Several times a week, I get a phone call from a number I don’t recognize. The caller never leaves a voicemail message, so I always perform a quick Google search to see if I can find any information about the caller before answering or returning the call. In almost all cases, the unknown number has attracted numerous complaints online.
According to the complaints listed for each phone number that has called me unexpectedly during the day, if I were to answer the phone, I would be talking to a pre-recorded telemarketer whose job is to sell me an “extended warranty” for my car.
Even individuals who have placed phone numbers on the Do Not Call registry (more information on Do Not Call) are being bombarded by this telemarketing agency. The Federal Trade Commission is suing the companies behind these “robo-calls,” Voice Touch Inc. and Transcontinental Warranty Inc.
After September 1, telemarketers may only use “robocalls” when a customer has opted in to this particular “service.” Have you received any calls from these companies?
For those who follow real estate investing gurus, it might be interesting to note that Russ Whitney’s company, through an internal investigation, is calling for the founder’s resignation. Russ Whitney, the founder, chief executive officer, and chairman of the Whitney Information Network has in the past aligned himself with Robert Kiyosaki (of Rich Dad, Poor Dad infamy).
The report said the committee “found that, among other things, before the start of the government investigations, the company’s marketing function — including advertising for company products, solicitation of customers, presentation of live seminars, telemarketing, coaching and mentoring — was characterized by inadequate controls, inadequate training and a failure to devote adequate resources to compliance.
I don’t expect any remuneration for customers who were swayed by the marketing cited in the report, unfortunately.
Here are the basics about Russ Whitney. He is a high school drop-out who built a money-making business. What was that initial business? Well, Whitney doesn’t really explain:
“I ordered a book that had a couple of ideas that made sense. I finally found something that I could do that didn’t require a lot of money to start, and in 3 weeks, I made $11,000…” He and his family celebrated his initial financial success with a commitment to use that money to make more money. He quickly invested it in another money-making vehicle. A little over a year later, at the age of 22, he had racked up $117,000 in profits.
Why no details other than to say his plan “involved real estate?” Well, he wants you to attend his seminars, buy his books, and become part of the program if you want to find out. As any guru, his primary income doesn’t come from these investment opportunities — it comes from the massive “education” program built around his investing ideas. That’s the truer way to wealth, at least for Whitney — become a cult-like motivational leader.
For some interesting reading on Russ Whitney, consider some of these articles. There is enough content here and elsewhere on the Internet to keep you busy for days.
There’s little doubt that the federal Do Not Call list is a good thing for most people throughout the United States. All you have to do is sign up with your phone number and a valid e-mail address, and you will be protected from most dinnertime annoyances (besides your children)…
… for five years. For many people that signed up when the Do Not Call list first came to existence, those five years are almost up. What does that mean? Well, all you simply have to do is renew your phone number’s registration at the website linked above.
At first, I was wary about entering my phone number on this form. In effect, the Do Not Call list is a massive database of valid phone numbers. Theoretically, if the program ends, or even as five-year registrations expire, marketers can be sure that numbers newly off the list can be legally called.
I own a only cell phone and I rarely get telemarketing calls, so I have not signed up for the Do Not Call list. I’m too skeptical about what can be done with the numbers once the registrations expire. I may be too cautious, but I don’t receive enough calls for it to be an issue for me.
If the Do Not Call list has worked for you, don’t forget to check your registration to determine your expiration date, and renew your registration a little more than a month before it expires. Companies have to verify phone numbers are not on the list only once a month, so if there is a lapse in registration you could be setting yourself up for avoiding calls every night for 31 days.
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