Qld: Australia says 'no means no' to telemarketing calls

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2006
Qld: Australia says 'no means no' to telemarketing calls

By Johanna Leggatt

BRISBANE, April 7 AAP - Australian households have finally had enough.

The pervasive, nightly calls from telemarketers have taken their toll on the nation's
patience, prompting the federal government to announce a free national "do not call" register
to come into effect next year.

Under legislation expected to be put before federal parliament in June, telemarketers
who revert to their old, cold-calling ways face hefty fines up to $220,000.

Standards will also apply across the industry to telemarketers making legitimate calls.

These laws are expected to include a ban on any phone calls after 8pm (AEST) on weekdays
and 5pm on weekends and the companies will be required to immediately terminate calls
if requested.

However, it's not entirely a consumer's paradise.

Groups who fall under the wide brim of "specified public interest bodies" - political
lobbyists, opinion pollsters, charities, market researchers and religious bodies - will
be exempt from the "do not call" register.

This exemption list has left consumer advocates a little nervous telemarketers will
outsmart the laws, leaving Australians just as harassed and reluctant to answer the phone
during the evening.

"If you have a situation where a business tries to pass themselves off as an exempt
body, then that may be a problem," said Alison So, policy officer of IT and Telecommunications
with the Australian Consumers' Association.

"Consumers in general find this kind of calling annoying; it is a major nuisance to them."

Ms So has heard countless tales of people's dealings with the $9 billion telemarketing
industry, many of whom have come off second best.

"We get retirees emailing us asking what they should do about the large number of calls
they are fielding," she said.

"Some people, single mums for example who may be home all day, get up to 15 calls a day."

Whatever the rate of calls, the scourge of phone spamming is familiar to most Australians,
many of whom have chosen to not answer home phones unless they have caller identification.

Opting for a silent phone number may not make that much difference either, according
to Ms So, who said companies may still be able to access the number if the person residing
in the house before you did not list silently.

The tenacious qualities of the telemarketers is not confined to Australia's shores either.

Both the United States and the United Kingdom have moved in recent years to introduce
"do not call" registers.

It has been eagerly taken up by consumers in both areas, with more than 55 million
people signing up in the US and around eight million declaring their home a telemarketing
free zone in the UK.

It is expected around one million households in Australia will follow suit.

However, Australian Direct Marketing Association chief executive Rob Edwards said companies
would not stop in their attempts to reach consumers.

"In the UK there are no exemptions available for any companies and as a result the
streets are littered with business and charities attempting to reach people that way,"

said Mr Edwards.

"My feeling is that perhaps they will start mailing things instead or even people will
return to door knocking.

"But companies need to seek out business, that in itself is understandable, so it will
just be funnelled elsewhere."

The fact that some companies are aggressively seeking out their business over the phone
in a manner unheard of 10 or 15 years ago, is attributable to technology, according to
Mr Edwards.

"It is so much harder to reach consumers now because of their sheer amount of technology,
so businesses are finding ways to to cut through the clutter."

While Mr Edwards may front a group representing the interests of direct marketers,
he has enormous sympathy for those who have to deal with aggressive salespeople.

"I'm in this job but when I go home, I'm a consumer as well," he said.

"And frankly it's just poor business to harass and annoy people if you want them to
buy your product."

As for how Ms So handles it, she recommends stating calmly but firmly to the telemarketer
that you do not take part in telemarketing and ask them never to call you again.

If they persist, make a complaint to the Department of Fair Trading.

Or wait until 2007 rolls around.

AAP jtl/sc/nf

KEYWORD: TELEMARKETERS (AAP BACKGROUNDER)

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