The most straightforward way to stop nuisance marketing calls is to simply opt out of receiving marketing calls when you use a product or service – so imagine if a company had a policy that suggested customers would have to accept automated cold calling, emails and even text messages?
Well PayPal has done just that!
Check the T&Cs
PayPal US updated the terms and conditions to include a clause that indicated customers would have to accepts automated marketing calls, emails and text messages.
Not only that, customers’ numbers would also be used and shared by ‘affiliate partners’.
Any customers who didn’t agree to the new T&Cs were told they would have to close their account.
The new terms were due to come into effect on July 1 and although there was no opt-out clause, the online payment service did promise one would be forthcoming.
And then the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) stepped in and pointed out the terms could be in breach of US law.
PayPal’s robocall U-turn
Unsurprisingly, PayPal then backtracked on the decision, outlining how it hadn’t properly communicated the information and clarify how the automated calls and texts would mainly be used to provide account information, collect debts and detect and investigate fraud.
It then drafted a new user agreement that said: “We will not use autodialed or pre-recorded calls or texts to contact our customers for marketing purposes without prior express written consent.”
Adding: “Customers can continue to enjoy our products and services without needing to consent to receive autodialed or pre-recorded calls or texts.”
So PayPal customers can rest easy in the knowledge they won’t be harassed by cold calls and marketing texts and emails. For the time being anyway…
Have you ever been hounded by cold callers? Let us know the worst offenders…
