Stop telemarketer calls -- Page 2
By Dani M. Arthur • Bankrate.com

Is this the same as my state's 'Do Not Call' list?
If you've already signed up at your state's Do Not Call registry, your number may already be listed with the national registry.

Seventeen states (Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania) have already added your data to the national registry.

If you're uncertain about whether you're on the national list and would like to be, a quick call to the national registry will verify your phone number. Just be sure to call from the number in question. Or, you may verify your phone number on the national registry's Web site.

I'm registered, now what?
When you register your phone number with the Do Not Call Registry, you make it illegal for most telemarketers and sellers to call you, with a few exceptions. Political organizations, charities and people conducting telephone surveys may still call.

Another caveat: When you establish a business relationship with a company, they may call you for up to 18 months after your last purchase, payment or delivery. If you've only made an inquiry with a company or submitted an application, the company may call you for up to three months. But, if you wish the firms to stop contacting you, just tell them and the calls must stop.

You'll also want to carefully read any questionnaires, surveys, sweepstakes forms or requests for free products before filling out any forms. Companies may use any one of these avenues to establish a business relationship with you.

Even if you're not on the national registry, however, you can still ask companies and telemarketers to put you on their own "do not call" list, and they must honor your request.

On the other hand, you may have a favorite business and welcome their sales calls. Even if your name is on the national registry, you can give them written permission to call you.

How to file a 'Do Not Call' complaint
If you receive a phone call from a telemarketer after your number has been registered for three months, you can file a complaint. To do that, call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236) or visit the registry's Web site, and use the "file a complaint" page.

When filing a complaint, you'll need to have ready the name of the company that called you and/or their phone number, the date on which the company called you, and your registered phone number. You may, but it's not necessary, provide your name and address.

Your complaint is entered into the Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database of consumer complaints available to civil and criminal law enforcement agencies worldwide. Although the FTC will not jump at investigating your single complaint, it will use the database to investigate companies that repeatedly call phone numbers on the Do Not Call Registry.

Go ahead and make your voice heard. Your complaint is important, as it could lead to law enforcement action.

See also: 10 telemarketer no-nos