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Wanted: Electronic Telemarketing Device
Question:
If it is for use in the Untied States, ‘cold call’ prerecorded ads are illegal. that is why most of the companies are no longer in business. Consumers can claim $500 min. in damages for each call. The website below as the information. Also, information to register for national telemarketing do-not-call lists for Canada, US and UK found at the site. — russ-smith http://www.consumer-info.org/
Response:
>I do PC work on the side and I’m posting this for one of my customers. He is >looking for a device which does automatic calling of telephone numbers and plays >a recorded advertisement. A second tape records the response (if any).
Is this for real? I had to read it twice to make sure I got it. We have junk mail, junk e-mail, junk visitors hawking at the office, and there was even a burst of junk faxes before it was outlawed I believe. Now he wants to do junk phone calls?? If I didn’t just hang up straight away my recorded response would certainly not be publishable. Or maybe we could just not hang up, causing the tape to run out and save fellow citizens from being harassed? If somebody trying to sell me something hasn’t even got the decency to talk to me direct or even find out my name they can stick their pathetic attempt at marketing – and any relevant hardware – where the sun don’t shine! Regards Mark Edgar
Response:
I do PC work on the side and I’m posting this for one of my customers. He is looking for a device which does automatic calling of telephone numbers and plays a recorded advertisement. A second tape records the response (if any). So far he has tried the Samurai by Cogata, Inc. The documentation is extremely bad — downright erroneous in a couple of key spots — and he can’t get any more info because the company is out of business. That unit is the right idea for him, but we can’t get it working. The thing might even be defective, but it’s impossible to diagnose with such bad written materials. He also has a brochure for an "ETS-1500," which was made by an unknown manufacturer. (I’m serious. The only indication of who’s behind the thing is some very fine print which reads: "Copyright 1988 by KSI.") It also appears to be what he needs, but he only has access to it through one salesperson, who happens to want $2000.00. That’s about four times what it’s worth. So: does ANYBODY know of a reasonable solution for this small business owner? We know about some of the PC-based systems, but he would really prefer a stand-alone unit. Initially, I was hired by him to research and install one of the software applications, but the less expensive ones are DOS-based and require configuration steps which are outside his grasp. I’ve recommended against them. The Windows-based system I found, Small Business Assistant, is almost $1000.00 for the software and hardware. He ought to be able to find a used stand-alone for half that. Any suggestions would be appreciated. If anyone has a used device they want to sell, we’re interested in that also. PLEASE don’t e-mail me with offers of money-making schemes. I have my own business (PC consulting), which is doing very well. FP
Response:
Hi There! : I do PC work on the side and I’m posting this for one of my customers. He is : looking for a device which does automatic calling of telephone numbers and : plays a recorded advertisement. A second tape records the response (if any). –SNIP– I own an Interactive Voice Response Computer. This is powerfull tool that can be used for this. I do use it like this. But handle with care! Check your local laws about this. If your script is not configured well enough you will get more negative than positive reactions. : So: does ANYBODY know of a reasonable solution for this small business owner? : We know about some of the PC-based systems, but he would really prefer a : stand-alone unit. Initially, I was hired by him to research and install one : of the software applications, but the less expensive ones are DOS-based and : require configuration steps which are outside his grasp. I’ve recommended : against them. The Windows-based system I found, Small Business Assistant, is : almost $1000.00 for the software and hardware. He ought to be able to find a : used stand-alone for half that. You will need a ‘voice-card’ and some software. Interactivity is a must. There are also companies who can provide you with the service. Contact the 0800-operator companies for that. : Any suggestions would be appreciated. Good Luck. Jeroen Duvekot