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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!ut-sally!ut-ngp!werner
From: werner@ut-ngp.UUCP (Werner Uhrig)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: Telephone Solicit.: flagging directory not solution
Message-ID: <2611@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 14-Nov-85 19:22:23 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.2611
Posted: Thu Nov 14 19:22:23 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 15-Nov-85 21:02:13 EST
Organization: UTexas Computation Center, Austin, Texas
Lines: 24

>>I think what this whole thing comes down to is a way to allow people to
>>look up your phone number if they forget it without having to put up
>>with junk phone calls.  It is easy to put up a sign in front of your
>>house saying no salespeople, but how do you do the same thing with the
>>phone. ...
>
>I think you've got the answer here.  The phone company, and other directory
>publishers,  should  have  a service where a special character is placed by
>your entry in the directories (especially the  reverse  directories).  Said
>character  to  be  the  equivalent  of a "No Solicitors" sign on your door.
>Anyone (or anything (-: ) calling such a  marked  number  for  purposes  of
>delivering  a  sales  pitch would be subject to prosecution just as obscene
>phone callers are now.

Nope, this won't work well.  Solicitors don't usually look you up in the
phone-book, but use lists developed by marketing companies.  And computers
dialing you up ....

Now, a/the solution would be if solicitors' calls were blocked electronically
by the phone-company.  This is how it could work:  Every caller *HAS TO*
dial an additional code to indicate if this is a "soliciting call" or not.
I get to tell the phone-company (computer) that I don't want to receive such
calls, and the calling solicitor gets a special tone (or recording) telling
him that he is not welcome.  And I get to sleep some more .....