One of the most irritating annoyances in these times is spam or sales calls. They always seem to happen at the most inconvenient times; maybe you are trying to relax with your family or get some important work done in the office. They can even occur in the middle of the night, tricking you into believing it’s an important call and disrupting your sleep.
Many people do not realize that there is something that can be done about these annoying calls that are seemingly impossible to stop. Although telemarketing itself is not usually illegal, there are certain limits that telemarketing companies must adhere to.
What are the legal limits on telemarketing?
In 1991, a law was passed called the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) that is applicable in every state. This was formed because many people were complaining about the amount of marketing calls that they were subject to.
This law means that every telemarketing company must provide you with certain information about them. This includes their name, the business that they are calling from and the contact details of the business.
In addition to this compulsory information being shared, the TCPA also sets a rule that telemarketers are not allowed to contact you after 9 p.m., or before 8 a.m., in your time zone. They are also not allowed to call you again if you have asked not to be contacted in the future.
As a consumer that is being contacted by telemarketers or by creditors, you have a great deal of protections, and it is important that you enforce them. If telemarketers continue to harass you after you have asked them not to contact you, you may have a claim.
Source: FindLaw, “Telemarketing Laws,” accessed March 08, 2018
