[tor.general] stopping telemarketing at the source

tjhorton@ai.toronto.edu ("Timothy J. Horton") (05/31/89)

Lately I've had the privelege of talking to the several telemarketing companies
that have called to make wonderful offers.  REPEATEDLY.  So I spent 10 minutes
pestering a company on whose behalf one telemarketing company had called.  The
5th person finally had some answers.

It turns out that Bell Canada sells your phone numbers to these tele-vermin!
So I called Bell Canada, Orders department, to find out about having them not
do that to me.  I was given two company names, and subsequently called them.

Info Direct
296-4488
- a Bell subsidiary
- they sell your name and address to anybody, but will stop, for free
- they ask your name, phone number, and address
- they will send a letter confirming that they've stopped selling your info

Canadian Direct Marketing Association
391-2362 (1 Concorde Gate, Suite 607, Don Mils, M3C 3N6)
- an umbrella organization for several junk mail AND junk phonecall companies
- they do not sell your address, but do maintain a delete list
- it takes 2 to 3 months for the info to boil down to their clients