Posted on 03/01/2005 5:36:09 PM PST by BigSkyFreeper
WASHINGTON - The government proposed a $770,000 fine on Tuesday against a mortgage company for allegedly calling people who put their telephone numbers on the federal do-not-call registry.
The Federal Communications Commission said the penalty against Phoenix-based Dynasty Mortgage, L.L.C. was the first imposed for apparent violations of national do-not call rules designed to curb telemarketing abuse.
The FCC cited Dynasty Mortgage for 70 alleged violations. A maximum fine of $11,000 was imposed for instance because the company allegedly continued to make telemarketing calls after receiving a warning from the FCC, the five-member commission ruled in a unanimous decision.
"Further, the company apparently misinformed consumers that it was exempt from these commission rules," the FCC said.
Dynasty Mortgage has 30 days to pay or file an appeal. The company's president, Curtis White, said he would appeal and was confident the fine would be reversed.
White noted that his company had extensive systems to try to ensure that any do-not-call numbers are not called. Some calls may have been made mistakenly because of a "flaw in the system" and the company was working to fix the problem, he added.
"We have all systems in place to abide by the rules," White said. "Our goal is to make sure the FCC is happy."
The registry, established in October 2003, is the government's attempt to safeguard personal privacy and reduce telemarketing calls.
More than 69 million phone numbers are registered in the program that is administered by both the FCC and the Federal Trade Commission. The law forbids businesses from calling people who sign up for the registry — unless they have recently done business with them.
Charities, pollsters and callers on behalf of politicians, are exempt.
The FCC alleged that Dynasty Mortgage made the 70 calls to 50 homes in Arizona and California between March 2, 2004, and this past Jan. 20.
But the FCC says it began getting complaints earlier and asked the company to respond to 114 complaints by November 2003, just a month after the registry was established. The FCC issued a warning to Dynasty Mortgage in December 2003.
People can register their phone numbers or file complaints at www.donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222.
Die nasty Mortgage
Let's see, violate the law; get busted for doing something illegal, then continue on doing it... I'd say $770,000 in fines, and another $230,000 for stupidity. One Million is just a nice round number.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.