GorillaOffTopic, Everything But Gorilla Trades

Have you ever wondered what would really happen if you pursued a lawsuit with the telemarketing company that did not heed the “do not call list” you requested to be put on? Well, one company is experiencing just that kind of karma right now to the tune of almost $95,000 in fines. That’s right folks. Finally, someone is paying for all those bothersome phone calls they made to folks who didn’t want to be bothered.  According to Federal Regulators, two telemarketing companies, both working on behalf of the Dish Network, are being made to pay the fine after violating the National Do Not Call list and making customers listen to recordings for too long. Planet Earth Satellite is accused of calling customers, who are listed on the National Do Not Call Registry, and Star Satellite, LLC, is accused of failing to connect customers with a live telemarketer within 2 seconds after the consumer answered the call. Apparently, there is a 2 second rule (who knew), which was implemented after people (mostly women and the elderly) expressed concern that they were being stalked. That would explain the brief delay you experience upon answering the phone and saying “hello” when no one answers you right away. (The Gorilla knows we have all had this happen!)  The Federal Trade Commission said that “the company, its president, and other defendants were ‘unjustly enriched’ by these ‘unlawful practices.’” Hmm. “Unjustly enriched” is what they are calling it? The Gorilla calls it just plain harassment! He can’t count the number of times that the phone rang during dinner time and he had to push back his chair, jump over the dog, wipe his hands and mouth, (all on the way to the phone) and swallow his last bite of food just in case it was his mother-in-law calling, and it turned out to be none other than a telemarketer! The last time it happened, the Gorilla asked the man for his home phone number and told him he would gladly call the man back at his residence during his dinner time!  A little advice from the Gorilla: When telemarketers call you, ask the name of the company and keep a log of the name and the date. Then request to be put on the “do not call” list.  If they call you again, you can report them to the Bureau of Consumer Protection or whatever agency your state uses to fight against phone telemarketer harassment (or you could just NOT answer the phone!).