Company fined millions for illegal robocalls
A local company must pay nearly $3 million in fines after auto-dialing consumers more than one hundred times.
The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday ordered Travel Club Marketing, Inc. to pay $2.96 million.
The FCC accuses Travel Club Marketing and its owner, Olen “Okie” Miller, of making 185 “robocalls” to 142 different consumers.
“These consumers never agreed to receive advertisements from the Travel Club Parties, never did any business with these entities, and, in fact, overwhelmingly sought to prevent such unwanted telephone solicitations by placing their telephone numbers on the National Do-Not-Call Registry,” the FCC said in a statement.
Travel Club Marketing, Inc. is housed in a humble office complex off of Memorial Highway. It solicits people for timeshare sales presentations.
Olen Miller, the owner, denied that his company made the “robocalls.” When asked who did, he said he had absolutely no idea.
Miller said he was unaware of the FCC investigation and told us that Fox 13 was first tell him about the FCC’s order.
“Very surprised,” he said. “I haven't gotten any notifications."
The FCC records suggests otherwise. The federal docket reveals that this case has dragged on for more than four years. And, in 2011 when the FCC first proposed a multimillion dollar fine, Miller sent the commission a written response.
In the letter, Miller claimed the punishment would "cause significant harms to our company including total corporate and financial dissolvement [sic]."
The FCC claims Miller’s company has continued to make robocalls despite the investigation and suggests he is unlikely to relent.
“Mr. Miller appears to be engaged in creating and shutting down different business to conduct the same or similar unlawful activities,” the FCC said.