Despite the regulations, nothing seems to be able to curb unwanted canvassing. Pointing out the limits of the Bloctel opposition list, Aisne senator Pierre-Jean Verzelen hopes to have found the solution. In a bill which will be discussed this Thursday in the Senate, he proposes to reverse the current logic. Only users who explicitly consent to this could be called by companies. “Today, everyone receives an average of six calls per week. And, often, it is much more,” underlines the elected official, who sits in the Les Indépendants group (center right). As a result, it is estimated that 20% of French people are unreachable because they no longer pick up their phone. “Our elders, very often targeted, can come to ignore essential calls,” he regrets.
In his proposed law, he provides for some exceptions: when canvassing “takes place within the framework of the execution of a current contract and has a connection with the subject of this contract” or when “it relates to the supply newspapers, periodicals or magazines. For the rest, stop at the fire.
The German example
This text is inspired by what has been implemented in several large European countries, including Germany. Telephone canvassing is prohibited by default. Only users who request it can be called. 2% of Germans made this choice, which may seem very low. But the canvassers don't lose out, because they call people who are really interested.
Pierre-Jean Verzelen should have a lot of support in Parliament. Two other initiatives, led by MPs, have emerged in recent weeks. A sign that the lines will really move? Some are skeptical. “None of these projects have integrated an essential piece of data: a large part of the feeling of telephone harassment comes from the large number of requests which are off-topic, or even illegal,” estimates a professional in the sector cited by En contact, a professional magazine specializing in customer relations.
A significant number of companies specializing in canvassing do not play the game. Because, for them, the potential profit from the scam remains higher than the risk of conviction.
“A significant number of companies specializing in canvassing do not play the game. Because, for them, the potential profit from the scam remains higher than the risk of conviction,” Suzanne Vergnolle, lecturer, recently told Télégramme. in digital law at the Cnam (National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts).
If tranquility reigns in Germany, it is perhaps mainly because the sanctions are more dissuasive than in France (€300,000 fine for companies that do not respect the ban, compared to a maximum of €75,000 in France). Prosecutions are also more frequent there than here.
France
