By law, certain telemarketers are required to be licensed in BC. If a company contacts you to sell goods or services on behalf of themselves or a 3rd party, and they are taking payment over the phone, they are likely required to be licensed by Consumer Protection BC.

Please note that if you no longer wish to have telemarketing calls, you can sign up with the National Do Not Contact List. For more information click here.

Here are some tips to assist you during a telemarketing call:

1. Before agreeing to anything, do some research about the company and the product or service your are considering purchasing. Research tools include the Internet or you can contact your local Better Business Bureau for information on the company.
2. You can click here to see if the telemarketer is licensed with Consumer Protection BC and also check out our enforcement actions page to find out if Consumer Protection BC has taken any enforcement action against the company in the last year.
3. If you don’t want to receive any more calls from this company, ask to be added to their “do not call list”. Most legitimate companies do not intentionally call anyone they know who doesn’t want calls and will put your name on their list if you ask.
4. Consider gettng a non-published phone number. It’s inexpensive and is one of the most effective ways to stop telemarketing calls.
5. Before making a purchase over the phone, ask to see a copy of the contract first so you can make an informed choice.
6. If it’s a charity soliciting donations over the phone, it’s a good idea to also request that they send you more information before making a decision. (Please note that only 3rd parties calling on behalf of charities are required to be licensed if they are taking payment over the phone.) We have additional information on our website about charities and telemarketing.
7. Telemarketers can only call you between 9:00 am and 9:30 pm on weekdays, and between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm on weekends.

There is a lot to know about telemarketing in BC. Here are some additional suggestions on how to respond to telemarketers. All of our tips around telemarketing can be found in the Consumer Tips section of our website. To find out more about telemarketing in BC, please visit www.telemarketingrightsbc.ca. If you still have questions, please contact our Inquiry Centre.