Since March 1, 2023, it is prohibited to call consumers on Saturdays, on weekdays before 10 am and between 1 and 2 pm, and to dial the same number more than four times a month. Indeed, French people say they are fed up with telephone calls that they consider invasive. This is what leads the public authorities to restrict the possibilities of approaching French people by telephone.

After the establishment of the Bloctel anti-marketing site, after the prohibition of canvassing for energy renovation and the personal training account (CPF), the Naegelen decree restricts the days, hours and frequencies of calls. This regulation, issued by the Electronic Communications Regulatory Authority (Arcep), has been applicable since 1 January 2023 to professionals who use “automated call systems” to make a large number of call attempts at the required time and to organize reminders automatically.

In addition, call centers that provide this service on behalf of large groups (in telecoms and Internet, energy, insurance, banking, retail, e-commerce, tourism, etc.) are the most affected by this decision. In reality, these outsourced customer relationship providers, who have a turnover of 3.3 billion euros in France, recorded an average growth of 6.8% per year on the French market between 2017 and 2021. According to Eric Dadian, president of the French Customer Relations Association (AFRC), “they have managed to keep the call window up to 8 pm to be able to reach people when they are at home, but restrictions on the number of monthly solicitations will limit activity for outgoing calls” (“incoming” calls are those made by consumers).