Thousands call to complain about do-not-call list
Last Updated: Thursday, November 27, 2008 | 3:41 PM ET
CBC News
Thousands of Canadians have called the CRTC to complain about its newly launched do-not-call list, with some saying they are receiving more calls than ever after having registered with the service.
"People are receiving calls who have not received calls in the past," said CRTC spokeswoman Lynne Fancy. "That's currently under investigation."
Bill Bowman, who runs a home computer repair business in Selkirk, Man., said telemarketers are calling his cellphone for the first time. He said he is also receiving more calls to his landline than he did before registering.
"The calls have been more frequent, more aggravating, because we felt that there would be some reduction," he said.
Even more aggravating, they're from companies whose numbers are blocked, so there's no way to try to track them, said Bowman.
The do-not-call list allows Canadians to add their phone numbers — both landline and wireless — to a database that is circulated to telemarketers. A telemarketer that calls a number on the list is liable for a fine up to $15,000.
According to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), 4.5 million people have signed on to the list since it was implemented in September.
Critics of the program have said there are too many exemptions, including registered charities, political parties and candidates, opinion polling firms and companies with whom customers have an existing business relationship.
University of Ottawa law professor and e-commerce expert Michael Geist said the government has added so many exemptions to the legislation that an estimated 80 to 90 per cent of organizations can still call.
Still, the CRTC has projected that of Canada's 27 million residential phone lines, which include cellphone numbers, 16 million would be on the do-not-call list within two years.
