Cell Phone Spam - A Tele-Marketing Loophole?

If there is any justice in the world, people who create spam not only deserve a long prison term, but classes on etiquette. CellPhoneCarriers.com has never purchased anything from a Tele-Marketer, spam email, or even those annoying in your face internet pop-ups. We even believe that employees of CellPhoneCarriers.com were one of first few to sign up for the governments Do Not Call list. So you can imagine our new concern regarding cell phone spam.

With the Federal Communications Commission [FCC] launching its wireless number portability rules on Nov. 24, it’s likely that most phone customers will be able to keep the same number when they switch from regular landline (home number) to wireless service. When this happens, Tele-Marketers unquestionably will start reaching people via their cell phones instead of home numbers without fear or restrictions.

The new law of "wireless number portability" cell phone numbers will in no time be under attack by Tele-Marketers. "What other road can they take", states Kathleen Conetta, one of the 51 million people who signed up under the do not call registry this past summer for her home number. "I already can’t keep them from calling my cell phone. I have to give my number out because I own a real estate business and I am always on the go. There are many times I wonder if any vendors I regularly use have sold the number out, but there is no way around this with out laws regulating Tele-Marketers calling wireless phones".

Is it illegal for Tele-Marketers to call cell phones? Apparently not. Law makers are trying to put a stop to it already. It's against the law for Tele-Marketing companies to call people on their cell phones through an automated dialer though, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t allowed to dial numbers by hand. Predictive dialers (automated) filter out busy signals, voicemail, and no-answers, while those who answer the phone are put through to a live Tele-Marketers. This enables Tele-Marketers to be further productive with their sales.

So what's the big deal? Well, it could become one. Cellular calls are different than tele-marketing calls at home in one aspect; cellular calls are charged by usage. All calls or text messages to cell phones cost money for each minute used or each message written, irregardless if it’s a Tele-Marketer or your office contacting you. You’re paying a certain amount of money for so many minutes. Then they call you going on and on with their sales pitch as you try to say you’re not interested. This could add up to quite a few minutes unwillingly used off your plan. When a Tele-Marketer calls you on your cell phone, there is a good chance your going to answer it and they know it. That means the sales pitches will find you anywhere you are.

What can you do? Under the Do Not Call law proposed by the FCC, if someone calls you and you don't want them to contact you again insist on getting their name and have them put you on their do not call list. You have the right to receive their name and be placed on their list or they are subject to fines and penalties under FCC regulations. You can file complaints with the FCC and possibly register your cell number on the Do Not Call list.

Note: CellPhoneCarriers.com has no association with the FCC Do Not Call list. CellPhoneCarriers.com is on the list and recommend anyone who wishes to eliminate unwanted Tele-Marketer calls also sign up for the free program.