| Dear Valued Partner, As you may know, the FCC adopted changes to the rules under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA” ) that are going into effect October 16, 2013 for calls made to consumers on or after that date. As a valued Autobytel dealer, we're reaching out to you to ensure that you're aware of these new rules so you can evaluate your practices and procedures for compliance when contacting consumers by voice communication or (SMS) text message. In general, the changes to the TCPA rules require express prior written consent for each case in which a consumer is contacted for marketing or sales purposes by voice communication using an auto dialer or an automated message—or a system that has auto dialer capabilities, regardless of whether the feature is used in making calls to consumers. We understand it's possible you make calls to consumers, or that calls to consumers are made on your behalf by a call center or agency using a phone/phone system or other device or system with auto dialer capabilities. As such, we recommend you consider contacting consumers by means other than voice communication or (SMS) text message (e.g., email) to obtain express prior written consent in the future. Please understand that the changes to the TCPA rules affect calls that are made to consumers effective October 16, 2013, regardless of when the consumer's phone number was obtained. Therefore, we recommend that any changes you make in consumer voice communications or (SMS) text message are effective prior to that date to ensure full TCPA compliance for calls or text messages on or after October 16. This notice is sent as a courtesy and is not intended to provide a detailed description of the new rules (for example, the rules are somewhat different when calling wireless numbers vs. land lines). We strongly recommend that you consult with your legal advisors regarding the changes to the TCPA rules and your compliance with the new rules. Thank you for your time. We appreciate the opportunity to provide you with information about these important new developments. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me directly . Sincerely, Tara Wagoner Vice President, Dealer and Consumer Operations Direct: 949-862-1350 |
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