The Do not call register

With around 11 million numbers on the Do Not Call Register – over four million of which are mobiles – it’s clear that Australians don’t like being pestered by businesses. Nevertheless, only 14% of mobile numbers were listed on the

register as of 2016, although the take-up for mobile numbers is significantly outpacing the take-up for landlines.

If you’re being swamped by calls, the Do Not Call Register is your first step. “It’s fast, free and confidential, dential,” says Fenton. “This will stop a majority of commercial calls.” Either visit or call 1300 792 958 to add your number

to the register. It’ll take up to 30 days for your registration to take effect. You’ll only need to register once – the registration is

indefinite. There’s no guarantee that this will stop every unwanted call, but it should significantly reduce them.

When does ‘Do Not Call’ mean ‘Do Not Call’?

Getting called after you’re joined the Do Not Call Register can make you wonder if it was worth the effort. Just when you thought you were in the clear, along comes another ‘chugger’ (charity mugger) from a marketing agency asking you to donate – calling, no doubt, just as you’ve sat down to dinner.

While the Do Not Call Register is a useful tool, it’s not a cure-all. “Some people … don’t necessarily understand that if they give

permission, telemarketers can actually call their number, even though it’s on the Do Not Call Register,” Fenton says. “And

sometimes people don’t really understand that they have given permission.”

Exemptions to the Do Not Call Register

Even if you’re on the Do Not Call Register, you can still be contacted by:

* registered charities

* opinion pollsters

* government bodies

* social researchers

* educational organisations.

These types of callers are allowed to bypass the Register, but they

do need to comply with the , which stipulates: Telecommunications (Telemarketing and Research Calls) Industry Standard 2017, when a telemarketer or researcher can call you what information they have to give you at the start of the call

the information they have to give you if you request it that they must terminate the call if you ask.

Nearly half of all major charities are members of the Fundraising Institute of Australia (FIA), which has its own code of conduct that purports to protect vulnerable consumers and claims to set a higher bar than the industry standard.

The self-regulatory code only came into effect on 1 January 2018, so at the time of publishing it’s difficult to say whether it will be effective, especially since it was drafted with very little consumer consultation. If you think an FIA member is breaching the code, you can complain directly to the charity, or to the FIA at: members@fia.org.au or 1300 889 670.

What to say to telemarketers

If you simply hang up on a telemarketer, your number could stay on their call list, so you may be hassled again. Some charities also obtain lists of current donors from other charities or professional fundraising companies, so if you donate to one you may start receiving calls from others. The best way to ensure they don’t keep calling is to ask them to remove your number from their list. ‘Polite but firm” should be your mantra when talking to telemarketers. The magic words are: “I want to be removed from your calling list” . They’re obliged to do so, and to terminate the call if you request it.

“I get lots of free ‘gifts’ in the mail from charities I’ve never even heard of, but I get no calls whatsoever, even from the ones I donate to regularly. Want to know the secret? When they call, ask them not to – that’s all I did,” says CHOICE.Community member Jessica.

“For charities that I donate to regularly, I specifically ask to be taken off their call list and warn them that if they phone me again I will cancel my donation. I never hear from them again. If other charities call, I ask not to be called and tell them I will not donate to charities hat call me. I can’t remember the last time a charity called me.”

Some professional fundraising companies represent multiple charities. If the fundraising company is an FIA member, you can ask them to remove your number from all their campaigns – they’re obliged to honour that request.

How to complain about unsolicited calls

Our research has found that 88% of people wish there was more they could do to stop unsolicited calls. There is – but you  have to take action. “Consumers have the power. They can give permission, and they can take it away,” says Fenton. “It doesn’t matter if the permission is direct or indirect – consumers have the power to take their permission away.”

If you tell a business you don’t want to receive telemarketing calls from them, they’re required to stop calling you – the consent ends then and there. (See ‘What to say to telemarketers’ for tips.)

If they do keep calling, contact the company or charity directly to complain. If that doesn’t work, bring out the big guns: complain to the ACMA.