Predictive Dialers - Telemarketer's Tool of Silence

The phone rings and when the person receiving the call picks up the phone, he or she is met with silence or the "click" of the calling party disconnecting the call. Sound Familiar?

This silence can be caused by predictive dialing, which is when a telemarketer's automatic dialer simultaneously dials many more numbers than the telemarketer can handle if all of the called parties pick up at the same time. The first to pick up is connected to the telemarketer while the rest are disconnected.

FCC rules require that companies identify themselves to consumers and also that telemarketers maintain "do-not-call" lists for people who do not wish to receive telemarketing calls from a certain company. The practice of predictive dialing, and the resulting abandoned calls, often do not allow consumers to identify the company calling and, therefore, do not afford consumers the opportunity to make a "do-not-call" request under FCC rules.

Consumers who wish to avoid all telemarketing calls may want to contact their state and federal government to add your name to their Do Not Call List list. Law prohibits all telemarketing calls to individuals registered on these lists.

For more information on predictive dialing, contact your state utility commission or consumer protection agency.