Comcast Fined $900k, DirecTV $2.3 M For Do Not Call Violations
The FTC has announced that Comcast and DIRECTV, will be paying some fines for ignoring Do Not Call regulations. Ouch.
"In both of these cases, DIRECTV and Comcast violated consumers' privacy by calling people who specifically had asked these companies not to call them again," said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz.
Snap! That's not allowed.
Here's how the Do Not Call list works.
1) If you're on it, companies you don't have a business relationship with can't call you.
2) If you have a business relationship with a company, they can contact you, unless you specifically ask them not to.
3) Even if you are not on the Do Not Call list and you ask a company not to call you, they can't call you.
Some telemarketers are exempt (charities, for example), but if your cable company is pulling this crap, report them to the FTC.
FTC: Comcast, DIRECTV to pay for "Do Not Call" violations [Consumer Reports]
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Comments:
This made my day. Thanks Consumerist.
I get the Comcast calls ALL the time. Guess what? I already subscribe to them. They're calling me to sell me something I already have.
Dumb asses.
(On top of that I am on the "Do not call list" already.)
Yippee! That explains the lack of calls from a certain phone number.
Great, now if they can go after the hucksters selling car warranties and debt reduction "help" via unsolicited phone calls...
awesome, so now my cable bill will go up 5 dollars a month to cover "regulatory costs"
[nelson] HAW-ha! [/nelson]
I think newspapers are on the exception list too.
I hate those police charity calls: "Can I put you down for $100? No? Well surely you can afford $50. Really? Well, I'm absolutely positive you can spare $25. $20? $10? Hello?"
I've been the victim of annoying promo calls (particularly for their crappy, overpriced phone service) but somehow the message must have gotten across, because they haven't called in quite a while.
Nice to see the system actually work for a change!
@Justin Barbieri: Yeah, I just logged in to post a comment to that effect. Looks like we'll all be seeing increased/new fees in the near future.
I never get these, but I always get those annoying "car warranty" ones. GAR those are annoying. But it is good to hear that these guys have to pay the fine now.
@redskull: No, nothing special about newspapers (unless the recent suggestion that they become non-profits come to pass). If they're calling you and you're not a subscriber, file a complaint.
Here's the overview: [www.fcc.gov]
omg, i recently made the mistake of signing my mom up for directv. in addition to the deceptive pricing (they showed me prices after "rebates" as the monthly charge) they called both me and her least twice daily. and frequently after 9pm est. ugh, they are horrible!!
@Justin Barbieri:
I thought the same thing. I seriously doubt the fines would come out of their profits.
Thankfully, they haven't called me. I just wish there were a way to stop those annoying car warranty calls. I'm pretty sure there are just scamsters behind them, though, so it's unlikely anything will be done about it. I just don't answer the phone anymore if it's not someone I know or an area code from within my area.
If it means Comcast won't have the money to produce any more monotone zombie Sims ads, the illegal calls will have been worth it.
One note: companies can continue to call them even after you tell them not to call you back. What you have to do is tell the company to take your telephone information off of their system(s). I had a bad experience with this a while back and was considering a lawsuit but I had not asked to be taken off the contact list. So remember, you have to specifically say that you want your phone number taken off their list! That is the key!
@redskull: They're my least favorite charity call ever. They're so damn arrogant -- for a while, their script went "We have a $100 Hero, $50 Bronze Hero and $25 Youth Hero package. Which one works for you?" And they don't accept "none of them" as an answer.
Twice now, I've told the Fraternal Order of the Police that I cannot spare that money, as I have set it aside for weed. The first time I tried it, the telemarketer was a high school-age sounding kid, and he said "awww right, I feel you man, peace out" and hung up. The second time, the guy paused for a second, then hit the script again. I tried changing the tone to imply that I was stoned or otherwise inebriated RIGHT THEN, and that just made him try to confuse me into committing to make a donation.
on going "business relationship"
"I thought you meant Suzi or Bob to not call you again"
"different call center"
Yea, yea, I have heard every farking excuse in the world.
The last one to call me, I asked the caller if she had children. The answer was no. My response? "Good, your kind should not be allowed to breed". Her supervisor thought I was being abusive. Ah shucks, grow a pair. And if you let me know where you live I will be more than happy to show up in your neighborhood.
To say I am tired of telewhores is an understatement.
@Corporate-Shill: So if you were abusive to a telemarketer that called you, what punitive measure would they take? If you were calling them they'd ban you. Maybe if you're abusive enough, they'll stop calling!
ABOUT TIME . THIS is Great NEWS .
