Telephone Name Removal/ Article #38 Telephone marketers should remove the name o any customer from their telephone lists when requested by the individual. Marketers should use the DMA Telephone Preference Service name- removal list and, when applicable, the Mail Preference Service name-removal list. Names found on such suppression lists should not be rented, sold, or exchanged, except for suppression purposes. A telephone marketer should not knowingly call anyone who has an unlisted or unpublished telephone number, except in instances where the number was provided by the customer to that marketer. Random dialing techniques, whether manual or automated, in which identification of those parties to be called is left to chance should not be used in sales and marketing solicitations. Sequential dialing techniques, whether a manual or automated process, in which selection of those parties to be called is based on the location of their telephone numbers in a sequence of telephone numbers should not be used. Disclosure and Tactics All telephone solicitations should disclose to the buyer, during the conversation, the cost of the merchandise, all terms, conditions and the payment plan, and whether there will be postage and handling charges. At no time should "high pressure" tactics be utilized. Use of Automatic No telephone marketer should solicit sales using automatic electronic dialing equipment unless the telephone immediately disconnects when the called person hangs up. Fund-raisers should make no percentage or commission arrangements whereby any person or firm assisting or participating in a fund-raising activity is paid a fee proportionate to the funds raised, nor should they solicit for nonfunctioning organizations. Laws, Codes, and Regulations Article #42 Direct marketers should operate in accordance with the Better Business Bureau's Code of Advertising and be cognizant of and adhere to laws and regulations of the United States Postal Service, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Reserve Board, and other applicable federal, state and local laws governing advertising, marketing practices, and the transaction of business by mail, telephone, and the print and broadcast media. Members of DMA proudly display this symbol and slogan: MEMBER DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION "Look for this symbol when you buy direct." DMA Ethics and In its continuing efforts to improve the practices of direct marketing and the marketer's relationship with customers, DMA sponsors several activities in its Ethics and Consumer Affairs Department. Activities are coordinated by a professional Director of Ethical Practices: • Ethical Guidelines are maintained, updated periodically, and distributed to the direct marketing industry. • A Committee on Ethical Business Practice investigates and examines mailings and offerings made throughout the direct marketing field. • An Ethics Policy Committee initiates programs and projects directed toward improved ethical awareness in the direct marketing area. • "Dialogue" meetings between direct marketing professionals and consumer affairs and regulatory representatives facilitate increased communication between the industry and its customers. • MOAL (Mail Order Action Line) assists consumers in resolving mail order complaints. MPS (Mail Preference Service) offers consumers assistance in decreasing the volume of advertising mail they receive. TPS (Telephone Preference Service) offers a decrease in home telephone sales calls. For additional information contact: Direct Marketing Association, Inc. 6 East 43rd Street New York, NY 10017-4646 1101 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036-4704 (202) 347-1222 |