“Hi, how ya doin’ today? We talked last April and you said you were thinking of a remodel and I should call you back in a few months…”

“Hello, how are you? I am working with my father in his painting business and we’ll be in your neighborhood…”

Are you tired of these calls that get you running from the back yard to answer the phone?

Time to list your number with the National Do Not Call Registry. You can search “do not call” on your computer, or you can call 1-888-382-1222. If you telephone, be sure to call from the number you want to register, cell phone or land line.

Calls from telephone marketers will be stopped 31 days after you register. If you receive telemarketer calls after that, you can call the same number to file a complaint. Those who violate the Do Not Call law face fines of $11,000 per call.

Or if you want to spend some time to collect some money, you can sue the caller in small claims court. This applies also to text messages sent to you registered mobile telephone number.

You’ll need to get the name of the company, an address, land or email, for the person running the business. Then you must send them a demand for compensation. If they do not comply, then you file a complaint in small claims court with your dated written demand as an exhibit.

The Do-Not-Call Implementation Act became law in 2003. The implementation was of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991. At first, the consumer’s telephone number registration expired in five years, but now it is a permanent registration unless you choose otherwise.

Junk mail can be stopped also. Register at the Direct Marketing Association’s consumer web site, DMAchoice.org. Then choose what catalogs or magazine offers you do want to receive. This costs a processing fee of $4.00.

If you do not have on-line access, you can register by mail. Send you name and address, with your signature, and a check for $5.00, payable to the Association of National Advertisers, or ANA, as a processing fee to DMAchoice, Consumer Preferences, Post Office Box 900, Cos Cob, Connecticut (CT) 06807. This registration will last for 10 years.

Learn more about stopping unwanted calls at ftc.gov/calls