monitored by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that you get your phone number put on to limit the telemarketing calls you receive.

In 2003, I remember wondering about the legitimacy of the 'Do Not Call Registry'. At the time, still stunned by Bush administration's votes for changes in the rights of private U.S. Citizens, I was thinking this might be some Republican ploy to get my location so they can bug my phone! My parents, who are (usually) Republican and who are constantly plagued by telemarketers, still have not put their name on the list stating that the "government doesn't need our phone number". I decided it couldn't be all that bad. This is America, right? So disliking telemarketers more than I do the current Republican administration I signed up.

Telemarketing is a way of direct marketing where a salesperson uses the telephone to persuade you to buy something . Telemarketing can also include recorded sales pitches used a lot by political candidates to 'sell' themselves.

I have to admit that during the PRE-- 'Do Not Call List' period I had LOTS of telemarketing calls. Calls about credit cards. Calls about credit. Calls about vacation time-share properties. Calls about magazine subscriptions. Calls surveying other calls! My number of telemarketing phone calls AFTER signing up for the 'Do Not Call Registry' plummeted. I was so lonely after that, let me tell you!

When the 'Do Not Call List' expires in June the numbers of people who have not re-enrolled will start to automatically be dropped off. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wrote the five-year expiration date into the program in case people changed their number or moved and switched area codes.

Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., has an opposing opinion of the expiration dates of the 'Do Not Call List' he says that citizens should not have to resort to placing their name on the 'Do Not Call Registry' or to re-register before an expiration date to keep telemarketers at bay. Doyle has proposed legislation, with bipartisan support, which would make registration on the 'Do Not Call Registry' permanent. In his words, "When someone takes the time and effort to say 'I don't want these kinds of calls coming into my house,' they shouldn't have to keep a calendar to find out when they have to re-up to keep this nuisance from happening," Doyle said in an interview. He has a point, and the expiration date is null when you realize that phone numbers no longer in use are dumped off the list each month by the FTC.

Take matters into your hands! Comedian, Jim Florentine has an alternative way to rid you of any telemarketer annoyance. Try an idea from one of his hilarious skits with real telemarketers unexpectedly phoning into a telemarketer's nightmarish trap. You (and the telemarketer) might laugh out loud at comedian Jim Florentine's 'Terrorizing Telemarketer's ideas! Go to comedian Jim Florentine's website and use one of his 'Terrorizing Telemarketer's ideas.

By the way, if you would like to get on the 'Do Not Call List' it is a cinch to sign up. Just go to the website: www.donotcall.gov and they'll fix you right up. Fill in the fields on the registration form and submit your info. The Federal Trade Commission will then send you an email with a link to click on for confirmation of your wishes. You can also call the toll-free number at 1-888-382-1222. A representative will take your information over the phone.