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From: lyang%scherzo@Sun.COM (Larry Yang)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,misc.legal
Subject: Re: Sales computer clamp-down
Message-ID: <25725@sun.uucp>
Date: Sat, 15-Aug-87 19:19:11 EDT
Article-I.D.: sun.25725
Posted: Sat Aug 15 19:19:11 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 16-Aug-87 12:11:57 EDT
References: <831@wrcola.UUCP>
Sender: news@sun.uucp
Reply-To: lyang@sun.UUCP (Larry Yang)
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mountain View
Lines: 42
Keywords: furious
Xref: mnetor comp.misc:1030 misc.legal:2452

In article <831@wrcola.UUCP> kathy@wrcola.UUCP (K.M.Vincent) writes:
>
>This may or may not be the proper place for this posting, but ...
>
>This morning, I answered my phone to find a computer at the
>other end.
> [...]
>What I heard was a prerecorded sales pitch for insulation.
> [...]
>And right now, according to the supervisor, there's nothing to
>stop anyone from doing that.  It's perfectly legal.

This discussion was raging on misc.consmuers a few months ago. I suppose
that in North Carolina, it is legal, but in California, and in several
other states, the selling party must have a human ask if the person
wishes to listen to a computer/precorded machine give a sales pitch.

This methond is quite dangerous, as tying up a phone line like that prevents
you from getting out in the event of an emergency.  I would suggest that
bugging your state government would be the best move.

In the meantime, the next time you get a call like that, when they
ask for your address, grab your nearest piece of junk mail and give
them the return address off of it.  Or turn your stereo/TV on full volume
and hold your phone up to the speaker.  Be creative.

Disclaimer: The above responses are not original ideas of mine, but
were read off of misc.consumers. :-)

********************************************************************************


-- 
--Larry Yang [lyang@sun.com,{backbone}!sun!lyang]|   A REAL _|> /\ |
  Sun Microsystems, Inc., Mountain View, CA      | signature |   | | /-\ |-\ /-\
    Hobbes: "Why do we play war and not peace?"  |          <|_/ \_| \_/\| |_\_|
    Calvin: "Too few role models."               |                _/          _/

--Larry Yang [lyang@sun.com,{backbone}!sun!lyang]|   A REAL _|> /\ |
  Sun Microsystems, Inc., Mountain View, CA      | signature |   | | /-\ |-\ /-\
    Hobbes: "Why do we play war and not peace?"  |          <|_/ \_| \_/\| |_\_|
    Calvin: "Too few role models."               |                _/          _/