No-call law rings up $61,000 in fines in Tennessee

Posted 6:33AM on Monday 28th January 2002 ( 23 years ago )

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Tennessee has collected $61,000 in settlements against companies engaged in telemarketing since becoming the 13th state to pass a "don't-call" law, according to the Tennessee Regulatory Authority. The money came from 11 separate arrangements worked out with telemarketers who violated the do-not-call statute, said Greg Mitchell of the TRA. More than 643,000 Tennessee phone numbers are now on the don't-call list, which is limited to residential and nonbusiness listings. Mary Spletzer, a resident of Soddy-Daisy and retiree from the Hamilton County Department of Education, is among them. Once Spletzer placed her telephone number on the list, calls from telemarketers were "cut way down," she said. "People were always calling trying to sell me something," Spletzer said. "I've never bought anything over the phone." Many citizens like Spletzer give the free service high marks, Mitchell said. But at least one Chattanooga subscriber doesn't give the program a ringing endorsement. "The solicitors aren't paying any attention (to the law)," said George Bodine, who is retired. "I ask them, 'Don't you have a list?' But they always have excuses." In the largest settlement to date, SecureOne Inc. paid the state $26,000 after a TRA investigation of 19 consumer complaints. The company, a dealer of ADT security devices, has operations in Tennessee, Alabama and Indiana. The regulatory authority has recorded about 750 complaints, Mitchell said. "We've had a tremendous amount of compliance from telemarketers found to be in violation," Mitchell said. "It's got to be a daunting task (for telemarketers) to know which states have laws." The law requires companies to pay a $500 annual registration fee to the TRA before doing telephone solicitation in Tennessee. Once registered, they're provided a do-not-call list and are barred from contacting consumers whose numbers appear on the don't-call database. The database is updated monthly, and telephone numbers remain on the list for five years. The program doesn't bar all telephone solicitations. Exceptions include nonprofit organizations and telemarketers who phone at the invitation of the do-not-call participant. Also excluded are calls from companies or service-providers with whom the consumer has had a business transaction within the previous 12 months.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/1/199599