Telemarketers on the ropes

CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER ^ | 8/11/2003 | Lance Williams

[xrp]

Popular do-not-call list bringing industry to its knees

Aug. 11 — In the past three months, the hallways at Groesbeck-based Tel-A-Sell Marketing Inc. have become a lot less crowded. CEO Edd O’Connor has been forced to trim his telemarketing staff from 72 to 18.

“I WAS RUNNING a full house earlier this year,” said O’Connor, who also serves as president of the American Teleservices Association’s Great Lakes Chapter, which covers Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan.

One of the big reason for the cuts: the chilling effects of the National Do Not Call Registry and other similar efforts in statehouses across the country.

A month into the sign-ups for the federal Do Not Call list, nearly 30 million phone numbers across the United States have been registered for the list. That number could double by the time the list takes effect on Oct. 1.

The ATA, which is challenging the list in court, said the national list could eventually cause more than 2 million lost telemarketing jobs. The ATA estimated that telemarketers are responsible for $660 billion in sales. The combined effects of do-not-call lists and the movement of jobs overseas have left the industry ailing.

“It’s going to cause significant business problems for this industry,” said O’Connor, who said he expects a pickup in business in early fall. “We’ve got to step back and regroup.”

[rockfish59]

Hmmm, I got a telephone to do this:

'Hi! I was calling to see how much for brake pads for a '78 Mailibu?'
'Hi! Can you tell me what time the movie starts?'
'Hi! How late are you open til?'
'Hi! Do you deliver?'
'Hi! Can you check to see if my pictures are back?'

NOT this:

Rinnnnng! (Delay)...'Can I speak to the man of the house? Would you be interested in donating to the Firemen's concert?' (And these guys won't take no for an answer, and really pissed me off!)

Rinnnnng! (Delay) 'Hi! Can I speak to Mr. Smith? I'm calling to ask if you'd be interested in 3 months 'free' subscription to the 'Daily Crud?'

Rinnnnng! (delay) 'Mr. Smith please! Hi, Mr. Smith! Joe Schmuckola from Qwest and I'd like to tell you about our 'free' long distance sign up!'

Rinnnnng! (Delay) 'Hello, is this Mr. Smith? We were wondering if you'd like to donate to 'Save The Children?'

Rinnnnng! (Delay) 'Hello is this Mr. Smith? We were wonfering if you'd take a few minutes to take our survey?'

And of course, it's all repeated the very next week.
Since I don't get too many calls I just shut the damned ringer off. Wow! Talk about peace & quiet!!
I suppose I'll soon sign on to the 'Don't Call Me Ya' Jerk' list!

[rockfish59]

Hmmm, I got a telephone to do this:

'Hi! I was calling to see how much for brake pads for a '78 Mailibu?'
'Hi! Can you tell me what time the movie starts?'
'Hi! How late are you open til?'
'Hi! Do you deliver?'
'Hi! Can you check to see if my pictures are back?'

NOT this:

Rinnnnng! (Delay)...'Can I speak to the man of the house? Would you be interested in donating to the Firemen's concert?' (And these guys won't take no for an answer, and really pissed me off!)

Rinnnnng! (Delay) 'Hi! Can I speak to Mr. Smith? I'm calling to ask if you'd be interested in 3 months 'free' subscription to the 'Daily Crud?'

Rinnnnng! (delay) 'Mr. Smith please! Hi, Mr. Smith! Joe Schmuckola from Qwest and I'd like to tell you about our 'free' long distance sign up!'

Rinnnnng! (Delay) 'Hello, is this Mr. Smith? We were wondering if you'd like to donate to 'Save The Children?'

Rinnnnng! (Delay) 'Hello is this Mr. Smith? We were wonfering if you'd take a few minutes to take our survey?'

And of course, it's all repeated the very next week.
Since I don't get too many calls I just shut the damned ringer off. Wow! Talk about peace & quiet!!
I suppose I'll soon sign on to the 'Don't Call Me Ya' Jerk' list!

[rockfish59]

Hmmm, I got a telephone to do this:

'Hi! I was calling to see how much for brake pads for a '78 Mailibu?'
'Hi! Can you tell me what time the movie starts?'
'Hi! How late are you open til?'
'Hi! Do you deliver?'
'Hi! Can you check to see if my pictures are back?'

NOT this:

Rinnnnng! (Delay)...'Can I speak to the man of the house? Would you be interested in donating to the Firemen's concert?' (And these guys won't take no for an answer, and really pissed me off!)

Rinnnnng! (Delay) 'Hi! Can I speak to Mr. Smith? I'm calling to ask if you'd be interested in 3 months 'free' subscription to the 'Daily Crud?'

Rinnnnng! (delay) 'Mr. Smith please! Hi, Mr. Smith! Joe Schmuckola from Qwest and I'd like to tell you about our 'free' long distance sign up!'

Rinnnnng! (Delay) 'Hello, is this Mr. Smith? We were wondering if you'd like to donate to 'Save The Children?'

Rinnnnng! (Delay) 'Hello is this Mr. Smith? We were wonfering if you'd take a few minutes to take our survey?'

And of course, it's all repeated the very next week.
Since I don't get too many calls I just shut the damned ringer off. Wow! Talk about peace & quiet!!
I suppose I'll soon sign on to the 'Don't Call Me Ya' Jerk' list!

