Sweepstakes May Erase Do-Not-Call Registration
Fine Print Can Establish Business Relationship

POSTED: 9:23 a.m. EDT August 18, 2003
Some in the phone sales industry are already devising ways to call people even if they're on the government's do-not-call list.

Jason Catlett heads Junkbusters, a group that fights junk phone calls as well as junk e-mail, and he said telemarketers are quickly turning to contests and free product offers.

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He said that when you sign up and give your phone number, the fine print may say you're essentially giving your permission to be contacted by the company running the promotion and its partners -- which means just about anyone who gives the company money, in Catlett's view.

Telemarketers are looking to exploit a loophole that says companies that you have an established business relationship with may call you if you're on the do-not-call list -- until you ask them to stop.

Catlett said it means you should read the fine print before you sign up for any sweepstakes, because you may gain nothing more than the right to be pestered at dinnertime again.

The Federal do-not-call list does not take effect until Oct. 1.

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A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults.

Yep, I read an article in the NY Times that showed the GIGANTIC loopholes in this new list - of course, politicians are still allowed to call you at dinnertime!

I cannot believe how low some of these business will go.I hope nobody cashes those $25.00 cheques from the phone company to switch your business to theirs.Sweepstakes are a baloney too.For a while,I was getting advertising in my e=male account disguised as my own return mail.Can you believe this bull shit?

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Sex is one of nine reasons for reincarnation.The other eight are unimportant...Henry Miller