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A do-not-call list may be in the works for Indiana residents who are fed up with telemarketers.
Although national programs have already been installed, Indiana still has not set up a do-not-call list. The list prevents telemarketers from calling residents at home, provided the residents are on the list.
The Indiana State Police would like to see the do-not-call list implemented in Indiana. An Indiana state police officer said he remembered hearing about possibilities of the list coming to Indiana, but to his knowledge, it hasn't happened yet. "It would be a good idea, though," he said. "I know they call my house a lot."
The Indiana attorney general's press secretary, Charlene Crowell, said a do-not-call list for consumers was "developed earlier in the year (and) a bill (was) considered by the session of the general assembly that concluded this spring."
Crowell said more than 30,000 Hoosiers "expressed interest in being placed on a don't-call list."
The Indiana General Assembly did not pass that bill, but another one may be on the way.
With the first bill presented, Crowell said, "The list was developed in an effort to measure consumer interest" in a do-not-call list. "A revision of that particular bill will be (created)," Crowell said. She said the revised bill will be presented in a legislative session "sometime in November."
"With the bill that did not pass," Crowell said, "some of the concerns that this office had was the number of exceptions on the list."
Crowell said several businesses and "different kinds of companies would be exempt" from the list. She said the number of exemptions was just "too lengthy." Crowell said part of the revised list will include fewer exemptions.
In the meantime, what can consumers do to avoid unwanted telemarketing phone calls?
A number of solutions can be found by searching the Web under "telemarketers" or searching the Indiana Regulatory Agency. One of these solutions is the callPlex telephone privacy system.
The callPlex resembles a caller ID box, only it doesn't tell you who's calling - it answers the phone for you.
With the callPlex, the phone won't ring when telemarketers call; autodialing machines can't hang up on you because callPlex hangs up on them; and harassing calls can't make the phone ring, either.
The callPlex works when you choose a passcode, which is added to your phone number and stored in the callPlex. The callPlex can be turned on and off whenever you choose. The unit can be turned on or off using the keypad and display or one of your phones. It can work with just one phone or on all the phones in the house.
For example, if you don't want to be interrupted during dinner, turn the callPlex on and then off when you're ready to accept calls again. Your answering machine works normally and plugs into the callPlex.
What if someone calls that you do want to talk to? The answer is simple: To receive calls from family or friends, they must dial a passcode along with your phone number. If they don't know your passcode, they can still leave a message; their call will not be blocked completely.
Missing wanted calls due to blocking unwanted calls won't be a problem with the callPlex. Also, long distance and cellular phone calls that usually register as "out of area" or "unavailable" on caller ID boxes won't be mistaken for telemarketers. If you're not home, a message can still be left on your answering machine.
Cost for the callPlex is $99 and can be purchased through Callplex Inc., 345 Misty Valley Drive, St. Peters, MO 63376, or by calling toll free: 800-794-4906.
Another way to stop telemarketers from calling is to purchase the Telemarketer Stopper. You just sit this product in front of one or all of your phones and your answering machine, and when calls come in, it will play a SIT (special information tone) whenever the phone line is answered. The SIT tone is the sound heard when a disconnected number has been dialed.
If the dialer is computerized, the line will go dead. But if the dialer is human, then the telemarketer stopper will hear the voice and then hear you say "hello." It will not disconnect your line. The product is line powered with an "in" and "out" jack.
For more information on the Telemarketer Stopper, call 630-980-7710.
And yet another solution to end unwanted telemarketer phone calls is by calling the Indiana Attorney General's Office at 317-232-6201. The attorney general's office will send you an informational post card about the do-not-call list.
More information can be found on the Web by searching the Indiana Regulatory Agency and telemarketing.
