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Daily LifeStopping Telemarketing - Do Not Call Registry

Unfortunately in France like most countries, you often get ‘cold calls’ trying to sell you something you don’t want or need. Again like in most countries there is a way to cut down on these types of calls.

A recent entrant to the fight against unsolicited cold calls from telemarketers is Pacitel. A 1901 association that’s mission is to keep a list of those who do not want to be contacted by telemarketers. Pacitel’s web site states that its no-call list has the potential to reach 80% of the telemarketing companies in France.

Here are some tips for not receiving telemarketing phone calls in France. How you try to stop telemarketers depends, in part on your phone company.

If you use France Telecom * there is a special ‘Liste Orange’ that should protect you from ‘démarchage’ or cold calls. This service is free.
It is unclear if the Liste Orange will retroactively remove your phone number from telemarketing databases.

France Telecom also has 'Stop Secret', where you won’t get any ‘appels masqués’ callers not showing call ID. This isn’t free.

There is also ‘Liste Rouge’, this means your phone number will be unlisted and not in any phonebook, online directory or directory assistance hotlines. This might be overkill, as no one will be able to find you. This service is free.

Lastly France Telecom has a ‘Liste chamois’ where your number won’t be in any phonebook or online directory but your number will be listed in directory assistance hotlines like 118 712.

If you use Free you can request that your phone number not be sold to telemarketers. You need to log on to your account and then go:
Téléphone > Gérer le référencement de mes numéros de téléphone Freebox dans l'annuaire > Accéder à la page d'édition des données annuaire >
For each of your phone numbers click on ‘Éditer ces informations’ and then on the page that comes up, under ‘J'autorise les données suivantes à être utilisées à des fins de marketing direct:’ click NON then near the bottom click ‘Enregister’. Do this for all your phone numbers.

Another solution with Free is to go:
Téléphone > Gestion de mes services >
Then set ‘Rejet des appels anonymes’ to ‘ACTIF’ by clicking on ‘INACTIF’.

This means that any anonymous callers won’t be able to get through. Many telemarketers use anonymous numbers.

Sorry don’t yet have any tips for other phone companies in France. If you do please let me know.

These tips are not 100% foolproof, but they should help. The most effective might be blocking anonymous callers or those not showing caller ID as once a phone number gets into telemarketing databases it is unclear if it can be removed by a means other than asking that it be so. The only problem with this is that legitimate callers who don’t show their caller ID, won’t get through.

It is possible in France to ask that personal information - like a telephone number, used for commercial purposes be removed from a company’s database on request. This is of course unpractical but it looks to be the only foolproof way to get a company to stop calling you.

* France Telecom is also known as Orange. Orange is the brand France Telecom uses for its mobile network, Internet service provider and web site.

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