| Comment Number: | OL-105559 |
| Received: | 12/2/2004 12:45:41 AM |
| Organization: | |
| Commenter: | James Sinnamon |
| State: | TX |
| Subject: | Trade Regulation Rule on Telemarketing Sales |
| Title: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment |
| CFR Citation: | 16 CFR Part 310 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
The commission's rules on telemarketing are far to lenient already. There is no excuse for weakening them further. Telephone contact is intrusive and telemarketing wastes the time of an innocent consumer for the benefit of a business. The only real check on the abuse of the telephone by telemarketers is the cost. Allowing them to use recordings reduces their costs and prevents the consumer from providing appropriate negative feedback on this obnoxious practice. The practice of call abandoment is similar in that it allows a business to waste the time of an innocent party in order to reduce its costs. If a business decides to interrupt the activites of one of its (soon to be former) customers, the least it can do is make sure that the call is properly completed and that a representative of the business is on the line to listen to the customer's reaction. The proposed rule changes would result in a cost shifting from business to consumers. This is unacceptable. If the commission were to modify any of its rules, I suggest that it remove the exemption from the do not call list that politicians currently receive.