Phone companies need to take responsibility for screening out robocallers.

Almost everyone with a phone has experienced this: automatic phone solicitations that are not only uninvited and unwanted, but specifically requested to be stopped. It can seem like nothing can be done to stop these calls. Although legally, this type of marketing should cease when a recipient request it, the reality is that many of these calls will continue long after you have requested for them to stop.

The question arises: who is responsible for this? Whose job is it to make sure these companies and marketing firms stop calling people who request to be taken off their lists?

The Phone Companies Should Be Responsible

According to attorney Todd M. Friedman, as reported in NBC Los Angeles online, it is the phone service providers.

Friedman has a wealth of experience in this area, having handled hundreds of robocall lawsuits in his career. According to Friedman, “There’s just been a spike of these robocalls… If they have the capability then they should do it because this is obviously a huge problem.”

What to Do if You Are Harassed by Robocallers

If you are in a situation where you keep getting these automated calls from the same source, you have a few options:

• Tell them to take you off the list: Legally, companies are not permitted to continue calling you for marketing purposes if you have asked them to take you off their call list. This is a good first step but is rarely effective in itself.
• Call the phone company: Continual pressure on the phone companies could motivate them to begin taking more effective action to stop these calls for their customers.
• Call the FCC: Reporting violations from advertisers can create distinct legal problems for them and thwart their efforts to keep calling you.
• Talk with an attorney: Working with a lawyer who has experience handling phone advertisement violations is the best thing you can do to protect your rights and get the calls to stop.

Although robocalls are a significant problem for many people right now, persistent and strategic action can hopefully reduce or even eliminate this type of nuisance eventually.