Washington, DC - Shaun Dakin, CEO The National Political Do Not Contact Registry - Sign up for free at StopPoliticalCalls.org
Before I go much further let me state that I'm a pet lover. I own two dogs that mean the world to me and my family. I would probably do anything to find them if they were lost.
That is why both are microchiped and use the AKC's Companion Animal Recovery system. I highly recommend this service.
That said, I have an issue about a new firm FindToto that uses robocalls to phone spam your neighborhood claiming to help you find your lost pet.
I first read about FindToto in this post from a Boston related blog.
Yesterday, however, I got a robo-call -- from findtoto.com -- asking if I had seen the same pet. We're not in Kansas anymore, just Brighton.
It should have come as no surprise to me that in the internet age a company would be formed to help reunite people and their lost pets. Not just a website where you can post electronically the same flyer you used to post on the utility pole, but a system that helps you fan out in the neighborhood to ask people if they've seen your lost pet. Maybe I've been in a pet-free cave the last few years, but I had not previously heard of the "findtoto" service.
As you may remember, I blogged about a case in New Jersey back in April where a town Mayor used robo calls to let the town know that he lost his cat. This was a blatant abuse of privacy of the voter and an abuse of voter registration database records by a public official for private gain.
My concern with FindToto.com is that they claim that they are exempt from the Federal Do Not Call list.
However, there is no detailed explanation on their website about why they are exempt. There are three exempt groups from the DNC:
- Political calls
- Market Research calls
- Charity / non-profit calls
This from their website:
- Our service is classified and registered as an exempt organization by The National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry.
- As a courtesy to DNC subscribers, we only use their phone numbers when there are not enough non-DNC phone numbers available to cover your search area. This will be based on your geographical location and the package that you purchased.
If they are exempt from the DNC regulations then they would need to be classified as one of the three exempt groups above.
FindToto.com, however, seems to be a profit making venture (dot com vs. dot org) and therefore that is where the question as to motivations and exemptions lie.
Bottom line?
This is another example of organizations invading the privacy of citizens for private gain.
Robocalls are so cheap now that they are essentially phone spam.
FindToto has noble intentions. That does not mask the fact that they are spamming citizens who are on the Federal Do Not Call list. Citizens that asked that they be left alone at home.
UPDATE: Upon further research I found another firm that attempts to find your pet via email. AmberAlertForPets is the service. No robocalls, just emails.
UPDATE: I received an email exchange between a consumer and the CEO of FindToto.com. You judge if this is a legitimate operation or not:
From: xxxx
To: xxxx
Date: Thu Sep 11 10:09:53 CDT 2008
Subject: RE: Spam Voice Mail
Rather than taking this opportunity to turn a negative into a positive and let others know how professionally my complaint was addressed you took a defensive approach. I didn't just send the email without doing some research first regardless of your assumption.
1) I looked on your site on the lost list and found, then searched on the phone number which led me to their name and address. It was not a cell.
2) I did research to see if you were listed and did not find it.
3) You lost a potential customer who does have a pet and may have recommended your services to other people who love their pets.
Your response does nothing to change my mind about your company's services which you had the opportunity to turn into a win-win. In fact, it has reinforced my negative perception.
Have a nice day.
___________________________________
From: dustin
To: xxxx
Subject: RE: Spam Voice Mail
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:48:46 -0700
You are completely out of line and acting ignorantly and I will explain why…
First off you did not do the proper research…the individual that lost their pet in your area most likely has a cell phone with an area code out of the area or was in that area when they lost there pet, ya oops you didn’t think of that did you! It’s ok, apology accepted.
Secondly, we have received an exempt status from the National DNC and to prove it, look us up we have an exempt status number.
“Oh, oops again”
I guess you just had ah bad day and made a bad move, hope tomorrow is better for you and by the way…try working on being a more positive person, its better for everybody!
By the way, we would love to be Non-profit but do you have any idea how much it cost to provide this state of the art service???
We would have to take away some of the potential donations to our shelters to provide this service as a non-profit and that is not what anyone or we would want…
P.S. We have had unprecedented success in the pet finding industry, complemented by the H.S.U.S. many ASPCA’s and all over the news, made national news several times, America has spoken…they love us! Thankfully, you do not represent the masses!
_________________________________
From: xxxx
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 6:21 PM
To: xxxx
Subject: Spam Voice Mail
Sirs,
I have an issue with your for profit company spamming people miles away from where some poor soul has lost their pet. Regardless of what your site states, you do not fall into any of the 3 categories approved by the DNC list:
1. Political calls
2. Market Research calls
3. Charity / non-profit calls
I have filed a complaint with National Do Not Call Registry:
YOUR COMPLAINT HAS BEEN ACCEPTED
Thank you for filing your complaint with the National Do Not Call Registry.
Do not call complaints will be entered into a secure online database available to civil and criminal law enforcement agencies. While the FTC does not resolve individual consumer problems, your complaint will help the agency investigate the company, and could lead to law enforcement action.
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