Incessant calls, at any time of the day and throughout the year, to carry out campaigns of all kinds: this is the day-to-day life of many French people. Telephone solicitations sometimes come close to harassment that the government has decided to regulate to avoid abuse.
As of March 1, and in application of a decree dating from October 2022, the rules for cold calls will be much stricter. New schedules will be applied, in addition to a much more controlled frequency of calls.
No calls on weekends or at night.
With this new decree, telephone interviewers will no longer have the right to call prospects on weekends and holidays. During the week, the hours will also be heavily regulated with calls possible from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The aim of this approach is that cold calls no longer affect the private life of the French.
4 requests per month maximum
A pollster must not request the same person more than 4 times during the same month, either “the same professional or a person acting on their behalf”, the decree specifies in particular.
If the consumer has, in a previous exchange, given consent to be called, then this stricter framework is no longer valid. But the professional must justify his consent, not having indicated however the form.
The marketer must also cease all contact with the consumer if he expresses his refusal to be summoned, and this until “the expiration of a period of sixty calendar days from this refusal”, that is, two months.
Violation of these new rules can be sanctioned with a fine of 75,000 euros for a natural person and 375,000 euros for a legal person (ie a company).
Source: BFM TV