[rockfish59]

Stupid got-damned dial up piece of crap!!

[xrp]

Did you ever think of turning OFF the phone ringer during dinner or simply not answering?

American legislation won't stop email spammers from Tonga and Kyrgyzistan.

Just another big government lover, I guess.

[xrp]

This one is! The more of these )&*$#$^%#&(&* bastards are broke and hungry, the happier I'll be.

Glad to see that you support putting your fellow Americans out of a job by using the federal government. It is amazing how a simple annoyance in life exposes the fake conservatives for the big government lovers that they are.

[xrp]

I'm not smoking anything. Plus, those are the original author's numbers I am quoting. Why don't you email him and ask him your smartass (yet stupid) question?

[xrp]

Junk mail? I choose a time in which to go check my mail, and when to deal with what is in the mailbox. which includes throwing away anything they have paid for, like envelopes, postage and such, unlike my monthly phone service.

Home phone? You choose a time in which to answer the phone and deal with whomever is on the other end ot he line, which includes hanging up, cussing at them or making jokes at them. CHOOSING to answer the phone takes less time than it does to walk to your mailbox and retrieve the mail.

[xrp]

Nope, I shouldn't have to pay one red cent to keep these leeches from intruding into my personal time and home all the while they are calling me on my phone... which I pay for.

Have you ever had a cookout where mosquitos or other insects flew around and bothered you? These insects are intruding into YOUR personal time on YOUR personal property and YOU didn't invite them. Maybe you should persue legislation against mosquitos.

[xrp]

Please enlighten me as to how legislation will stop email spammers. I've GOT to read this.

[xrp]

Please tell me who is holding the gun to your head FORCING you to answer the phone and listen to the person. I will call 911 for you and have your government police agents come rescue you.

[xrp]

That does not make sense. It's not a simple annoyance. Why should I be troubled in my own home by some idiotic voice? You say hang up? Well, that means I've wasted my time running to the phone and picking it up and slamming it down. Caller ID? Well, what if someone who's number I don't have is calling? Or, if I let the telemarketer keep ringing and holding up my line? Answering machine? You mean I have to delay important calls just for these jokers??

Give me a break. The "...my own home" statement is invalid. You do not have to have a phone. You do not have to answer the phone. You can turn the ringer off and you'll never even know that people have called. You can make outgoing calls only.

If taking the .37 seconds to hang up the phone is wasting your time then you certainly are anal. If you have someone calling whose number you don't have then they can hit the answering machine and you can call them back. Or if the telemarketer keeps ringing and holding up the line, well that is harrassment for which you can file charges. I'd be pretty entertained, though, if you could actually produce an example of a telemarketer constantly dialing your phone # during even a half hour period. You don't have to delay important calls, just hang up on the previous caller, wait for dial tone and dial. Using the phone is hard isn't it? Here's a hint, if you have the phone off the hook preparing to dial, someone can't connect an incoming call to you. AMAZING isn't it?

[xrp]

garandgal says, "HEEEEEEEEEEELP MR GOVERNMENT, PUHLEASE rescue me from the salespeople, PUHLEASE! I am too lazy and incompetent to deal with it myself, I need the government to intervene."

Obviously you're voting for Gephardt, right?

[from occupied ga]

I flat don't believe this -- the number is overstated by 1,999,990 or so.

No absolutely not true. The overstatement is only 1,999,900.

[xrp]

No, we (the true conservatives in this thread) are saying that the choice to have a phone has potential consequences. If you can't live with the consequences (an annoying phone call here or there) maybe you aren't adult enough to handle the responsibility of participating in a nationwide phone network.

I had a local phone line through Bellsouth several times. I had no additions (call waiting, caller ID, etc) and I had maybe 1-2 telemarketers a night...average of 3 nights a week. It took a total of 2 minutes of my time to rid myself of those calls. But I guess that some people (non-conservatives) are more inclined to have the nanny state protect them instead of them taking action on their own. Keep bringing the legislation you big government lovers!

[Overtaxed]

I guess I should force the government to create a large, unaccountable bureaucracy to have a "No Mail" list.

Ain't gonna happen. Junk mailers more or less subsidise the Postal Service.

[Oberon]

A simple annoyance that can be remedied by hanging up, using caller ID or an answering machine is going to result on a bunch more people drawing unemployment checks.

Hey, the recreational drug distribution industry pours tons of money into this nation's poorest communities every day. All YOU have to do if offered drugs is "just say no."

Do you want the drug dealers on your block? It's good for the economy, after all...

[xrp]

You should hit the WoD threads with that, but legalization and commercialization of drugs would put the street dealers out of business.

[Pablo64]

Sorry, but I've got to disagree with you. Telemarketers have no right to intrude on my life just to try and sell me crap I don't want or need. I should not have to be the one who screens for them. Why should I be forced to pay for extra services like caller ID just to avoid them? As to all those jobs being lost, well, I'm never happy to see someone out of work, but hey, that's the market place. People don't want to be harassed by telemarketers and so they will go the way of the buggy whip manufacturers after the advent of the automobile. That's life in a free market. There are other jobs out there (granted, most of them won't let you sit on your but and eat junk food and drink soda while calling people during their dinner hours) and they are free to persue other employment.

[TankerKC]

The ATA, which is challenging the list in court, said the national list could eventually cause more than 2 million lost telemarketing jobs.

So?