Pot? Kettle? Black?

By Ruth Feeley

Green Party Senator Deidre De Burca has called for the establishment of tighter European Laws concerning “nuisance” telemarketing calls which have plagued many Irish households in the past year. She has spoken out against calls that have meant families “cannot sit and eat their dinner in peace without being interrupted by nuisance calls that have bare no interest” to them whatsoever.

She refers to the “Do Not Call” policy in the United States which has experienced great success whereby once you ring a toll-free number and have your number registered on the Do Not Call list, any telemarketer who proceeds to call one of these numbers can be subject to a €1,100 fine.

It may seem like a relatively minor issue to bring to the attention of the European Commission but speaking to people on the street, feedback would suggest that many people would be thrilled with such as initiative. Many members of the public recalled getting calls like these on an almost daily basis and have been aggrieved with sometimes finding it difficult to get “pushy” telesales personnel off the phone and to stop them ringing again. However, there was also a feeling that it borders on hypocritical that a politician who uses door to door canvassing as a tactic to whip up votes to criticise others for using a similar pushy technique to sell themselves.

Josephine, 42, from Coolock feels that this would be a great idea as he says her elderly mother has reached the point of feeling “harassed” with these “unnecessary” calls. “I would be all for this idea, my own mother is 72 years old and has almost caused herself a serious injury trying to get to the phone in time to answer these calls. And they confuse her. Not only that but my oldest daughter has gone travelling for a year and every time I see an unknown number on my caller ID I think the worst, only for it to be completely unnecessary and a waste of my time.” “I’d put my number on this list without a second thought.”

While many people thought the idea was great, there were a lot of others who were sceptical about the actual implementation of such restrictions. Dominic, 24, from Swords feels that it is highly intrusive for telemarketers to be ringing someone’s personal phone but the reality of Deirdre De Burca given this any real consideration if she were to gain a seat in Europe. “Yeah, it is a worthwhile suggestion but can we honestly expect it to go anywhere? Probably not.” He went on to access the ethics of Mrs. De Burca, “In fairness, it’s the pot calling the kettle black here, politicians knocking telemarketers for nuisance calls. Could their door to door canvassing not be regarded as just as annoying?” “If I want to learn about the promises politicians are incorporating into their campaigns, I’ll read up on it. I’d choose a telemarketer on the phone any day over a politician reeling of an over prepared spiel on my doorstep while I look for a polite way to excuse myself.”

Ironically, when efforts were made to contact Senator De Burca concerning the issue and her response to her critics’ remarks that this stance might be hypocritical; she was unable to talk as she was away for the evening to canvas. This was on a Sunday evening where many families in Dublin would otherwise be enjoying a peaceful Sunday of relaxation. She has been unavailable for comment since.