The Australian Government have finally set up a Do Not Call Register for those of us who do not want to be harassed by telemarketers at home, etc. It’s due to come into effect in June and marketers who call a number on the list will be fined – even if they’re overseas. Unfortunately, politicians, pollsters, religious organisations and registered charities can still call you, so it’s not perfect yet. At least it’s a start.
The register opened today and the website was supposed to handle 70,000 submissions an hour, but it looks like it suffered a meltdown under the crush of people racing to register. It’s working now and I’ve logged our number.
Now to get them to expand it so there’s a “Bar Everyone” option so those who aren’t barred yet can be turned off. Over half the annoying calls aren’t telemarketers, they’re the rest of the bunch (especially the charities and religious lot).