Telemarketing is a marketing method that uses phone calls to present products and services to prospects. There are two types: outbound (the company calls the customer) and inbound (the customer calls in response to advertising). Outbound calling is widely used for insurance, telecommunications, home renovation, and investment products, while inbound typically handles TV shopping orders and requests for brochures.
In Japan, the Specified Commercial Transactions Act sets out specific rules for telephone solicitation sales. Before soliciting, the caller must state the trader's name, the name of the person making the call, the type of goods or services, and that the purpose of the call is to solicit a contract (Article 16). Soliciting a person who has indicated that they will not enter into a contract is prohibited (Article 17), written statements covering the application and the contract must be delivered (Articles 18 and 19), and a cooling-off right applies for eight days counted from the day the contract document is received (Article 24). Breaches can bring administrative measures such as business suspension orders, and the Act also provides for imprisonment or fines.
If you receive an unwanted solicitation call, the first step is to refuse clearly: "I do not need it." Vague answers such as "I am busy right now" or "I will think about it" may not be treated as an indication that you will not enter into a contract, which invites repeat calls. If calls continue after you have refused, record the trader's name, the phone number, and the date and time, then consult the consumer hotline (188). Knowing that further solicitation after a clear refusal of telephone solicitation breaches Article 17 makes it easier to hold your ground.
From the trader's side, telemarketing reaches a wide audience at a lower cost than face-to-face selling, but the call is often unwanted at the receiving end, so campaigns have to be designed on the assumption of refusal. Note that the Specified Commercial Transactions Act does not require prior consent for solicitation calls themselves, so calling only opt-in lists is a voluntary business practice rather than a legal obligation. Some operations also combine automated guidance through IVR. Mass dialing with robocalls is efficient but risks producing silent calls and antagonizing the people called, and it still has to satisfy the disclosure and no-re-solicitation duties described above. See How to Refuse Sales and Solicitation Calls for concrete steps.
Typical tactics of rogue traders include investment pitches that promise guaranteed profits, pushy health-food sales aimed at older people, and "free trial" offers that funnel people into expensive contracts. Pressing for a decision during a long call, without leaving time to think, is another shared trait. When declining, use unambiguous wording such as "I do not need it" rather than the Japanese phrase "kekko desu," which can be twisted into an expression of consent.