The national “do not call” list is welcomed by consumers and almost eliminates annoying interruptions at dinner. But Household International, and in one case their credit card merchant CompUSA fought consumer activists favoring “do not call” legislation in the early formative years. Examples:

“I received calls from Warrantech (an extended warranty company) after I purchased computers at CompUSA. The telemarketers first called and said they were Warrantech and in a later call they said they were from CompUSA. CompUSA legal department told me the calls were on behalf of Warrantech. They changed their story after I said Warrantech sent me a letter saying the calls were on behalf of CompUSA. At this point I still have not received a CompUSA do-not-call policy. They claim only Warrantech needs a policy but it does not explain how to get on the CompUSA company-specific do-not-call list. They have hired a law firm and have asked the court to impose ‘sanctions’ against me ‘for filing pleadings for improper purposes’ and are seeking damages from me for filing the suit.”

Second Example:

“A good example is my interactions with Household International and several of their companies including the GM Card credit card. Household insisted consumers were not permitted to see their do-not-call policies, only the FCC and Attorneys General as they have enforcement authority. A complaint was filed with the Illinois Attorney General, which was forwarded to the FCC. They ruled Household must provide consumers a policy even if they were not called. Presumably because the consumers have the burden of getting on each and every do-not-call list. Household withheld the policies from me for more than three months and finally sent me a few documents. Most of the documents contained a vague 7-line statement stating they follow the law. Most of the documents were in such poor condition that they were almost unreadable. A document from Household Bank was more lengthy and clearly indicated social security number was recorded with the do-not-call request. I explained to the Household legal staff that these policies did not provide instructions to consumers on how to get on the company-specific do-not-call lists. The attorney told me consumers can call the 800 number listed on their ‘statement’ and make the request. I tried this with the GM card and the supervisor indicated I had to have an account before they could accept a do-not-call request. After I filed suit an attorney representing Household accused me of being an extortionist and confirmed the accusation in court papers. Of course a Household lobbyist wrote to the California Senate in a letter to oppose SB 1512 for a mandatory do-not-call list for California, that the FTC and FCC rules already “heavily regulates” telemarketing and “consumers may receive up to $500 (sic) per violation for the do-not-call requirements.”‘

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