I’ve been a Tracfone customer for years, and my opinion of them has just taken a drastic hit. They lied to me about why they wanted my home telephone number, and then they chose to market to it. I’m on the National Do Not Call list for a reason. Yes, I have a business relationship with Tracfone, but keep this up and we won’t! Telemarketing is unacceptable!

Actually, getting the Tracfone junk mail is frustrating too. They used to send out mailings with the address printed in a font that looks like handwriting. Deceptive!

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I filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission via the Do Not Call web site.

If you don’t quite believe what the professor says, listen to what Virginia Beach Police Department Officer George Bruch says in rebuttal: Don’t talk to the Police.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) just defeated an attempt to pass the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which would have provided immunity to telecommunications companies who cooperated with the Bush administration’s secret wiretapping program. But the bill will be back in January, so don’t get complacent.

And you know what? This loser will make some money off of it, because a few people out there will leave their info and refinance through his company. The guideline to stop this kind of predator: Never buy anything from any unsolicited advertising! That goes for fax, email, phone calls, mail. If people would stop feeding the sharks, the sharks will go away. But enough people out there don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings, or are lonely, or aren’t too bright; that they fall for this stuff. Stop it!

I have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, for all the good it will do. I’m on the Do Not Call list.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t apply to perverts!” – Any censor, any time, any place.

I have an unlisted phone number on my home phone. I pay $1.71 (plus tax) per month for this privilege. That’s over $20 a year to prevent the phone company (Bell Atlantic) from selling my name to other companies. Having a nonpublished, unlisted number definitely keeps your privacy intact. The only invasive calls I get are either for the person who had my number before me; or are randomly dialed.

Know your rights about telephone solicitation. Businesses can only call you between 8am and 9pm in your time zone. They must send you a copy of their solicitation policy if you ask for a copy. They also must stop calling you if you ask to be placed on their “Do-Not-Call” list. If they call you again later, you can sue them in small claims court for $500. And you wil generally win if you can show who talked with on what date.

What I’m thinking about doing if things get out of hand is to get “Ident-a-ring” on my phone line. This service (how can it be a service if I have to pay for it?) fromBell Atlantic gives you a second phone number on your regular phone line. Whenever someone calls that number, your phone will ring differently from a regular phone call. Give the second number out to family and friends. Only answer the phone if that is the ring that occurs. If the “normal” phone rings, let thte answering machine get it. Keep the second number unlisted and unpublished. Keep the primary number listed. Then in case of an emergency, directory assistance will still be able to give out your number.

A company down in Alabama has created a database of phone numbers that match up to names and addresses. They sell this database to businesses so that as soon as you call a company, they can figure out how to handle your call. But the only number that will show up on their computer screen will be the public number. Later when they try to sell to that number, your answer machine will pick it up.