"You'll still get calls from companies you're (currently) doing business with. They may call you to try to sell you something more. The business that is calling you to try to get you as a first-time customer, if you're on the do-not-call list, they won't be able to calls you," said Steve Higgins, president of SR&J Customer Care, a Winnipeg-based contact centre.

"People signed up in the U.S. and expected not to get any phone calls the next day. They were sorely mistaken. Telemarketing is a very misunderstood market segment. Every phone call you receive at home isn't telemarketing. It could be political polling or people who like to do business with you, like your bank," he said.

"Once the list goes into place, the people you're calling aren't as adverse to your call," he said.