Complaints against telemarketers appear to be pouring in to the Federal Trade Commission as the number of registrants to its do-not-call list tops 53 million.

Some 15,000 complaints had been received within six days of setting up a system Oct. 11 to accept consumer complaints about telemarketing calls. Consumers reported that telemarketers continued to call them despite the fact that they had registered to be on the list, which took effect Oct. 1. Complaints have since grown to 18,000, a FTC spokesperson said yesterday.

But as consumers were registering complaints, not all telemarketers had been able to access the list for a short period of time as court proceedings threw the administration of the registry into legal limbo. It was made available again Oct. 10.

Telemarketers that had accessed the list were required to comply and as of Oct. 17 all telemarketers—except those exempt—were required to obey the restriction. As of Oct. 15, nearly 21,000 organizations had accessed the registry. Telemarketers can be fined up to $11,000 per violation.

Despite the confusion, the FTC said it will take the complaints seriously and will make them available to more than 800 law enforcement agencies, including the offices of all state Attorneys General, the FTC said.

“We track trends and complaints,” the spokesperson said. “We’ll notice certain telemarketing companies coming up more than once and we’ll send an investigator out to look into the matter. There is no magic number—20 complaints against one company or one—it really depends on a case by case basis how everything is going to be investigated.”

Telemarketers began accessing the registry Sept. 2 through a FTC Web site, www.telemarketing.donotcall.gov.

An appeals court continues to weight the constitutionality of the registry because it applies to calls from for-profit businesses but not non-profit marketers.

Complaints against telemarketers appear to be pouring in to the Federal Trade Commission as the number of registrants to its do-not-call list tops 53 million.

Some 15,000 complaints had been received within six days of setting up a system Oct. 11 to accept consumer complaints about telemarketing calls. Consumers reported that telemarketers continued to call them despite the fact that they had registered to be on the list, which took effect Oct. 1. Complaints have since grown to 18,000, a FTC spokesperson said yesterday.

But as consumers were registering complaints, not all telemarketers had been able to access the list for a short period of time as court proceedings threw the administration of the registry into legal limbo. It was made available again Oct. 10.

Telemarketers that had accessed the list were required to comply and as of Oct. 17 all telemarketers—except those exempt—were required to obey the restriction. As of Oct. 15, nearly 21,000 organizations had accessed the registry. Telemarketers can be fined up to $11,000 per violation.

Despite the confusion, the FTC said it will take the complaints seriously and will make them available to more than 800 law enforcement agencies, including the offices of all state Attorneys General, the FTC said.

“We track trends and complaints,” the spokesperson said. “We’ll notice certain telemarketing companies coming up more than once and we’ll send an investigator out to look into the matter. There is no magic number—20 complaints against one company or one—it really depends on a case by case basis how everything is going to be investigated.”

Telemarketers began accessing the registry Sept. 2 through a FTC Web site, www.telemarketing.donotcall.gov.

An appeals court continues to weight the constitutionality of the registry because it applies to calls from for-profit businesses but not non-profit marketers.