TCPA Violation
Violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is a serious crime to ignore. Giving out personal information without the consent of your client is not only illegal, it’s just bad business. Take what happened to A Place for Mom for example. This Seattle-based national senior living referral service was recently sued for $6 million due to a class action lawsuit that claims the company violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The article states, “…plaintiff Andrew Kim, who claimed that the referral service did not adequately inform users of its website that they would receive “an autodialed telemarketing call” after completing a form on the service’s website.”
Flooded with Calls
As a local Senior Living referral service in Central Florida, this is not the first time we have heard A Place for Mom has blasted their client’s information everywhere to then be bombarded with calls from all kinds of Senior living communities. Our clients tell us they sometimes receive 4 or even 5 phone calls a day from assisted living communities in Orange County they never even knew existed. Being hounded and pressured during an already emotional time is definitely not how one should be guiding seniors.
On the contrary, something also we hear often from our partnered senior living communities is that we do not provide enough information during the lead alert we send which is a basic template that tells them about a potential referral. We intentionally leave out contact information or some medical history due to HIPAA for the very reason listed above. We want to be as transparent as possible for both parties without breaking the law or overstepping.
How North Star Operates
This is the reason why North Star Senior Advisors will never give out personal info unless we have written consent from our clients. Not only is it illegal, we want to protect our client’s privacy as well as allow them to make a decision without feeling pressured. Of course, if our client gives us permission, we are happy to provide this to senior living communities or if they want to give them information during a scheduled tour, that is perfectly fine. After all, it is up to the client and no one else.
Essentially, we are the middleman when it comes to contacting senior living facilities. Once a community is chosen, we ensure necessary paperwork is filled out correctly by contacting your loved one’s primary care physician. We can also connect you to moving companies, coordinate a move in date and will always follow up to make sure you and your loved one are happy with the chosen community.
No matter who you are working with, make sure you read the fine print before dotting the i’s or entering the information into a website. You never know how this information will be handled. Working with local, on the ground senior advisors rather than online phone operators who have never even stepped into these senior living communities typically eliminates any concerns as we work directly with you every step of the way.
For a FREE, non-obligatory, consultation or if you are simply interested in learning more about Senior Living in the Central Florida, call us today at 855-448-STAR (7827) or visit northstarsa.com.
