Date: Mon, May 29, 2000 11:10 PM
Subject: Telemarketing Review

Re: FTC File No. P994414

To: FTC representative,

Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the Telemarketing Sales Rule and telemarketing in general. To be perfectly honest I don't know what the Rule is but I do have many problems with telemarketers. The majority of them are not rude. Yes, I have had the occasional one who hangs up on you, and I even had one who kept calling me back for about 20 minutes after I refused their services at the first call. At most, they won't take no for an answer. But may I say to you in the strongest way that TELEMARKETERS AND TELEMARKETING ARE AN INTRUSION IN MY LIFE AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS TO WHOM I HAVE TALKED.

I, and I'm sure most people in my area, are deluged with calls morning, noon, and night seven days a week. I am a stay-at-home mom with two small children and often I am bathing, feeding, or teaching my children when the sellers call. I like to answer the phone directly in case it is someone I know, and I should not have to put my calls on the answering machine when I am home. Their calls, which outnumber my personal calls, are as obtrusive as surely as someone ringing my doorbell, and most people don't ignore the doorbell.

The daily volume of these sales calls is so excessive that I literally feel like a victim in my own home; and the amount of calls is only going to get worse in the future. Plese, please outlaw telemarketing. Companies can use other methods to sell their products. They shouldn't be allowed to innundate my home. Consumers should have their wishes granted since the sellers are coming into our homes, so to speak. Telephones have been the most important modern invention to date, even more that the computer; and the business practice of cold calling has resulted in great anger by people who stay at home frequently. It is not fair that this is a legal practice. Please end this practice, I do not see any other solution.

I would appreciate any response that you may have. My name is Mary Biagiotti and my email address is Biagiott@aol.com. Thank you so very much for this forum.