§ 8-19A-4 — Exemptions

The provisions of this chapter do not apply to:
(1) A person engaging in commercial telephone solicitation where the solicitation is an isolated transaction and not done in the course of a pattern of repeated transactions of like nature.
(2) A person making calls for religious, charitable, political, educational, or other noncommercial purposes or a person soliciting for a nonprofit corporation if that corporation is properly registered with the Secretary of State and is included within the exemption of the Alabama Revenue Code or Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or rural electric cooperatives formed under Chapter 6 of Title 37 of the Code of Alabama or affiliates or subsidiaries thereof.
(3) A person soliciting:
a. Without the intent to complete or obtain provisional acceptance of a sale during the telephone solicitation.
b. Who does not make the major sales presentation during the telephone solicitation.
c. Without the intent to complete, and who does not complete, the sales presentation during the telephone solicitation, but who completes the sales presentation at a later face-to-face meeting between the seller and the prospective purchaser. However, if a seller, directly following a telephone solicitation, causes an individual whose primary purpose it is to go to the prospective purchaser to collect the payment or deliver any item purchased, this exemption does not apply.
(4) Any licensed securities, commodities, or investment broker, dealer, or investment adviser, when soliciting within the scope of his or her license. As used in this section, “licensed securities, commodities, or investment broker, dealer, or investment adviser” means a person subject to license or registration by the Securities and Exchange Commission, by the National Association of Securities Dealers or other self-regulatory organization as defined by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. Section 781), or by an official or agency of this state or of any state, commonwealth or territory of the United States.
(5) Any licensed associated person of a securities, commodities, or investment broker, dealer, or investment adviser, when soliciting within the scope of his or her license. As used in this section, “licensed associated person of a securities, commodities, or investment broker, dealer, or investment adviser” means any associated person registered or licensed by the National Association of Securities Dealers or other self-regulatory organization as defined by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. Section 781), or by an official or agency of this state or of any state, commonwealth or territory of the United States.
(6) A person primarily soliciting the sale of a newspaper, periodical of general circulation, or magazine.
(7) A book, video, or record club or contractual plan or arrangement:
a. Under which the seller provides the consumer with a form which the consumer may use to instruct the seller not to ship the offered merchandise.
b. Which is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission trade regulation concerning “use of negative option plans by sellers in commerce.”
c. Which provides for the sale of books, records, or videos which are not covered under paragraph a. or paragraph b., including continuity plans, subscription arrangements, standing order arrangements, supplements, and series arrangements under which the seller periodically ships merchandise to a consumer who has consented in advance to receive the merchandise on a periodic basis.
(8) Any supervised financial institution or parent, subsidiary, or affiliate thereof. As used in this section, “supervised financial institution” means any commercial bank, trust company, savings and loan association, mutual savings bank, credit union, industrial loan company, consumer finance lender, commercial finance lender, or insurer, provided that the institution is subject to supervision by an official or agency of this state, of any state, or of the United States.
(9) Any licensed insurance broker, agent, customer representative, or solicitor when soliciting within the scope of his or her license. As used in this section, “licensed insurance broker, agent, customer representative, or solicitor” means any insurance broker, agent, customer representative, or solicitor licensed by an official or agency of this state or of any state of the United States licensed in accordance with the Alabama Insurance Code (Title 27).
(10) A person soliciting the sale of services provided by a cable television system operating under authority of a franchise or permit.
(11) A business-to-business sale where:
a. The commercial telephone seller has been operating continuously for at least three years under the same business name and has at least 50 percent of its dollar volume consisting of repeat sales to existing businesses.
b. The purchaser business intends to resell or offer for purposes of advertisement or as a promotional item the property or goods purchased.
c. The purchaser business intends to use the property or goods purchased in a recycling, reuse, remanufacturing, or manufacturing process.
(12) A person who solicits sales or advertising by periodically publishing and delivering a catalog, periodical, or magazine of the seller’s merchandise or ad purchasers, merchandise to prospective purchasers, if the catalog, periodical, or magazine:
a. Contains a written description or illustration of each item or service offered for sale.
b. Includes the physical, permanent business address or home address of the seller.
c. Includes at least 20 pages of written material and illustration and is distributed in more than one state.
d. Has an annual cumulative circulation by mailing of not less than 150,000.
(13) A person who solicits contracts for the maintenance or repair of goods previously purchased from the person making the solicitation or on whose behalf the solicitation is made.
(14) A telephone company or utility company which is regulated by the Alabama Public Service Commission, or any employee, officer, director, or authorized sales representative of such telephone company or utility company when soliciting products or services which would be subject to Public Service Commission regulation on behalf of such telephone company, utility company, or a Federal Communications Commission licensed cellular telephone company or affiliates or other bona fide radio telecommunication services provider. Provided, however, that such authorized sales representatives shall be subject to the same rules and regulations as the exempted company through the Public Service Commission.
(15) A person who is licensed pursuant to Chapter 13, Title 34, who is soliciting within the scope of the license.
(16) A person licensed pursuant to Section 8-19A-5 when soliciting pursuant to that license.
(17) An issuer or a subsidiary of an issuer that has a class of securities which is subject to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. Section 781) and which is either registered or exempt from registration under paragraph (A), paragraph (B), paragraph (C), paragraph (E), paragraph (F), paragraph (G), or paragraph (H) of subsection (g)(2) of that section.
(18) A business soliciting exclusively the sale of telephone answering services provided that the telephone answering services will be supplied by the solicitor.
(19) A person soliciting a transaction regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission if the person is registered or temporarily licensed for this activity with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission under the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. Section 1 et seq.) and the registration or license has not expired, or been suspended or revoked.
(20) A person soliciting the sale of food or produce if the solicitation neither intends to result in, or actually results in, a sale which costs the purchaser in excess of five hundred dollars ($500).
(21) A person soliciting business from prospective consumers who have an existing business relationship with or who have previously purchased from the business enterprise for which the solicitor is calling, if the solicitor is operating under the same exact business name.
(22) A person who has been operating, for at least one year, a retail business establishment under the same name as that used in connection with telemarketing, and both of the following occur on a continuing basis:
a. Either products are displayed and offered for sale or services are offered for sale and provided at the business establishment.
b. A majority of the seller’s business involves the buyer obtaining the products or services at the seller’s location.
(23) Any person who is duly licensed under Section 34-27-66.
(24) Any telephone marketing service company which provides telemarketing sales services under contract to sellers and has been operating continuously for at least five years under the same business name and 75 percent of its contracts are performed on behalf of persons exempted from this chapter by this section.
(25) A person or business soliciting the sale of an annual publication comprised of a biographical compilation of notable and distinguished individuals.

Legislative History

(Acts 1994, No. 94-650, p. 1220, §4; Acts 1994, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 94-769, p. 54, §1.)