The National Do Not Call List (DNCL) gives consumers a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls.  Finally, all we have to do is call one of two numbers and we can get those annoying telemarketers to stop calling us when we are trying to have a nice dinner with our families.  Problem is this call may be the most annoying call you will make.

The Star reported on September 30 that “more than a million consumers had called one of two phone lines to try to register by early afternoon.  An unknown additional number tried to sign up online at the registry’s web site.  Denis Carmel, a spokesperson for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, a federal agency, which operates the list proceeded to state, just over 200,000 consumers had succeeded in getting on the list by 1.30 p.m. Most of them had signed up by 9 a.m., when the system became so overwhelmed it crashed but was available only sporadically for the rest of the day.  Only a few thousand were able to get through after that, he said.  The CRTC said it would be working to increase the system’s capacity overnight.”

If you get through, don’t think this will stop the calls from coming in tomorrow or next week.  They are saying it will be the end of the month before people will start noticing the difference.  I say that because you will still be receiving calls from charities along with newspapers, political parties, pollsters and companies with whom you’ve done business in the past 18 months.  These are exempt from the do-not-call list. But you should be able to ask them not to call anymore, and they’re required by law to oblige. Plus, American companies can still call because they’re not covered under our laws, and Canadians can’t use U.S. do-not-call lists.

And set your calendars for 2011, cause you’ll have to go through this all over again.

You can register your landline, cell phone and fax by calling one of these toll-free numbers: 1-866-580-3625 or 1-888-362-5889.

Source:http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/508632