Wisconsin 'No Call' List

What's almost as annoying as getting calls from telemarketers?

Registering again and again and again to be on the "NO CALL" list.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The phone lines to sign up for Wisconsin's "no call" list were so busy Tuesday that officials doubled the number of incoming phone lines for the service.

Sandy Chalmers, administrator of the state's Division of Trade and Consumer Protection, said the division had been receiving phone calls Tuesday morning from people who could not get through. The Journal Sentinel received similar calls from readers Tuesday who said the state's phone lines were not working.

Chalmers said the division contacted its phone vendor, which increased the number of incoming phone lines from 96 to 200 by midmorning. The division uses an external phone service to manage the no-call list registrations.

The no-call list helps people avoid calls from telemarketers. Those on the list have to register every two years to remain on the list. Tuesday was the deadline for getting on the list when it updates July 1.

...There are four quarterly registration periods for the no-call list during the year. The most recent list will go into effect July 1, while any registrations filed after Tuesday will go into effect Oct. 1.

I can't stand this repeated registration.

From the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection:

How long does my number stay on the List once I register?

Your phone number will go on the List approximately 30 to 120 days after you've registered. Your number will stay on the List for two years after it gets added to the List. In other words, if you register by December 1, 2002 to be put on the List starting January 1, 2003, your number will stay on the List until December 31, 2004.

When do I need to renew my registration?

You need to renew your registration two months before it expires to ensure uninterrupted service on the List. For example, if your last day to be on the List is January 1, 2004, then you will need to renew before December 1, 2003. If you fail to renew your registration by that time you may have to wait up to four months for your number to be updated to the List again.

Instead of going through this stupid process, why not allow people to simply stay on the list?

Once on the list, people can take action to get off if they wish. Otherwise, the list stays as is, a lifetime registration.

Why screw around with the last minute flood of calls whenever the NO CALL list story hits the media?

How many people are clogging phone lines even though their registration doesn't need to be renewed?

Why have to keep track of when it's time to renew?

In the age of the Internet, why would it take 30 to 120 days to get on the list?

Are state employees filling out little note cards, copying phone numbers to the list with dull, little, stubby pencils?

It should not take 4 months to get one's phone number on the list. This perpetual registration routine is a pain.

Here's something to remember if you missed the deadline for registration, or thought your registration wasn't ready to expire:

IMPORTANT: Even if a call is exempt from this law, you can still stop many of these calls just by telling them not to call you again. Federal law requires each and every business to place your name on their "no call" list, if you request it.

This method means you have to be bothered with the incoming call, but at least you can find some satisfaction in telling the caller not to bug you again.

I can't stand the telemarketing calls.

I can't stand Wisconsin's method to be on the NO CALL list.

It's an inefficient system.

It's a headache.

If the NO CALL list's purpose is to truly protect citizens from a barrage of unwanted telemarketing calls, then why force people to repeatedly register?

I think it would be better to register your phone number with the state if you want to receive calls.

I doubt there would be a four month wait to get on that list.