Guest Author - Sonja Meyer

Are you sick of rushing home from work and sitting everyone down to dinner only to interrupt your meal to answer a sales pitch from a telemarketer?

Well, now you can do something about it. You can join the 23 million Americans who've added their phone numbers to the new federal Do Not Call Registry.

The federal Do Not Call List Web site and phone lines have been inundated with people who don't want to take any more calls from salespeople hawking everything from magazine subscriptions to roofing jobs. And it's no wonder: today's busy families are struggling to keep up with so many demands on their time, from the workplace to schools to activities and clubs, that many just cannot put up with anything interrupting those precious moments they manage to carve out at home together.

If you register your phone number, most telemarketers are supposed to remove you from their calling lists or face fines of $11,000 per violation. Notice the word "most." Some calls will still be allowed: The law doesn't cover charities, political groups, phone surveyors or insurance businesses. If you get calls from these groups, you'll have to ask them, one-by-one, to stop calling you. The law also does not include calls from companies with which you've already done business, so your local auto dealership, for example, could still call you if you've already bought a car from them. And watch out for "surveyors"… people who call to say they are only "conducting a survey." They are allowed to survey you, but if they also try to throw in a pitch for a sale, they are breaking the law and you can file a complaint.

When does it all take effect? If you registered by Aug. 31, the covered telemarketers are to stop calling you after Oct. 1. If you register on Sept. 1 or later, they must stop calling three months after your call. This gives businesses time to check the registry and update their lists.

If you'd like the register your phone number, here's how:

Register by phone: 1-888-382-1222 or TTY 1-866-290-4236. You must call from the phone you wish to register.

Register online: www.donotcall.gov. You are allowed to register up to three phone numbers on this federal Web site. You must give a valid e-mail address and respond to an e-mail confirmation notice you will receive.

Also, remember that this is a federal registry. It covers telemarketers who call more than one state. However, many states have enacted their own laws protecting the privacy of residents from sales calls. You can find out about your state's protection by checking this list maintained by the Direct Marketing Association.

GET MORE INFORMATION:


See details about the Do Not Call Registry.

Read a consumer Q&A about the registry.

How your small business can adapt to the Do Not Call Registry.