Verizon Wireless takes aim at pesky 'Rabbit'
By Paul McNamara on Thu, 02/26/09 - 8:27am.
It's not often I cheer for a corporate giant unleashing its legal might, but let's make an exception for the lawsuit Verizon Wireless has filed this week against a film distributor.
In fact, it might even enough for me to forgive Verizon for its own robo-call assault on my house.
From the Verizon Wireless press release:
Verizon Wireless said today it has filed a lawsuit to stop a Utah-based telemarketing company from calling its customers and employees to advertise the upcoming movie, "The Velveteen Rabbit." The lawsuit, filed this week in U.S. District Court in Trenton, alleges Feature Films for Families, Inc. illegally used an autodialer to call Verizon Wireless customers on behalf of a company called Family 1 Films, based in Los Angeles.
The lawsuit states that over 10 days in early February, nearly 500,000 calls were made to Verizon Wireless customers and employees from the telephone number 917-210-4609. When customers answered these calls to their wireless phones they heard either a prerecorded voice message or an individual reading a script promoting the anticipated release of the film.
"Telemarketers continue to harass our customers and impinge on their privacy, often using illegal methods including autodialers," said Steven E. Zipperstein, vice president and general counsel of Verizon Wireless. "Whatever their methods and whatever their product, these unlawful telemarketing calls are an annoyance to our customers and invade their privacy."
Did you notice that release included the telephone number? Normally not a nice thing to do. Normally.
What could this film company possibly be thinking?
A Utah newspaper managed to get a comment:
Matt Cooper, general counsel for Feature Films for Families Inc. and the film's producer, New Movie Corp., acknowledged Wednesday that New Movie Corp. had undertaken the calling campaign but did not believe it violated state or federal laws. The campaign was suspended Wednesday, he said. Cooper said New Movie Corp. "apologizes if their calling campaign caused any concerns or inconvenience."
Translation: I'm sorry we got caught and our sleazy practices are being publicized.
No way my kids are seeing this movie (unless Mom caves; that's her call).
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Would be great if they actually did this for political calls
It is easy to go after Hollywood, but the TCPA (law that covers robocalls in general) states that all robocalls (commercial and political) must have two things: 1) a phone number to respond to to get placed on the orgs do not call list and 2) an address with the org that pays name.
Most politicians ignore this law.
Verizon? Where are you on this?
Shaun Dakin
CEO
The National Political Do Not Contact Registry
StopPoliticalCalls.org
Would be great . . .
Surprise, surprise! Politicians exempted themselves and their campaigns from the laws governing telephone solicitation.
Blow the Whistle on 'em!!
Feature Films for Families has other numbers that they call from....under different names on caller id. They called dozens of times asking for a person gone from this household for more than 10 years. They finally quit calling when I repeatedly blew a coach's whistle in the ears of the caller and demanded to quit calling.
I blow the whistle on 'em!
Whistles are good, but...
... I prefer to use an air horn.
Ya know...
you should really watch what you say about people. Just because my dad is the lawyer for this company, doesn't mean that he is a bad person. That is my dad, so watch what you say.
Illegal under Title 18 United States Code
Placing advertising calls of any kind to a cellular phone number is a violation of Title 18 USC, and can be remedied in small claims court in most States. Statutory damages are $500 (triple damages permitted for "knowing and willful" violations, but good luck proving that).
Darn. I didn't get one of these calls. I wish I had, I could use the five hundred smackers.
My roommate and I both got
My roommate and I both got calls on cellphone from this number. Maybe I should look into compensation.;)
Anyways, people don't get it's illegal to call cellphones with this kind of offer (this is separate from "Do Not call"). What it seems to me is that someone got (maybe hacked) a list of Verizon wireless customers numbers. This is because I never give out my cellphone number to any company.
Sad
Maybe its time people boycott Verizon!
www.be-anonymous.us.tc
car waranty
what about those annoying calls that I get saying my cars warranty is expiring soon when it has not had one in many years.
I wish they would fine these
I wish they would fine these idiots, your dad included, 100 bucks for each unsolicited phone call. Telemarketers are right up there with spammers on the annoying list.
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