Six in 10 Australian adults count telemarketing calls as a problem, according to new research which reveals that Aussies perceive the calls to be a nuisance or annoying.
According to the research report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the 61% represents an increase since the last survey — in 2012 — in the proportion of consumers perceiving the calls as a problem.
Those consumers who had a problem with telemarketing calls perceived:
- These calls to be a nuisance or annoying – up from 38% in 2012 to 53% in 2016;
- These calls to be occurring at inappropriate times – up from 28% to 40%; and
- There are too many calls – up from 3% to 22% in 2016.
Businesses and charities are still the most common calling organisation, with just over 6 in 10 adult Australians receiving this type of call in the last six months, according to the ACMA report.
{loadposition peter}And telemarketing calls are still more likely to be received on fixed-line phones, while calls from a business trying to sell or promote something are the most common type received on mobile phones.
Nearly one in five adult Australians (18%) who receive telemarketing calls and consider them to be a problem believe they have not given their consent.
The ACMA says the research highlights the importance of consumers receiving useful information from telemarketers that can help them to take informed action — an area of priority for the ACMA — which says this is reflected in the recently remade Telecommunications (Telemarketing and Research Calls) Industry Standard 2017, as reported by iTWire.
The research also informs the ACMA’s compliance and educational activities, including consumer awareness campaigns and identifying potential priority compliance areas on which to focus regulatory attention – for example, adherence by telemarketers to permitted calling times and whether or not consumer consent has been provided to call numbers on the Do Not Call Register (DNCR).