Source: https://www.consumer-voice.org/consumer-right-laws/all-about-unwanted-commercial-calls/
Timestamp: 2019-07-16 06:13:29
Document Index: 286742610

Matched Legal Cases: ['ART 0', 'ART 1', 'ART 2', 'ART 3', 'ART 4', 'ART 5', 'ART 6', 'ART 7', 'ART 1', 'ART 2', 'ART 0', 'ART 4']

All about unwanted Commercial Calls | How to register for DND
Unwanted Commercial Calls (UCC) is known by Do Not Disturb (DND) as well. In TRAI parlance it is called Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (TCCCP). All of us telecom consumers receive lots of unwanted calls and SMSs promoting various products and services whether we like them or not. A call is defined as menace when....
1. We receive too many calls / SMSs daily, upto 50+ in a day in some cases.
2. We receive these repeatedly for the same product or service, upto 8 SMS for same product from same no. in a single day.
3. It can happen at any time of the day or night, even at 2 AM at V hrs.
4. In the middle of a meeting they will call and will not take no for an answer.
5. You are almost drowned in these calls / SMSs.
TRAI has recognized this menace and has formulated rules for the same in 2007, which have been amended from time to time to take into account dynamic nature of the Telecom. The current regulations are:
1. Every entity interested in sending commercial communications to Telecom consumers has to register with National Telemarketer Register of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and their service provider of choice.
2. Department of Telecom (DOT) along with TRAI have allocated a special set of numbers /prefixes.
3. TRAI has created a Do Not Call register where all the Telecom consumers who do not wish to receive Commercial Communication (fully or partially) are required to register their preferences.
4. All commercial callers have to check with DND register before sending commercial communications to a Telecom user.
5. For sending commercial communication to DND registered users, there is a telescopic levy of penalty for repeat violation leading to disconnection of services.
6. Keeping a check on the commercial callers and levy of penalty is the responsibility of service providers.
7. No service provider will allow more
than 200 SMS per day per SIM.
8. TRAI is authorized to exempt some communicators from these regulations.
9. Banks, religious and social organizations, govt. departments etc. are exempt from these regulations for sending communication to their existing customers, members and in public interest.
10. Even if permitted these communications can be made only during working hours i.e. between 9 AM to 5 PM only.
It is a very simple process. You can register using all three communication modes.
a. Registration of preference or change of preference through voice call
1. Call on toll free number 1909 and talk to the customer care executive.
2. The customer care executive shall ask the customer whether he wants to register or deregister or change his preference.
3. If the customer wants to register or change his already registered preference, the executive shall inform the customer about the categories available for registration of his preference like fully blocked or partially blocked.
4. The customer care executive shall confirm and register the preference of customer in Provider Customer Preference Register and send confirmation of the same through SMS.
b. Registration or change of preference through Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS)
1. Call on 1909 and select preference to register, de-register or change preference through the IVRS.
2. If the customer chooses to register or change his preference, IVRS shall prompt him about the categories available for registration of his preference like fully blocked or partially blocked.
3. If the customer opts for fully blocked category, IVRS shall confirm his preference.
4. If the customer opts for partially blocked category, then system will prompt with options as listed bellow.
5. The customer may exercise the desired preference(s) which shall be confirmed by the IVRS as well as through SMS his unique registration number.
c. Registration of preference through SMS
1. A customer may also exercise his preference by sending SMS to 1909.
2. The customer may exercise any of the following options-
Fully blocked, he may send SMS “START 0”
Partially blocked, he may send
i. “START 1” for receiving SMS about Banking/Insurance/Financial Products /credit cards
ii. “START 2” for receiving SMS about Real Estate
iii. “START 3” for receiving SMS about Education
iv. “START 4” for receiving SMS about Health
v. “START 5” for receiving SMS about Consumer goods and automobiles
vi. “START 6” for receiving SMS about Communication/Broadcasting/ Entertainment/IT
vii. “START 7” for receiving SMS about Tourism and Leisure
3. A customer can also choose multiple preferences like “START 1,2” or “START 2,4,5” etc.
4. On receipt of option exercised by the customer through SMS, the Service Provider shall send an SMS to confirm the options exercised.
5. After receipt of confirmation from the customer, the Service Provider shall register his preference and send a confirmation SMS.
6. Preference ‘0’ shall always suppress other preferences. If ‘0’ is sent with any other preference it will be treated as fully blocked preference. For example, “START 0,2,3”, shall be considered fully blocked option.
d. Change of preference through SMS
1. A customer can change his option either by stopping the earlier options or by adding new options with the already exercised preferences.
2. For stopping the existing options, the Customer may send the SMS “STOP
3. For adding a new option, Customer may send the SMS “START
” which someone wants to add to the already existing preferences.
A customer with an existing option of 2 (Real Estate) and 3 (Education) wants to opt out of 2 and add 4 (Health) will sendSMS as under:
“STOP 2” for opting out from SMS relating to Real Estate and “START 4” for opting to receive SMS relating to Health
5. After receipt of SMS by 1909 for changing preference(s), SMS indicating customers’ options shall be sent seeking confirmation of the customer.
6. After receipt of confirmation from the customer, his preferences shall be registered and a confirmation SMS shall be sent indicating unique registration number.
a. De-Registration through voice call
1. Customer may make a call on toll free short code 1909.
2. The customer care executive shall ask the customer whether someone wants to register, deregister or change his preference.
3. If customer wants to deregister, the customer care executive shall accept his request and deregister and confirm through SMS about his deregistration.
b. De-Registration through Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS)
1. A customer may call on 1909 and select his preference to deregister through the IVRS.
2. The IVRS shall confirm the selected option by the customer as well as a confirmatory SMS.
c. De-Registration of preference through SMS
1. A customer can de-register by sending SMS “STOP” to 1909.
2. The customer shall be informed through SMS about deregistration request seeking his confirmation.
3. On receipt of confirmation, the Access Provider shall deregister the customer and inform SMS.
I. The request for all registration/ change/de-registration has to be done from the same telephone number for which registration/change/deregistration has been requested.
II. A toll-free short code 1909 shall be available to customers for registration or change or de-registration in the National Customer Preference Register.
Though DOT and TRAI are making all efforts in issuing guidelines/ regulations to control this menace, consumers are still continuing to receive these calls / SMSs in spite of registering for DND. TRAI has also issued guidelines for registering complaints against UCC. The procedure for registering complaints under UCC is as follows:
One can send your complaint through SMS to “1909” in the following format: COMP TEL NO XXXXXXXXXX, dd/mm/ yy; Time hh:mm
UCC Text: Brief description and category of call / message like real estate / insurance /education etc.
The customer complaint shall be registered and acknowledged by providing a unique complaint number through SMS immediately by the service provider.
You can send your complaint through e-mail to the customer care of your service provider in the following format:
Date & Time: dd/mm/yy @ Time hh:mm
UCC Sender: XXXXXXXXXX
The customer complaint shall be registered and acknowledged by providing a unique complaint number through mail immediately by the service provider.
A customer may make a call to 1909 or his service provider’s customer care for registering his complaint. The customer care executive shall ask the customer about the details like particulars of telemarketer, the telephone number from which the unsolicited commercial communication has originated the date, time and brief description of such unsolicited commercial communication.
The customer care executive shall register the customer complaint and acknowledge the complaint by providing a unique complaint number.
The consumers are advised to observe abundant caution before exercising their options. It is also advised that consumers keep a record of all their options which will help in making complaint resolution fast and effective so that a consumer’s right is fully protected.
-Information Technology Desk