Libertarian response to unwanted telemarketers - National Do Not Call Registry?

[The Free Hornet]

The government do not call list is unConstitutional and anti-freedom. You can support it if you want. It doesn't mean you are a bad person just because you are against freedom on this issue.

It is a gray area because the government regulates too much of telecommunications already. They have created these conduits into our home (the mailbox is another one usurped by private interests), outlaw alternatitives (try getting permission to run wires in competition or private mail service), they jail the CEO of Qwest who didn't play nice spying on Americans, and they tax our use of these services specifically to further intrude on privacy for our security (e.g., e911).

Do I think the list is anti-libertarian? Yes. So is the phone company itself.

The desire to be left alone is at the heart of libertarianism. Not "alone" as in by yourself but free from unwanted intrusions. You may be able to hang up the phone or keep it off but the reason I can keep it on all night and not get awoken by non-emergencies is not due to the kindness of the marketers. If they weren't prevented by law from bothering me, they would be prevented by other means (preferably technology).

 

[Simple]

I just wait for them to stop talking then I politely tell them that I do not buy products or services from direct marketers because I do not want to encourage them to call me at home. It does help having a bit torrent based phone, not many marketers can find me. OOma for the win =)

 

[Big Chuck]

It does help having a bit torrent based phone...

BitTorrent as in P2P? I'm assuming you mean VoIP, or is this something new I don't know about?

 

[DamianTV]

I dont think this is really a Libertarian Response from me but this is what I do with telemarketers. I make it as financially painful as I can with them to call me at all. I've had telemarketers that I've gotten on the phone for pushing an hour to tell them that I never had any intention of purchasing their products, but had EVERY intention of wasting their time while those telemarketers could have called at least 50 other people. This happened only two or three times. Each of those companies were calling me DAILY and requesting to talk with our General Manager, to which of course, I would promptly reply "Take me off of your call list", which only succeeded in those companies immediately calling back, sometimes in the same day. After purposefully wasting their time, they never called me again.

Text Msg Spam: I dont get Txt Msg Spam. NEVER give out your cell number to ANYONE. IPhone users will have a much harder time because installing an app pretty much gives that company your phone number and address book. And what do you think they do with your address book? Sell the numbers based on the type of app installed, which shows what kind of interests you have. Oh yeah, they didnt pay you for that, or even ask your permission.

Email Spam: Same thing as a phone number. NEVER give out your email address to ANYONE except personal friends. ALL COMPANIES ARE OFF LIMITS. Once you are on a list, you have lost control and that email address is dead.

Libertarian Response: Dont buy shit from telemarketers, EVER. If stupid people would quit buying shit from telemarketers, the problems and aggravation they cause for the rest of us would go away. No laws, no intervention, no do not call lists. Those things would not be needed because Free Market would cause those businesses to dry up and go under. That really is the best Libertarian Response I can make at this point, but it is Unrealistic. There are too many stupid people willing to respond to Telemarketing. I think another way to put it would be the same way as we could effectively financially collapse the entire Oil Industry. Stop using oil, period. However, in the Really Real World, we are dependant on Oil for everything that comes from its results, like Plastics and Gasoline. The end result of not getting rid of said businesses will be political intervention attempting to regulate those industries.

 

[muh_roads]

If DNC did not exist. The private market would find another way. The first cellphone company to allow users to manually block numbers free of charge would win out. Then competition would permeate that convenience onto other cellphone companies.

 

[AFPVet]

I agree with the many responses here. I would think the phone companies would be able to enforce a better "do not call registry" than the government.

 

[Simple]

BitTorrent as in P2P? I'm assuming you mean VoIP, or is this something new I don't know about?

However ooma works. Its nice not having a phone bill. http://www.ooma.com/

Doesn't look like I'm far off, this page described the service as "like a bit torrent." http://venturebeat.com/2007/07/18/ooma-hopes-to-make-a-boom-with-free-land-line-calling-service/

 

[Xenophage]

I don't think government action is necessary for a Do Not Call list. It's something the carriers could provide. Maintaining such a list costs money - it's not free just because it's from the government (like anything is!). Instead of making all of us pay for it, it would be better economically, and more moral, to have those individuals that wanted it pay for the additional service. It's something certain carriers probably would provide free of charge if they felt they could increase their subscriber base significantly enough to offset costs.

