NEW LAW HITS TELEPHONE MARKETERS
By Adnews Staff
U.K. consumers will be made more aware of their right to stop unsolicited calls from companies if the Privacy in Telecommunications Bill is passed. If passed, the law will make it illegal for companies to phone consumers who have indicated that they do not wish to be called. The Department of Trade and Industry has asked for submissions from three organizations to run a new, legally enforceable version of the Telephone Preference System, which is a registry of the persons who do not wish to be confronted with sales calls. One of the requirements for the new registry will be that it will be heavily advertised to ensure that all consumers are aware that they can register to avoid unsolicited calls. Currently, the registry is promoted primarily through PR, while some telecom companies mention it in their customer service literature. If the new law is passed, it will come into effect in April. Currently, there are 272,848 people on the TPS registry. Marketers fear that this number could grow significantly with the new law.