8-in-10 Canadians receiving fewer telemarketing calls?

Since a blog post about Canada's Do-Not-Call registry was Techvibes most popular in 2008, I couldn't resist writing about the results of a national Voice of the People survey released today by the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA).

According to their research, eight-in-ten Canadians (80%) who have registered a telephone number with Canada's National Do Not Call List (DNCL) say they now receive fewer telemarketing calls. The survey is apparently the first to track the effectiveness of Canada's no-call list since its launch on September 30, 2008, was designed to give Canadians an opportunity to rate the registry's effectiveness at blocking unwanted telemarketer calls.

"The survey shows clearly that Canada's National Do Not Call List is benefiting the great majority of registrants by stemming unwanted telemarketing calls," says VoxPop spokesperson Brendan Wycks, Executive Director of MRIA. "Nationally, 50 per cent of those who have registered report they now receive noticeably fewer or far fewer telemarketing calls; 20 per cent say they now receive slightly fewer telemarketing calls; and 10 per cent report receiving no telemarketing calls at all since signing on to the no-call list."

The not-so-good news on the National DNCL's performance is that 13% of registrants report that they are now receiving MORE telemarketing calls than before they registered a telephone number.

Wycks confirmed that some National DNCL registrants are now receiving more calls than before registering but blamed it on the recession and an upswing in telemarketers using random dialers to call Canadians.

Many believe that the DNCL is actually to blame for the increase in calls as there is no enforcement of penalties for rogue telemarketers who actually purchase the DNCL with the intention of targeting it.