SUBSCRIBE TO TMCnet
TMCnet - World's Largest Communications and Technology Community

CHANNEL BY TOPICS


QUICK LINKS




When Predictive Dialers Go Bad: Dish Network in Hot Water

TMCnews Featured Article


January 27, 2015

When Predictive Dialers Go Bad: Dish Network in Hot Water

By Rory J. Thompson, Web Editor


You can say it until you’re blue in the face, but some people just don’t get the message: You can’t call people and pitch your business if they’ve specifically asked not to be called. Yet that appears to be exactly what Dish network did, according to a filing by the Federal Trade Commission.


And it appears the company didn’t just make a few random calls. According to the complaint, they made more than 57 million, which could spell big trouble for the company. CBS News notes that “Penalties for violating the Telemarketing Sales Rule can be up to $16,000 for each instance.”

Hoo-boy.

In a statement issued on January 21, the FTC (News - Alert) said: “The court found Dish liable for 4,094,099 calls it or its vendors made to numbers on the [Do Not Call] Registry and for 2,730,842 calls its retailers made to numbers on the Registry. The court found that the government met its burden to hold Dish liable for the retailers’ calls since: 1) Dish retained the retailers, 2) Dish authorized the retailers to market Dish products and services, and 3) the retailers violated the (Telemarketing Sales Rule) by initiating Dish telemarketing calls to numbers on the Registry).”

According to published reports, Dish is accused of continuing to call those who asked not to be called again. More than one million customers on Dish Network’s own do not call list were contacted again. Dish is also accused of causing telemarketers to make more than 49.5 million “abandoned calls.” For its part, Dish Network blamed the FTC for making “a mess” of the Do Not Call registry.

In any event, this will all be sorted out in court. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois will hold a trial in July, but it is unknown what type of penalty Dish could face if found guilty.

 







Technology Marketing Corporation

2 Trap Falls Road Suite 106, Shelton, CT 06484 USA
Ph: +1-203-852-6800, 800-243-6002

General comments: [email protected].
Comments about this site: [email protected].

STAY CURRENT YOUR WAY

© 2024 Technology Marketing Corporation. All rights reserved | Privacy Policy