Anyone register with the Telephone Preference Service?

gordonstights

As a small business I get tons of calls about advertising, from online directories pretending that they want to update your free listing and then turning it into a sales call, to scammers offering a space in a drugs awareness campaign or emergency services news magazine.

I registered with the TPS in January 2008 and there has been no decrease in cold calls at all since then. (TPS states you can register as a business so it's not only for home phone numbers btw).

What I'd like to know is, has anyone else registered with the TPS as a small business and found a reduction in cold callers?

NickyBoy

Hi

we've been registered with the TPS since we started trading 2 years ago.

I have no idea what the level of calls would have been like if we hadn't registered, but I can tell you we get an annoying amount of sales calls!!

The Fax Preference Service seems to have worked ok, but I purposely never publish our fax number in any advertising. I also ALWAYS report junk faxes to the FPS.

We hardly ever get sales calls to our home phone (also with TPS) but I think that might be down to being ex-directory.

gordonstights

Thanks for replying!

I've just used the TPS complaints form to report a company for cold calling us. She even said that if we were registered then the call shouldn't have gone through in the first place!

I know we are registered because when you fill the complaints form out, your number has to match the one on their system, or it sends you an instant email saying that the number given isn't registered on the TPS.

ukbill69

We where getting 10-20 a day before we registered all our numbers, now all we do when the odd one comes thourhg is say we are registered with the TPS and carries a heavy fine if you call again, they hang up or say sorry and hang up.

Savvy_Sue

It used to work better than it seems to now.

I wonder if partly that's because some sales calls are coming from overseas, where the rules don't apply or aren't so strictly enforced?

I also found the amount of information required to raise a complaint with TPS was too great to make it cost effective in terms of MY time. It only takes me a few seconds to deal with each cold call ...

computergenieuk

Hi,

I have not got a business etc but as a home user i have registered myseld back last year, i still get some silent calls etc but i point out to the that i am registered with the TPS and make a point in telling them it is illegal for them to call me as i am registered with the TPS.

If you get such calls i would point out to them it is illegal which it is if you are registered with the TPS. I would then report them as companys etc who call people who is on the TPS register can get serious fines for telephoning anyone registered on the TPS. Once you tell them they are illegally calling you and you will report them they have never phoned me back.

gordonstights

Thanks for all your replies! Savvy_Sue - I don't think I am getting overseas calls, well the accents are certainly regional to England.

computergenieuk wrote: »

If you get such calls i would point out to them it is illegal which it is if you are registered with the TPS. I would then report them as companys etc who call people who is on the TPS register can get serious fines for telephoning anyone registered on the TPS. Once you tell them they are illegally calling you and you will report them they have never phoned me back.

I always tell them I am registered and most of them seem to think that I can't be as they shouldn't be able to get through to my number if I was! The general attitude of them is sarcastic and aggressive when you say anything regarding the TPS service. They don't care!

I hate these calls and I get very anxious when they start their conversation with "How are you today madam?" then keep you on the phone for 10 minutes. Even politely saying "I'm not interested thanks" gets a "what are you not interested in?" or "so you're not interested in saving yourself money?" and their tone is always aggressive at this point. I've come to the conclusion that the TPS doesn't really work, or I wouldn't be getting this level of calls. Oh well, off to investigate telephone systems that say "press 1 for sales" etc. Maybe that will discourage them.

arnie&caseysma!

I'm registered with them as a home user and have very few problems not although I have had in the past when I had a person call me from Talk Talk who could speak very little English and he got very abusive towards me when I pointed out that I was registered with TPS. He continued in this manner until I reminded him that the call was being recorded and his bosses would have no problems in giving him the boot for his manner once I complained about him. He hung up on me!!!

I generally like to keep them on the line for as long as possible - it's not costing me any money and I quite enjoy watching the TV and giving them a slight acknowledgment occasionally. Most of their calls are probably free to them so it is just the handlers time that is taken up.

gordonstights

arnie&caseysma! wrote: »

I generally like to keep them on the line for as long as possible - it's not costing me any money and I quite enjoy watching the TV and giving them a slight acknowledgment occasionally. Most of their calls are probably free to them so it is just the handlers time that is taken up.

Thanks. I wouldn't mind if it was my home phone number so much, but when you have two telephone lines (both registered with TPS) and you get these nuisance callers they take up not only your time working, but also prevent your customers coming through to you! I've looked into caller divert when busy and it's so costly. I've tried hanging up on them straight away as well after saying quickly "not interested thank you" and they ring straight back! I can't win

Savvy_Sue

gordonstights wrote: »

I've tried hanging up on them straight away as well after saying quickly "not interested thank you" and they ring straight back! I can't win

Now that IS strange to me! I quickly establish it's a sales call, say I'm registered and they're wasting their time and mine, and hang up. They don't phone back straight away.

Maybe you sound too nice?

I suppose my other advantage is that IF I deign to carry on talking long enough or they ask for the company owner, I can say we're a charity, we don't have an owner, and there is no-one here who can speak to them, if they have a wonderful offer they'll have to write to us.

Also I believe TPS registration has to be renewed periodically - has yours lapsed?

What we have more often is either junk faxes, for which the Fax Preference Service doesn't seem to help much, or fax calls coming through to phone lines. Very frustrating to be interrupted by one or several of them!

gordonstights

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Now that IS strange to me! I quickly establish it's a sales call, say I'm registered and they're wasting their time and mine, and hang up. They don't phone back straight away.

Maybe you sound too nice?

Perhaps I am. Will try and sound more mean next time:rotfl: