Illegal AND Inept -- and it's not even the Administration

[filkertom]

Just got a call from a company called Traff|c-Pow@r (I'm deliberately messing up their name so they get no web noise from me). Nice middle-aged lady voice, said she was looking at my web site, and asked how I was today. I said I was on the National Do Not Call Registry, and that her call was against the law, and I wanted to be put on her do-not-call-forever list. Now. She said fine, sorry you don't want increased web placement, and hung up.

Snarl, couched with kvelling at blatant shmuckery.

First things first: I got a sales call. That would be illegal.

Second: It was at 4:57 pm, EDT. End of the business week. I bet they thought that, if I didn't bite, I'd just let it go with a frustrated groan. No chance. Already filed the complaint.

Third: A sales call from someone offering an increase in search engine placement for my web site. That would lead one to assume they know something about doing the same for themselves.

Well, sah, if you Google "traff|c pow@r", you get... a whole lot of people talking about the company, yea and nay... mostly nay. "Big-time spammers", "telemarketing money trap", that kinda stuff.

But you don't actually get a link to them. Not for the first five listings -- and that one only because they've got several domains pointing to the same site. Only three listings that belong to them in the first thirty.

Because, ya see, their company name is actually "Traff|c-Pow@r". (Note the dash.)

Fourth: If I put "Tom Smith" into Google, I'm the first two listings. I'd say that's placement. So... didn't they check that themselves before deciding whether I was worth a call?

So, this company broke the law in a calculated manner to offer services that they apparently do not apply to their own business to someone who doesn't need them.

Shmucks.

Update: Click here and here for some fascinating forum discussions about this company.

Comments

[popefelix.livejournal.com]

I find it a little bit amusing that a search on my name brings up my site as the first result. A search for "Clowns will eat you" brings up the main page of my site. I make no effort to improve my Google ranking... :)

[poltr1]

I got a call from another S&M (that's Sales and Marketing) person a few months ago, hawking some vacation deal. I wasn't home, but the person (named Pat) left voice mail...and a toll-free number. Even though I'm on the Do Not Call List, and my outgoing message says "If you're a telemarketer, we wish to be placed on your 'do not call' list." I saved the voice mail message for a few weeks, until my wife erased it. Now I don't have any evidence of the call.

If some bozo calls me again, who should I report it to?

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

The National Do Not Call Registry (at the link in the main post, above) has a "File A Complaint" page. Easy, quick. While you can give 'em contact information to move things along, all you really need is your phone number, the day and approximate time of the call, and either the offending company's name or phone number.