Telemarketers Get Wrong Number

Now it's the telemarketers who are getting the calls, thanks to Dave Barry, humor columnist for The Miami Herald.

The American Teleservices Association was targeted by Barry in his Aug. 31 column.

"This group argues that, if its members are prohibited from calling people who do not want to be called, then two million telemarketers will lose their jobs," Barry wrote. "Of course, you could use pretty much the same reasoning to argue that laws against mugging cause unemployment among muggers."

He urged readers to call the ATA and "tell them what you think" about telemarketers.

"I'm sure they'd love to hear your constitutionally protected views! Be sure to wipe your mouthpiece afterward," wrote Barry, whose column is syndicated to some 500 newspapers across the country.

Thousands of readers responded with a flood of calls to the group's offices, causing the association to stop answering its phones.

ATA executive director Tim Searcy said the added calls will be costly to the group because of charges for the toll-free number (which Barry included in his column) and staffing issues. "It's difficult not to see some malice in Mr. Barry's intent," Searcy said.

Barry hardly sounded apologetic.

"I feel just terrible, especially if they were eating or anything," he said. "They have phones like the rest of us have phones. Their attitude seems to be if you have a phone, people are allowed to call you."

Callers to ATA now hear a recording that says because of "overwhelming positive response to recent media events, we are unable to take your call at this time."