During the CRTC hearings on Essential Services, Primus Canada seemed to capture the attention of the Commission with its announcement of its new Telemarketing Guard service [see transcripts beginning at line 16661].
Primus has been quite innovative in the Canadian local services market – more than just price, Primus has competed with new service capabilities. It was the first company in Canada to roll-out a Voice over IP service, together with an array of innovative advanced features.
During the recent hearings, Primus Canada president Ted Chislett described another new service, Telemarketing Guard, as follows:
we surveyed our customers and we found that 90 percent of our customers, they are disturbed by getting interruptions from telemarketers during the supper time. So for people who are on our local phone service, we offer a network‑based service for them, which basically gives them the option of we will intercept and block telemarketing calls to these customers.
Then, during a different proceeding on the role of the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services, the Chair called attention to the Primus service [see line 668 of the transcript]. Clearly, Primus’ Telemarketing Guard attracted the attention of the CRTC.
I have commented in the past that a national Do Not Call database could be Canada’s next Gun Registry fiasco. Primus Canada has demonstrated that there is a market based approach – one that puts the consumer clearly in charge.
Don’t want calls from that number? Just hang-up and hit the appropriate star code.
The fundamental problem with the centralized database is that it imposes all the costs on the most responsible telemarketers – the ones that will play by the rules. The shady operators will continue to harass us from off-shore with annoying calls and messages. The CRTC may have found an alternative – one that puts consumers in the driver’s seat to make it work for them.
Your local phone company doesn’t offer such a service? Well then, maybe it’s time to switch.