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Samantha Hayes reportingNearly 400,000 Utahns are on the national do-not-call list.
And despite legal challenges, many telemarketing companies have that list, and plan to comply with consumers' wishes.
Many companies in the industry seem to understand that people who don't want to get called shouldn't get called. One Utah company is included in that.
You can say you're not interested. You can act annoyed. Even hang-up.
Now, just when we thought there was a sure-fire way to keep them from calling, our judicial system stumbles over the law.
But that doesn't mean telemarketers didn't get the message.
Lane Beattie/ Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce President: "The ones that are the biggest struggle are the ones that call us, and we all have the stories of getting called at bedtime or dinnertime or some other situation."
Several telemarketing companies operate in Utah.
Lane Beattie: "We just don't want to be bothered in our homes. Yet the majority of the business for telemarketers in Utah aren't those businesses."
So while many telemarketing companies deal mainly with inbound calls, some, like Teleperformance USA, have large outbound calling services for solicitation.
The company tells Eyewitness News that starting October 1st, it will honor the requests of consumers who have registered their telephone numbers on the list.
The company says in a statement: "The majority of our business is 'inbound' which will be unaffected by these changes. However, we have already experienced a significant reduction in the overall level of outbound activity. This has resulted in the closure of a number of centers and associated job losses."
Lane Beattie: "These are companies that are viable in Utah. They provide a great service, and there are many people who benefit from their service, not because they dislike them, but because they like them."
You can still sign up for the list and file complaints about telemarketer violations. Check the box above for the link.
