Think again. Here's an interesting article from CBSnews.com

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/12/17/eveningnews/consumer/main661811.shtml

Anyone who has cell phones should go to:

http://www.donotcall.gov

And register all your cell phone numbers in the national Do Not Call list. It only takes a few seconds. They will send you an e-mail immediately for each number you register, at the mail address you provide. Click on the resp[nd link in the e-mail to confirm it and you will be registered. Any telemarketer that defies that request and calls you is then subject to an $11,000 fine per incident. The only exceptions are charities, political calls and companies with which you have dealt recently that you have not told not to call you.

Shelly

The junk faxes piss me off. Toner and paper isn't cheap for me. I get like 50 - 100 a day. It's ridiculous. Calling the people trying to track them down is useless. It's like clicking UNSUBSCRIBE in a SPAM email. Never works.

Visit the Basement

You may find it interesting to read what Snopes has to say about this recent flood of registrations.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/cell411.asp

That's all very nice, but I have already received a few telemarketing calls on my cell. Many people with cell phones have the numbers on their business cards, letterheads, yellow page advertisements, and websites, for the benefit of their customers. The existence of any list of cell numbers will eventually result in leaks to those who would exploit them.

When the Do Not Call list was first established, registering my home number resulted in telemarketing calls to drop from an average of six a day to zero. I stand by my recommendation to do the same with cell numbers, especially since not only will such calls to a cell be a nuisance, they will cost you minutes or money, whether you hang up or not.

Shelly

My cell phone was registered before the Do NOT CALL list was effective. We have never gotten a telemarketing call on it.

Bill K.

Here are some thoughts to ponder that I heard from other cell phone users. The thinking is that if you do go ahead and put your number on the do not call list, it'll then be there so that those parties who don't have to abide by the list (such as charities or non-profits) will now have those numbers. The upshot of it is that if you are not getting any junk calls on your cell phone now, then don't bother registering it on the list.

>upshot of it is that if you are not getting any junk calls on
>your cell phone now, then don't bother registering it on the
>list.


I pretty much agree with that. I have had my new cell phone # for about 1 1/2 years now and haven't received one telemarketing call yet. However, i'll hold out registering on the DNC list until I start getting unsolicited calls.

There are things you can do to lessen loss of minutes from unwanted calls.
You could program your phone to answer only when you push any button instead of automatically answering when you open the clamshell or after a certain number of rings.
You could also look at the caller ID and see if you want to answer.
You could check your voice mail from a land line. Most telemarketers don't leave messages.
All of which do not cost air time.

I don't know anyone dumb enough to set their phone to auto answer calls.

Shelly

Just registered three cells...thanks, Shelly.

DavyWavy -

No charity or politician would be stupid enough to antagonize anyone by calling their cell number. Only telemarketers would not care.

Shelly

And now comes this Qsent ready to make millions collecting cell phone numbers and downloading them to the 411 service where folks will pay again to get the number. Verizon has said it will not release its customers' numbers. Alltel and other companies have said they will leave it up to the subscriber on whether to opt out of the listing service or not. Not me, but some people use their cell phone as a business phone and have said they do want it listed somewhere. I don't think people realize that to get you number, others will have to pay the 411 service fee. I do not want my cell phone number listed. And, I cannot now think of a reason for me to pay a 411 service to get someone's number. I think all of this is just a rip-off of cell phone users.