Re: Commercial Solicitation

My response to the environmental harms claim is largely based on /. hearsay. There are a goodly number of /.'ers with experience in the telemarketting business who have posted with regards to the flurry of court cases and legislation. They claim that the real avenue for profit in that business is not facilitating purchases with consumers who would otherwise go to the store for these products, but getting on the line with people who have problems saying no to a hard sell. In other words, without the telemarketting these sales would not occur at all. Which would mean there is no need for the bricks and mortar stores and therefore no environmental damage. The existence of the internet would further blast this claim out of the water. If people really want to buy something without having to drive to the store, they're much better off buying it over the internet than sitting by the phone and waiting for a telemarketter to call.