[LINK] Opt out - and the call centre keeps ringing

[David Boxall]

When I put my details on the Do Not Call register, telemarketing calls 
dropped off markedly.  Lately, however, they're back with a vengeance.  
Thank God I kept my answering machine.
<http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2008/12/07/1228584656044.html>
> AUSTRALIANS still receive an average of 8.5 telemarketing calls a 
> month 18 months after the Federal government set up its "Do Not Call" 
> register ...
> And the value of the time wasted on the unsolicited calls is almost 
> $1.6 billion a year.
> ... those on the register received fewer calls, seven a month; those 
> not on it received 10 a month. The register appeared to have cut the 
> volume of telemarketing calls by 30 per cent.
...
>
> "Some people experienced a strong physical reaction to the calls. 
> Their heart sank and they felt rotten in the pit of their stomach," Dr 
> Fear said.
>
> "These reactions signify the depth of feeling about telemarketing."
>
> One person reported smashing the phone down so hard while the 
> telemarketer was still on the line that he broke it.
>
> The online survey of 1000 people found that two in three Australians 
> believed telemarketing should be banned.
>
> People used descriptions including "violated", "totally fed up and 
> invaded" and "frustrated and angry" to say how they reacted to the 
> unsolicited calls, usually received around dinner time. ...

Time for a total (and I mean *TOTAL*) ban on telemarketing?
 
 
-- 
David Boxall                    |  Dogs look up to us
                                |  And cats look down on us
                                |  But pigs treat us as equals
                                                   --Winston Churchill