Why are telemarketers so annoying

Receive full access to our market insights, commentary, newsletters, breaking news alerts, and more. I agree to TheMaven's Terms and Policy. NEW YORK MainStreet -- The Federal Communications Commission recently announced rules intended to cut down on automated "robocalls" from telemarketing companies, and while those rules will go into effect during the next 12 months, you may be surprised to know there are already rules in place to restrict when and how telemarketers can call you.

When they break those rules, you can file a complaint with the FCC , a process made even easier with a free mobile app for Android and BlackBerry phones called PrivacyStar , which allows you to make the complaint quickly from your smartphone. TheStreet Recommends. By TheStreet Staff. By Scott Rutt. In general, robocalls and robotexts to mobile phones require prior consent and calls to landlines are allowed without prior consent. But there are exceptions detailed below.

Political campaign-related autodialed or prerecorded voice calls, including autodialed live calls, autodialed texts, and prerecorded voice messages, are prohibited to cell phones, pagers or other mobile devices without the called party's prior express consent. The same restrictions apply to protected phone lines such as emergency or toll-free lines, or lines serving hospitals or similar facilities.

Political campaign-related autodialed or prerecorded voice calls are permitted when made to landline telephones, even without prior express consent. All prerecorded voice message calls, campaign-related and otherwise, must include certain identification information:.

Robotexts — text messages generated through autodialing — are also considered a type of call and fall under all robocall rules. As text messages generally go to mobile phones, robotexts require the called party's prior express consent. Campaigns should also honor opt-out requests if you reply "STOP.

Call blocking is a tool used by phone companies to stop illegal and unwanted calls from reaching your phone. A recent FCC report found that by partnering with third-party analytics companies, providers are able to block billions of unwanted calls to American consumers each year. Phone companies sometimes block calls connected to suspicious calling patterns proactively for their customers. Many phone companies also enable their customers to block additional unwanted calls by enrolling in a service or installing an app.

Consumers can also adjust certain settings on their phone, sign up with a third-party service, or download a third-party app to block suspected unwanted calls.

Depending on your service provider, a blocked call may go straight to your voicemail, you may hear a single ring and get caller ID information from the blocked call, or you may get no notice at all. Many phone companies are taking advantage of FCC rules that allow consumers to be enrolled automatically in call blocking services, but you can opt-out if you are concerned about missing wanted calls.

A number of companies also offer call labeling to help consumers determine which calls they want to answer. Labeling services display categories for potentially unwanted or illegal calls such as "spam" or "scam likely" on the caller ID display.

Contact your phone company to learn more about the blocking and labeling solutions that may be available to protect you from unwanted and illegal calls. There may also be apps you can download for your mobile device — at little or no cost — to block or label potential spam calls. The FCC does not endorse any products or services listed, and is not responsible for the content, accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of non-FCC websites. The national Do Not Call list protects landline and wireless phone numbers.

You can register your numbers on the national Do Not Call list at no cost by calling voice or TTY. You must call from the phone number you wish to register. You can also register at donotcall. Telemarketers must remove your numbers from their call lists and stop calling you within 31 days from the date you register. Your numbers will remain on the list until you remove them or discontinue service — there is no need to re-register numbers.

Under FCC rules, telemarketers calling your home must provide their name along with the name, telephone number, and address where their employer or contractor can be contacted. Telemarketing calls to your home are prohibited before 8 am or after 9 pm, and telemarketers are required to comply immediately with any do-not-call request you make during a call. Whether you are on the National Do Not Call Registry or not, tell unwanted callers that you do not consent to the call and to put you on their internal do not call list.

Make a record of the caller's number and when you made your request not to be called, and file a complaint with the FCC if the caller does not comply with your request. A telephone solicitation is a telephone call that acts as an advertisement. However, some phone solicitations are permissible under FCC rules, including: calls or messages placed with your express prior permission, by or on behalf of a tax-exempt non-profit organization, or from a person or organization.

However, having an established business relationship no longer meets the rules for permissible unsolicited calls to your landline phone. Companies and telemarketers must have your express permission to call. Additionally, many states now have statewide do-not-call lists for residents. Contact your state's public service commission or consumer protection office to see if your state has such a list, and to find out how to register your number or numbers.

For contact information for your state public service commission, check the government listings or blue pages of your local phone directory. Not so fast. They use it because it works. But slapping crappy practices on a useful tool is always going to result in bad ROI. With caller ID, automatic dialing software, and number spoofing, things have gotten harder for legit telemarketers who want to differentiate themselves from the scammers and do real business over the phone.

They have to adapt to changing conditions by adopting new best practices. Most companies shy away from contracting with local call centers because outsourcing your calling or moving your call center overseas can save money on office overhead and caller wages. Your callers have one method of communicating. More friction results in fewer conversions.

You want your callers to make as many successful calls as possible in the least amount of time. Reducing friction and getting the callers what they need are integral to your success. Leads should be more than a bunch of names, email addresses, or phone numbers on a page. They should have real humans matched to those names and numbers.