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Telstra has been fined for hassling people on the Do Not Call register
Telstra has been handed what amounts to a slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) after it was found guilty of calling people on the Do Not Call register.
Fined $101,200 after the ACMA found that on of Telstra’s external call centres made telemarketing calls to numbers listed on the Register, Telstra has now entered into a wide-ranging enforceable undertaking with the ACMA, which includes the appointment of an external consultant to review Telstra’s systems and procedures for compliance with the Do Not Call Register Act 2006 (the Act).
The ACMA commenced an investigation into Telstra’s compliance with the Act in August 2008 after continuing to receive consumer complaints despite having advised Telstra of potential compliance problems. The investigation found that inadequate compliance systems, procedures and supervision had contributed to calls being made to numbers on the Register where the consumers were not existing Telstra customers.
If Australians receive an unsolicited telemarketing call more than 30 days after entering their number on the Register, they should take down as much information as they can about the call if they wish to make a complaint. The ACMA relies on consumer complaints to identify businesses that may be making prohibited calls to numbers on the Register.
