$1.6bn: The Cost Of Direct Marketing

The Age

Monday December 8, 2008

By DANIELLA MILETIC

UNSOLICITED telemarketing calls cost Australians $1.58billion a year in wasted time and more than half of households believe they should be banned.

While the Do Not Call Register has reduced the volume of calls by about 30 per cent since it began 18 months ago, the report said consumers still receive an average of 8.5 calls a month.

The survey of 1000 people, conducted by the Australia Institute and to be released today, shows that people on the register receive an average of seven calls per month, compared with 10 for those not on it.

The survey revealed the lengths to which Australians go to avoid telemarketing: some buy answering machines, some disconnect phones while others return junk mail to its source.

Two in three (63 per cent) believe telemarketing should be banned. "People bond over their mutual hatred of telemarketing," the report's author, Josh Fear, said yesterday.

Charities are exempt but are among the most prominent users of telemarketing, Mr Fear said. However, he said research had shown Australians see it is one of the most disliked ways of being approached for donation.

The report, Go Away, Please: The social and economic impact of intrusive marketing, also called for a register to deter door knocking, unsolicited faxes and junk mail.