@redskull: i had a guy call "on behalf of the local fire department" the other day. i said, "which one? there's two." completely flubbed up his script. finally, i fed him the name of one to help him out..."yeah, yeah, that's the one". then i said, "well, there's someone here that would like to speak with you"
"hi. this is [insert fake name], chief of hose #2. i was unaware that we had an organization raising funds on our behalf. how much have you raised so far for us? when can we expect a check? ..."
it was classic. i was rolling - it's not often that things work out like that (the local FD chief just happened to stop by our office that day). he was pretty miffed by the time he left...
I have found since I switched to VOIP, I have never received any unwanted marketing calls.
DirecTV was on the losing end of some junk fax cases too (Google for more info).
They just don't get it...
I do wish charities were not exempt. They can often be the most pushy and annoying ones.
HAVE A COMCASTIC DAY, FUCKERS!
@Frank Murphy: True. The ones for local and state political candidates are relentless.
Although I was pleasantly surprised when my former Mayor called me asking for my support in the upcoming election (Nov 2008). Since I was a big fan, I engaged her in small talk about some redevelopment work she had approved in our downtown area.
@RecordStoreToughGuy: Trust me, being abusive doesn't work very well.
I verbally abused at last count some 50 odd people, all from DirectTV selling places and the bastards still keep calling. Called them every dirty word under the sun, involved their mothers, used up a couple air horns, read their addesses off the phone network ident listing, made them listen to really shitty cover bands, everything wrong you can do to them including holding the reciever close to the water as I pissed.
Well, I'm glad they got busted BUT....
The companies listed here aren't THE biggest violators. That car warranty crap (et al) are serious violators and how come they're not being slapped around?
THAT pisses me off, actually.
@NotATool: Or the robodialers that blabber something or a number, and when you call it, its some other recording in spanish!
WTF is that? I can't even give them money if I want to, as I have no idea what they want or are selling...
Who gets this money? Really if they called and bug me. I should get something right?
The car warranty ones are the worst, but the caller ID numbers for those are all spoofed, and they probably come from overseas (VOIP).
Seriously, though, if the FTC could get to those people, fines wouldn't be enough of a punishment. The death penalty, maybe.
Wheres Frank? Hello Frank... Frank?
Fines just aren't enough. I'm thinking court ordered community service for all the senior executives in the offending companies.
@NotATool: I called AT&T and complained once. They said that since the number was "Private" they would not be able to do anything because they don't know who called and wouldn't be allowed to release the number to me to file a complaint.
That makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE, how can you run one of the LARGEST telecommunications companies in the world and not know who is making these phone calls and not allowing your customers to file complaints against them?
*shakes head*
Every time they call I stay on the line to ask them to be removed and they call again two days later. Asking for a supervisor, or company name does not work, it only gets them to hang up on you, it's ridiculous.
@NotATool:
Sick of warranty people on my cell phone!! Sick of warranty people on my cell phone!! (insert Rainman "nooooooooo!")
My cell is my only phone number and I don't like being bugged by solicitors. I usually cuss em' out.
I also flip off people (then report them to the store management) who put stupid fliers on my windshield when I'm parked at Wal-Mart. I'll give generously to the Little League, Scouts, Church Group, Salvation Army, etc. standing outside the store entrance but don't expect me to remain calm when you try to get me to get my taxes done at your Liberty Tax franchise. I'll come to you, don't come to me!
Score one for the FTC!
@dohtem:
Hey, if they actually call (and not some telezombie), that's cool. Much cooler if they can actually take a bit of time out of their schedule to discuss things with you :)
Must be a pretty good mayor.
@axiomatic: You have a business relation with them. So they can call you even if you are on the list. Ask them not to, and then they can't for marketing purposes (I suppose after some delay for them to get it into their computer, which should take some manager about 30 days to type it in).
The next time I get the car warranty or credit card call on my cell phone, I'm going to engage them and ask them for their ricin recipe and if they can hook me up with yellowcake, strontium 90, and cesium. When they ask, "WTF?" I'll just say, "When the NSA comes-a-knockin', just remember, *you* called *me.*"
I'm sure the "cost" of these fines will be quietly passed down to the consumers. *sigh*
The money should be distributed to the customers who filed the complaints.
@idip: If you were from the NSA I am sure that AT&T would be happy to hand over the "private" number and recordings that they have made for you.
No I do not advise calling up and trying to claim you're from the NSA, that's a felony.
How convenient that Comcastdoesntgiveashit Frank is MIA!
@NotATool: Ahh the spoofed robo-caller using voice over ip.
Report these fake numbers to the online who called me type websites.
OWNED.