Tired Of Telemarketers? Try Suing Them
In yesterday’s post on rude telemarketers and the people who hang up on them, reader/advice giver Amy Alkon said she just successfully sued a telemarketer in Santa Monica Small Claims Court—and won! If you’re one of those unlucky people who can’t get the calls to stop, here’s how she did it.
I recommend suing telemarketers. I just beat one in Santa Monica Small Claims. And they sent their New York corporate counsel! (They’re a huge international company.)
Anyway, I couldn’t have done it without the help of a guy in Sacramento—a total stranger who went out of his way to advise me. His name’s André-Tascha Lammé, and I found him through his site, KillTheCalls.com
He started it after he was getting 30 calls a day from mortgage brokers. He doesn’t do this for a living or anything. Like me, he was just pissed off that they were using his phone and eating his time.
P.S. If it’s an out-of-state company and you’re in California, they have to have an “agent for service of process” on file with the Secretary of State. You look that agent up on the SOS’s website and then just have the court serve them certified mail for $15. To sue them in L.A. and maybe in California, you have to have that in-state address—they can’t be sued at an out-state one. But legally, if they’re doing biz in the state, they must have the AFSOP.
Before all of you start contacting Mr. Lammé directly, you should check out his website, which has a lot of advice on how to successfully take a telemarketer to small claims court.
(Photo: Getty)
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