Re: Loose Cannon: An Anticipated Wreck, (Direct Newsline, August 8, 2007:
Personally I have signed up for the do-not-call list four times since it started. But there was never an option to cancel the previous number I signed up when I went in to sign up my new ones. So my old numbers are still on the list, along with the new ones.
Which ultimately means that the new person who gets assigned that number is automatically on the DNC registry, whether they care or not. So, perhaps if a consumer has already registered, they should be required to un-register the original/previous numbers that you put on the list when you are adding new ones. Just an idea.
And perhaps when you are done with the registration process, they could provide you with a receipt that shows all the numbers registered under that one email address, with buttons that says “UNREGISTER” next to each number. Because frankly, people forget what they did a year ago, or two or three years ago, and if something is easy and takes no time at all a lot of people would just go ahead and do it.
I liked your suggestions about being able to pick market categories that you wanted to block from calling you. I HATE telemarketing calls, which is why I’m on the registry in the first place, but I only hate them because they are 99% irrelevant to my life or needs/wants, thus a waste of my time. But there are certainly a few calls I would allow to get through if the call topic or product was relevant to me. So if I could pick categories I would. Great idea!
Katinka Partridge
Account Executive
Name-Finders Lists, Inc.
San Francisco,
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An Anticipated Wreck…(as in) Bill Babowsky: Are you a lunatic? Are you tellin’ me that you didn’t see me comin’ out of this lot? There’s a red light there for cryin’ out loud! You’re supposed to stop!
Would I be able to reject calls from aluminum siding salespeople in general but allow solicitations from Richard Dreyfuss (Bill Babowsky in Tin Men) for Honda or Americans for National Parks?
Phil Claiborne
Director of Circulation
(The) Elks Magazine
Chicago, IL
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Not a good day to start the week with Direct Newsline.
Levey warns that trouble is coming because of the unintended consequences of passing a Do Not Call act that does not provide for moves and changes of phone numbers, and that every name on the database will be gone and invalid in five years.
Gene Del Polito warns us that the wizards at the Post Office may try to slip in one more new postal rate increase under the old standards, in spite of the clear intentions of Congress in 2006 to make postal rates rise only in relation to the consumer price index.
And I just now bought my new laptop from Dell because of the ability to purchase directly on the telephone, and to talk to them about problems, only to find out that they’re closing a call center in Texas to cut expenses. The man who took my earlier this year order said he was in Texas, and “we have 5,000 employees here.” Now make that 4,500 and counting.
At least they weren’t taking orders in New Delhi.
Fred Morath
Fred Morath Direct Marketing
Natick, MA
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