We have a suggestion:
Cut out this editorial and post it beside your telephone. Then refer to it the next time you receive an unwanted and unsolicited call from one of those pesky, persistent phone solicitors.Basically, all we're going to tell you is how Michael Jacobson of Washington, D.C., not only discourages such calls but even makes a little money in the process.
A year ago Congress put on the books the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which prohibits telemarketers from calling back anyone who specifically tells them to stop calling. Individuals can collect $500 for the first infraction and up to $1,500 for subsequent calls.
Since then, Jacobson has been keeping a list of such calls.
"The key thing," Jacobson advises, "is not to hang up on a telemarketer but to say: `Never call me again,' and keep track of who called and when. If they do call again, you have a record, and if you feel strongly about it, can can sue them by going to small claims court."
That's what Jacobson did in response to repeated calls on behalf of a bank pushing credit card discount services. After the third call, Jacobson sued. This week he won a $750 settlement.
If phone solicitors don't get the message when a slammed phone receiver signals the loss of a sale, the next sound they may hear is that of their own cash register ringing up the loss of some cash.