Man, don’t you hate it? You’re sitting down to dinner with your family, or you got home from a long day at work, or you’re super happy about something you want the free space to enjoy: you just want to be left alone. And then your phone buzzes, and you look down and it’s ‘Suspected Spam’ or “unidentified caller’.
Well, thank goodness for the warning, right? Then we hang up or ignore it. Still, you just want to be left alone.
Well I have some good news for you! You can…
Add yourself to the Federal Do Not Call list
If you don’t want calls, go to DoNotCall.gov and complete their simple form. You register your phone number, they confirm you’re you, then 31 days later NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO CALL YOU (with some obvious exceptions detailed on their site).
Now, realistically, being on the DNC list is unlikely to stop most businesses from calling you. Maybe with more fines they’ll wise up. But teams like calabash real estate diligently screen DNC numbers, and we will be delighted to leave you alone.
I had one company calling me every week for quite a while. Finally I picked up the phone and the guy started rattling off his script. I interrupted him with the below conversation. Boy, was he mad. He denied the DNC even existing, he told me that he had my number from somewhere that gave him permissions, etc. He was pulling it all out. Then I offered to report him and helped him understand the fines, which he of course denied existed.
Maybe he did a quick search after we hung up to educate himself about what he’d just learned, but whatever happened, I’ve never heard from him again. Maybe it will work for you too.
If you’ve been on the DNC list for 31 days, here’s one way to handle solicitors:
“Hi, what’s your business name? And what’s your name? (write it down) Did you know that I’m on the Federal Do Not Call list with the FTC? I’ve been on it for quite some time. You might want to check how you’re getting your numbers.”
If they argue, let them know they can be fined up to $50,120 per call. Then report them here.
They’re pretty unlikely to call back after you help them understand you know your rights.
Check the DoNotCall.gov website for all the details.
Why would I tell you this?
Simple. I want your trust.
Sharing this information might seem like it goes counter to my business interests, since once you’re on the DNC list you’ll be off my call list. I don’t love that, but it’s OK with me. I would rather know up front then find out the hard way.
I would rather that when we run into each other at an event, or you find my website, or a friend gives you my contact information.
But when that eventually happens, and I hope it does, I don’t want you to have that sinking pit in your gut thinking, ‘oh, that guy’.
I really hope this works for you, you deserve your privacy.
Mahalo nui loa!
Dana