 

[Taco John]

I've been getting a lot of random calls/texts lately from marketing companies. I remember hearing something in the news this week about something regarding this so I figured there must have been some deadline date or something and now all of a sudden companies are calling. I renewed my # on the do not call registry list today.

My question is what is the libertarian answer to this.

"Paul was one of only eight members of the entire Congress who voted to block implementation of the National Do Not Call Registry act, which prohibits telemarketers from telephoning those who have opted out of receiving such advertising.[84][85] He argued that "legislation to regulate telemarketing would allow the government to intrude further into our lives," and that "The fact that the privately-run Direct Marketing Association is operating its own 'do-not-call' list is evidence that consumers need not rely upon the national government to address the problems associated with telemarketers."

I'm pro Ron Paul, but I'm curious of how you would state the argument? I have heard some say that actually the do not call list is similar to a no trespassing/soliciting sign, although the trespassing sign isn't enforced by the federal government. Your thoughts?...

*Edit - sorry, I thought I posted this into Ron Paul On The Issues thread. Mods can move if need be.

The solution is to force phone companies to give you more control of your line. Why don't I have an interface through the Internet that allows me to block certain phone numbers from calling me? Why can't I give it a list of "accepted numbers?" The solution is between the consumer and tthe phone company. A consumer movement towards competition that is offering this would reform this in a way that is ultimately more responsive to the consumer.

 

[thoughtomator]

The biggest problem I've noticed from the public is that they chose to ignore calls and not answer instead of simply opting out, which takes only a few seconds. If you do not answer the phone when it rings, you will continue to receive the same call over and over, as the dialer is simply recycling your number amongst what is most likely only a few thousand others.

The worst ones - the ones who ignore DNC - will simply take that as confirmation that it is a valid number and resell it to others with similar ethical standards.

 

[AlexAmore]

I dont think this is really a Libertarian Response from me but this is what I do with telemarketers. I make it as financially painful as I can with them to call me at all. I've had telemarketers that I've gotten on the phone for pushing an hour to tell them that I never had any intention of purchasing their products, but had EVERY intention of wasting their time while those telemarketers could have called at least 50 other people. This happened only two or three times. Each of those companies were calling me DAILY and requesting to talk with our General Manager, to which of course, I would promptly reply "Take me off of your call list", which only succeeded in those companies immediately calling back, sometimes in the same day. After purposefully wasting their time, they never called me again.

Libertarian Response: Dont buy shit from telemarketers, EVER. If stupid people would quit buying shit from telemarketers, the problems and aggravation they cause for the rest of us would go away. No laws, no intervention, no do not call lists. Those things would not be needed because Free Market would cause those businesses to dry up and go under. That really is the best Libertarian Response I can make at this point, but it is Unrealistic. There are too many stupid people willing to respond to Telemarketing. I think another way to put it would be the same way as we could effectively financially collapse the entire Oil Industry. Stop using oil, period. However, in the Really Real World, we are dependant on Oil for everything that comes from its results, like Plastics and Gasoline. The end result of not getting rid of said businesses will be political intervention attempting to regulate those industries.

I can understand the hatred of telemarketers calling to home numbers and there's plenty of libertarian solutions to that, but business 2 business? Don't touch it.

1. Telemarketing is actually the CHEAPEST entry into the market for small businesses. Yes lead lists are expensive but Google is free and effective for many small businesses.

2. Telemarketing WORKS. Which means voluntary exchange is happening and at the rate of billions a year. This helps everyone when voluntary exchange happens easily and cheaply.

3. There's a market for telemarketers obviously. They're a direct line to a knowledgeable person for business owners who aren't internet savvy. Also for people who don't even know a solution is out there for a particular problem. How could they know to search for it without someone coming to them unsolicited at first?

Yes a lot of telemarketers suck. They just go right into pitching their product and play the numbers game. It's a bummer because there are much better ways. But to try to take the phone out of the equation, then what? Mail? Email? Door to Door? Would you rather have salesmen showing up in your business, and in your face at a higher rate? You'll probably end up getting the same high school drop out. You're opening Pandora's box with this nonsense.

Should we just take out every method except expensive commercials and billboards? Good bye small businesses. Everyone needs a $100,000 marketing budget to start so we can skip over the methods that annoy DamienTV because he's in denial that part of his job is gatekeeping.