Telemarketing Software Featured Article

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) gets a lot of ink in this country, so much so that we might be a bit myopic about it. But other countries have their challenges with ‘calling rules’, and heavy fines fall on those who don’t follow them. Case in Point: Australia.

According to Australia’s technology news source ITWire.com, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is continuing its crackdown on companies breaching the Do Not Call Register Act, with a financial services company – Premium Financial Services – hit with a $34,000 infringement notice after telemarketing calls were made in breach of the Act.

“Premium Finance Services received the infringement notice after the ACMA found that the company had engaged a call centre to make telemarketing calls on its behalf, and calls were made to numbers on the Do Not Call Register,” ITWire reported.

The Do Not Call Register was established much like the U.S.’ Do Not Call registry. Under the Act, Australians can enter their land-line based or mobile phone numbers on the registry, as long as those numbers are used for private or domestic purposes. Fax numbers can be registered as well.

According to the report, Premium Finance Services received the infringement notice after the ACMA found that the company had engaged a call center to make telemarketing calls on its behalf, and calls were made to numbers on the Do Not Call Register.

“Some businesses may think having a contract with a call centre and relying on them to do the right thing is enough,” said ACMA acting Chairman Richard Bean “It’s not. If you use a call centre for telemarketing, you must make sure that the centre is complying with the Do Not Call Register Act.”

Much like here in the states, the Do Not Call Register Act applies to those who engage others to make calls for them as well as those who actually make the calls, and members of the public can opt out of receiving unsolicited telemarketing calls and faxes.

Those who violate the Act do so at their financial peril.