Do Not Call, Telemarketers Top List of Florida Consumer Complaints

August 12, 2013

The top three complaints received last month at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services were regarding the statewide Do Not Call List, telemarketing and real estate brokers/salespersons, according to Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam.

The agency received 5,385 written complaints in July. In addition, there were 26,435 calls and 625 emails requesting consumer assistance and information. The top three calls to the agency’s 1-800-HELP-FLA hotline were related to the Do Not Call list, solicitation of contributions from charities and landlord/tenant issues.

In the past month, the department has responded to many consumer concerns and taken action against several individuals or businesses operating outside of Florida law. During the month of July, the agency:

  • Registered 5,176 businesses.
  • Initiated 141 investigations.
  • Arrested 20 individuals.
  • Recovered $281,196 on behalf of Florida consumers.
  • Added 15,512 telephone numbers to Florida’s Do Not Call List. Currently, there are more than 512,000 numbers on the list.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the state’s clearinghouse for consumer complaints, protection and information. The call center is staffed with trained analysts who can respond to questions about programs and regulations under the department’s purview, provide information on a wide variety of topics or direct callers to the appropriate government agency.

Consumers who believe fraud has taken place can contact the department’s consumer protection and information hotline at 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or online at www.FreshFromFlorida.com.

Comments

12 Responses to “Do Not Call, Telemarketers Top List of Florida Consumer Complaints”

  1. Service Experts XCustomer on October 7th, 2013 7:30 pm

    I must say, I have dealt with a lifetime of harassment from telemarketers. This past year, NO joke, I have received approx. 200 calls from a company called Service Experts. I have asked several times to be added to the do not call list, and was informed by a rep that When the customers ask the telemarketers to add them to their DNC list, it hurts their stats. In this case hurting the telemarketers income, and job security.. doesn’t seem fair. Either way, I am tired of being nice and just want the calls to stop.

  2. JR on August 13th, 2013 11:22 am

    I have a lot of fun with these telemarketers, I ask them all kind of things.

  3. Marshall on August 12th, 2013 8:15 pm

    Telemarketers do not know what phone numbers they are calling. They enter the NPA (Area Code) and NXX (First Three Digits) into a computer and it dials that sequence using every 4 Digit Number available…0000 – 9999. They are supposed to pull the Do Not Call List on a schedule and remove any numbers that are within the sequence they are calling. Many do not remove them because they do not think anyone will take the time to report them to the FCC. At http://www.fcc.gov there is a link to submit a complaint. It may not stop all of the calls, but registering at http://www.donotcall.gov will stop the greater majority of the calls. If you do get one, take the time to record whatever number is showing and file a complaint. If you don’t, it just continues. The FCC is slow, but they will look at each complaint.

  4. Avis on August 12th, 2013 3:35 pm

    Turn the ringer off.

  5. fred on August 12th, 2013 9:10 am

    There are apparently many loopholes that telemarketers use to get around the do not call laws. I do register my phones, but I use my caller ID and my answering machine to full advantage – let them leave a message, which they rarely do. I’ve gotten to the point where it’s not worth getting angry over anymore. Oddly, I feel sorry for the people on the phone doing the calling; they’re just trying to earn a living and get blasted by so many people when they call.

  6. diane on August 12th, 2013 7:01 am

    You can go to this website to add your number to the do not call list. It will not stop all calls…

    https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx

  7. List Info on August 12th, 2013 6:58 am

    Haven’t tried it yet, but just found this information on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services web-site link listed below:

    “Telemarketing-
    Join the Florida Do Not Call List! (800) 435-7352
    Florida residents who do not wish to receive sales calls may have their residential, mobile or paging device telephone number included on this list.”

    http://www.800helpfla.com/seniors/seniors.html#tele

  8. diane on August 12th, 2013 6:50 am

    Here is the number but it does not stop all calls…

    Consumers can register on-line for the national do-not-call registry by going to http://www.donotcall.gov. To register by telephone, consumers may call 1-888-382-1222: for TTY call 1-866-290-4236. You must call from the phone number you wish to register.

    it does not cover the following:

    calls from organizations with which you have established a business relationship;
    calls for which you have given prior written permission;
    calls which are not commercial or do not include unsolicited advertisements;
    calls by or on behalf of tax-exempt non-profit organizations.

  9. mnon on August 12th, 2013 4:40 am

    As soon as I had a new phone line installed in my house I immediately started getting telemarketing calls… within the first hour I had 3 calls, seriously.

  10. troubled on August 12th, 2013 4:23 am

    There is a 1-800 number that you can enter in your phone,but I no longer have it. This will stop telemarkers from calling you. Maybe someone out there has it and can post it. It is also free to use. Thanks. You can also put in cell phone.

  11. Smokie on August 12th, 2013 2:22 am

    Really, I love the that’s Says, “Please hold for a very important message.” If it is that important they should at least have a real person call you ! I think it should be against the law.

  12. SomeGuy on August 12th, 2013 12:35 am

    The Do Not Call list is an awesome idea, and it may be doing something worthwhile, but I still get 3-4 calls per week trying to sell me something. The worst calls are the recordings! It’s one thing to drop what you’re doing and scramble for the phone and be able to give a real person an ear-full about not wanting DirectTV; but it’s an entirely different situation altogether when you do all that and it’s a recorded voice telling you to vote for somebody, or ask about taking a survey, or some other thing 90% of people could care less about.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News