To comply with consumers' right to object to telephone canvassing, professionals will now pay less for their subscription to the public Bloctel service.
Bloctel, an obligation for professionals engaged in telephone canvassing
Professionals who carry out, or delegate to a subcontractor, telephone canvassing operations are obliged to notify the Bloctel service before each commercial prospecting campaign, and at least once a month if the campaign lasts more than 30 days.
In this way, they can compare their prospecting files with the list of individuals who have registered with Bloctel in order to avoid being canvassed by telephone. If an individual is on this list, the company is prohibited from canvassing them, unless a contractual relationship has already been established between the two parties.
Even if a professional uses a service provider for telephone canvassing, he cannot ask them to sign a contract with Bloctel on his behalf, and must do so in his own name.
Professional subscriptions: lower rates since February 1
As of February 1, 2021, rates for professional subscriptions to the Bloctel service have been lowered. The rates for this public service are set by ministerial decree, and the aim of Alain Griset, the minister in charge of SMEs, is to enable small businesses to get into compliance without their cash flow being overly impacted.
In addition, registration and annual fees have been abolished, which, combined with the reduction in tariffs, means a reduction of up to 83% on the initial subscription price.
There are 5 annual subscription formulas for professionals, depending on the number of times the Bloctel service is requested and the size of the commercial prospecting files. The current rates are as follows:
- For a maximum of 3,000 lines to be processed and 2 requests per year: 50 euros excluding VAT, i.e. a reduction of 33%;
- For 10,000 lines and 10 solicitations: 350 euros excl. tax, a reduction of 83%;
- For 25,000 lines and 70 requests: 5,000 euros excluding VAT, i.e. a 36% reduction;
- For 300,000 lines and 130 requests: 12,000 euros excl. tax, a reduction of 18%;
- Unlimited formula: €40,000 excl. tax, unchanged from February 1, 2021.
As for private individuals, their registration on the Bloctel list is free of charge. Following the adoption on July 24, 2020 of the law aimed at regulating telephone canvassing and combating fraudulent calls, the fine incurred by companies failing to comply with the regulations has been increased from 75,000 euros to 375,000 euros.
Alain Griset, who said in a recent press release that he was "aware of the extremely high expectations of the French people, who are waiting for concrete progress in this area", declared that the government was determined "to clean up the market and achieve tangible, rapid results".