Kansans wanting relief from telemarketers will have to wait a little longer.

The Kansas Attorney General’s Office on Tuesday stopped accepting registration forms from residents who want to be added to a new no-call list that will prohibit most telemarketers from calling them at home.

The attorney general began accepting the registration forms on Friday, but by Tuesday officials pulled the plug  temporarily  on registration.

Officials said they had to stop because the state has not yet completed a contract with Direct Marketing Assn., the New York-based company that will maintain the list.

Mary Tritsch, spokeswoman for the office, said without the contract there was no guarantee people registering now would be added to the no-call list. Part of the concern is that the form the Attorney General’s Office has been distributing was created by state officials, not Direct Marketing Assn.

“We need to make sure we are collecting the information in a way the company can process it,” Tritsch said. “We don’t want anyone to have to do this over.”

Interest in list high

Thousands of Kansans are eager to get on the list. The Attorney General’s Office has fielded an estimated 3,000 phone calls since Friday from people wanting the form sent to them. An estimate was not available on how many people had downloaded the form off the office’s Web site.

“There absolutely has been a lot of interest,” Mark Ohlemeier, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office, said. “People are very interested in not getting unsolicited telephone calls. People just don’t like getting disturbed by them, especially during the dinner hour, and they seem to want to do whatever they can to restrict them.”

Tritsch said the state hoped to have a contract worked out with Direct Marketing Assn. before July 1. She said the state hopes to convince the firm to accept any forms that Kansas residents have already submitted.

‘Easy’ registration

Once a deal is struck, Ohlemeier said registering for the list should be easy. The registration should only requires the person’s name, address and telephone number. After providing the information, people will need to mail in the form.

The forms are expected to be available on the attorney general’s Web site (www.ink.org/public/ksag). People without access to a computer will be able to request a form be mailed to them by calling (800) 432-2310. Residents also can register directly with DMA at their Web site (www.dmaconsumers.org), but there the company will charge a $5 fee. The state’s registration system will be free.

But because of the time it takes to process the names, Ohlemeier said it may take up to 150 days after residents register to have their number officially listed.

Listing won’t stop all calls

Ohlemeier said there are also several other aspects of the law residents should know.

 Charities, political organizations and other telephone calls not selling a product or service are not prohibited from calling.

 The law only applies to home telephone numbers. Telemarketers still will be allowed to call businesses.

 Telephone customers must register every five years to remain on the no-call list.

 Firms with which a person has had a “business relationship” during the past 36 months are still allowed to call people on the no-call list.

Ohlemeier said that means people need to be careful when filling out forms or registering for give-aways offered by businesses.

“When people go down to the mall or the fair and put their name in a drawing, they need to look at that form closely because it may say you are agreeing to accept telemarketing calls from that company,” Ohlemeier said.

If a business is found to have violated the no-call law, it can face fines of up to $10,000 for each offense, Ohlemeier said. Consumers should report suspected violations to the Kansas Attorney General.