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OTHER THINGS REALTOR® MEMBERS SHOULD DO
Under Canada’s Do-Not-Call legislation, all telemarketers must also maintain their own do-not-call lists – even if they are making calls that are exempt from the National DNCL rules
If you call a consumer with whom you have an existing business relationship, for example, that consumer must still be allowed to request being placed on an internal do-not-call list The organization must process that request within 14 days There can be no cost to the consumer for this process, including costs for long distance calls
This is to provide consumers additional protection if they are contacted by a company or organiza- tion covered by the exception rules In other words, if a consumer does not want to be contacted by a public opinion survey company (these companies are exempt from the National DNCL) they can ask to be put on the do-not-call list of a specific opinion survey company
Remember that a complaint can be filed because of either a violation of the National DNCL, or the individual company do-not-call list
It is recommended that if your office makes “cold calls” or engages in telemarketing practices, you should also have a company or office telemarketing policy that can be provided to consumers on request
Canada’s Do-Not-Call legislation requires you to disclose the purpose of your call, and the company or in-dividual you’re representing right away As a result, it is also recommended you have a prepared script for you or your representatives to work from – one that ensures compliance
The basic rule behind Canada’s Do-Not-Call List
If a name and phone number is on a do-not-call list, either yours or the national one, then they should not be called
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE COMPLAINS?
There will be significant penalties for telemarketers that break the National DNCL rules Although the CRTC is able to call on a range of sanctions and intends to weigh the severity of each infraction before deciding on a penalty, the rules do give it the power to assess monetary penalties on those who contravene the regulations
The maximum penalty for each violation is $1,500 for an individual and $15,000 for a corporation
If a consumer receives an unsolicited call and decides to complain, they can file that complaint by calling a toll-free number or by submitting the complaint online at the National DNCL website: https://wwwlnnte-dnclgcca/plt-cmp-eng The complaint must be filed within 14 day of receiving the telemarketing call This is to ensure timely investigations
6 The National Do-Not-Call List - Information for REALTOR® Members