Dawn tells Consumerist that she had a potentially embarrassing experience recently involving a phone call, a celebrity-endorsed beauty product, and a shared phone line. She called to ask some questions about Joan Rivers’ Great Hair Day, a special hair powder marketed to women with thinning hair. Much to her horror, even though she didn’t provide the company with her phone number, they called back within minutes to talk about the product, without even checking to see whether it was Dawn who answered the phone. Nice.

I’m a 30s something woman whose hair is sadly thinning. I heard good things
about Joan Rivers’ Great Hair Day. I called the number on her website to ask
about a promotion.

I did not give my last name. I did not give my phone number. I just asked
about the promotion. It turns out the promotion I’d heard about was false, and
it was too expensive. So I said thank you and hung up.

Ten minutes later, my phone rang. Someone said “Hi, someone in your house
called about Great Hair Day! And I just wanted to tell you about… “

How did you get this number? I asked. I didn’t give it to you. Well, it
came up, she said. Whatever the hell that means. She told me to call the
customer service line, which I did. After 10 minutes on hold, I hung up.

So it’s a good thing I answered the phone. I don’t need my roommates to
know. It’s no one’s frigging business. And how is it legal for a company to call
you when you don’t give them your phone number? Don’t you have to give your
permission to be called? Shouldn’t they know better?

Now the phone number is in their database. I’ve asked to be removed, but
I’m guessing that’s not going to happen. Great. Thanks Joan!

Yes, they should know better. Making a call to the company counts as an “inquiry,” and entitles the company to contact you for three months if you are listed on the Do Not Call list. I can’t determine whether getting your number from caller ID is permitted or not, but even if it’s legal, it’s still obnoxious.

By the way, Great Hair Day is a product from infomercial powerhouse Tristar Products, the same people who bring you fine products such as the Ab Coaster, Dog Pedic, and coins with little stickers of President Obama on them.

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