Advancements in technology have had a great impact on telecommunications; however they have resulted in an increase of unwanted sales calls. Fortunately, Floridians can protect themselves from unwanted calls by subscribing to the Florida Do Not Call list.
During the 2012 Legislative Session, Commissioner Putnam worked with the Legislature to eliminate the registration fee to sign up for the Florida Do Not Call list. Following the elimination of these fees, the Do Not Call list has jumped from less than 72,000 subscribers to more than 255,000 subscribers.
Effective July 1, 2013, a telephone solicitor may not initiate an outbound telephone call to a consumer who has previously communicated to the telephone solicitor that he or she does not wish to receive a call:
Effective July 1, 2013, a telephone solicitor may not initiate an outbound telephone call to a consumer who has previously communicated to the telephone solicitor that he or she does not wish to receive a call:
Made by or on behalf of the seller whose goods or services are being offered; or Made on behalf of a charitable organization for which a charitable contribution is being solicited.
Keep in mind that some unsolicited sales calls are exempt from the provisions of the law. Solicitors may make calls if: a prior or existing business relationship exists, in response to an express request of the person called, from a newspaper publisher, in connection with an existing debt or contract, in response to a yard sign or other advertisement or not selling a product or service.
Florida residents can subscribe to the Florida Do Not Call list by visiting www.800helpfla.com or calling 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352). Residential, mobile and paging device telephone numbers are eligible to be on the list. If you subscribe, your phone number will be placed on the list for a period of five (5) years.
Reporting violations is critical to the success of the program as consumer complaints allow the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to locate and penalize violators of the Florida Do Not Call program.
Florida residents can subscribe to the Florida Do Not Call list by visiting www.800helpfla.com or calling 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352). Residential, mobile and paging device telephone numbers are eligible to be on the list. If you subscribe, your phone number will be placed on the list for a period of five (5) years.
Reporting violations is critical to the success of the program as consumer complaints allow the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to locate and penalize violators of the Florida Do Not Call program.
All violations should be reported immediately to the department. Complaints can be filed online at www.800helpfla.com or by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) to request a Do Not Call complaint form by mail/email.
When filing a complaint, attempt to obtain as much information as possible from the caller, including the name of the person making the call, the company calling, telephone number of the company, date and time of the call and what product or service they were offering.
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