If you’re fed up with door-to-door sales people knocking on your door and/or telemarketers interrupting your meals, tv viewing or anything else, there are now positive steps you can take to prevent both of these interruptions.

The “Do Not Call Register” was established in 2006 and enables you to list your home, personal mobile and/or fax number to reduce telemarketing calls.  Registration is free, and can be done by phone (1300 792 958), online at www.donotcall.gov.au, or by fax to 1300 793 514.  There are exceptions and some groups are still able to contact you after you register.  These include charities, research companies, political parties and educational institutions.  There are heavy penalties for companies who continue to contact you after you have registered.  In June this year FHT Travel Pty. Ltd. and its sole director were fined $120,000 for breaching the regulations by making more than 12,000 marketing calls to people who had placed their numbers on the register.   An injunction restraining the company and its director from making certain telemarketing calls for five years was also issued by the Court.

The “Do Not Knock” campaign is an effective method of stopping unwanted sales visits. A sticker, which warns sales representatives that they are in breach of the law if they knock on a door to which the sticker is affixed, is all it takes.  And it works!  If sales representatives choose to ignore the sticker and knock anyway, their behaviour constitutes unlawful trespass and leaves them open to complaint to the company who engages them and the relevant industry ombudsman scheme.  You can collect your free “Do Not Knock” sticker from the reception desk at Diversitat’s Geelong West office.  

Linda Walker, Kaye Norris, Jocelyn McMillan.