Only 6.7m have registered on do-not-call list

NEW DELHI: There seems to be little hope for telephone subscribers in keeping away pesky calls from telemarketers never mind the National Do Not Call register, as apparent from a survey conducted across four metros — Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata.
Clearly, the red tape in the procedure and pleas of helplessness, punctuated with buck-passing, leaves the phone user with little hope. Some telecom bodies cite the 'usefulness' of tele-marketing.

"Only 6.7 million have registered. This proves most subscribers seek commercial information, especially in the low Arpu (average revenue per user) segment," claimed S C Khanna, secretary general, Auspi, which is an association of CDMA operators.

The real story, as the poll revealed, isn't quite that. It's simply poor awareness about NDNC. The agency that can create the awareness, and crack the whip on pesky tele-marketers — Trai — does not recognise the problem at all. So, what is to be done?

One reader has suggested that we publish the phone numbers of the chairmen of the banks, insurance companies, telecom companies, indeed, of all the companies that set their agents on unsuspecting telephone users. This way, suggested the reader, annoyed phone users can, in turn, ring up these honchos at all hours and complain.

This would make them to realise how harassing pesky calls can get.

The suggestion might be effective for curbing the menace, but is an extreme one. We shall, therefore, do no such thing. Instead, on behalf of millions of telecom subscribers we would appeal to Trai to recognise the problem. And do something about it. Please.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com