Ways to stop overseas sales calls discussion

esallyhyde

golddustmedia wrote: »

A couple of weeks ago I wanted some rough figures for remortgaging so went online.

Keen to avoid getting spam calls I just made up a funny name. I tried Miss F.Ake but "F" wasn't deemed long enough, so at random I picked a grandparents name of "Fanny" and didn't think anything of it.

About 15 mins later the phone rang and a call centre op asked to speak to "Miss Fanny Ache", I immediately realised the amusing oversight and the childish nature in me came out and I started laughing. The call centre Op then apologised saying there had obviously been a mistake!

We've had follow up calls that have gone:

"Hello may I speak with Miss Fan.... oh, sorry to have bothered you" - this is typically a UK call centre that realises the wind up and gives up immediately.

Or the foreign call centres that ask to speak to "Miss Akee" to whom I say there's nobody here by that name.

I'm wondering how much fun I can have with rude or amusing names before the game is up?

How I laughed at that! I have been plagued by all sorts of idiots calling my XD, TPS listed number and have had the devil of a job to stop them (had 3 today in 3 minutes as I was actually home to answer the phone).

I can report a success story though as I was having the same (PPI reclaim) company calling me every day, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, usually when I wasn't home so no messages left. Finally had a call when I could speak to someone and they were soooo not impressed that my number was XD and TPS and seemed to think it was still fine to call. Told them I was being bombarded by their staff and she claimed they had NOT called on all the dates I had listed and seemed to think they were entitled to call me once. Finally got their info, wrote and complained and asked for compensation and...... got £120 and a grovelling apology, PLUS the details of the idiots who have been passing my number on a datebase (that they sell and make money from) so waiting for my compo from them now.
Result!:T

fannyadams

Cold Caller : Hello, is that 'Mrs HWTHMBO'? (I'm not married to HWTHMBO)
Me: nope. guess again.
CC: <pause to check script> Mr HWTHMBO?
me: Nope, but you're getting warmer...
CC: errr. are they there?
me: are who what?
CC: errr
me:<click>

Kernow_Kid

A few years back we started getting cold calls. At first it was once a month, then once a week.
Even though we said we weren't interested and hanging up as soon as they started talking they kept calling.
It got to the point where the Indian sounding callers were phoning us 4-5 times a day, even at 2am.

We reported the calls to BT and after they investigated they said it was a cold calling company from abroad and they couldn't do anything about it.

We then contacted the Police but they were pretty much the same.

In the end I contacted a friend who was working in Military Intelligence.
As i have family in the Military he was happy to help.
He used some of his OWN equipment (he's now a freelance investigator), to check where the calls were coming from and within a few days he found out that it was BT's own Customer Care centre!

We sent them the details and they apologised and paid compensation.
They told us that it was down to two people who had since been arrested by authorities in that country for selling customers numbers to cold calling companies.

The total number of calls in a six month period?
239.

BT were very helpful once they knew it was linked to them but not much help before then.

tree6244

I have registerd with TPS for home phone and mobile, so blissfully quiet now except phone number 01203 0262785 which has an asian person by the name of Vicky or Elizabeth or Mark or Peter......
telling me there is a problem with my computor. After being rudely told to turn my computor on which I refused and hung up.
I googled the phone number, and found it's a scam they get you to turn on your comutor as there is a problem which microsoft haven't picked up. So if you do all they tell you, you end up loading a virus programme which accesses all your details and sends it to them. They even use your computor to make costly phone calls.
Trading standards and the Police are aware of the problem, but since they based in India nothing they can do

Eddi_the_Seahorse

esallyhyde wrote: »

I was having the same (PPI reclaim) company calling me every day, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, usually when I wasn't home so no messages left. Finally had a call when I could speak to someone and they were soooo not impressed that my number was XD and TPS and seemed to think it was still fine to call. Told them I was being bombarded by their staff and she claimed they had NOT called on all the dates I had listed and seemed to think they were entitled to call me once. Finally got their info, wrote and complained and asked for compensation and...... got £120 and a grovelling apology, PLUS the details of the idiots who have been passing my number on a datebase (that they sell and make money from) so waiting for my compo from them now.
Result!:T

Congratulations - you've had more success than I have.

I was cold-called by Tucan Claims, based in Bristol. What I found particularly worrying was that unlike most cold-callers, this one (who had a strong foreign accent) addressed me by name. I asked how he had obtained my details, explaining that my telephone number is XD and TPS-registered (he didn't seem to know what that meant!) and that I never give permission for my details to be used for marketing purposes - so I wanted to be able to take up the matter with whoever was passing on this information. The caller replied that he could not tell me "because of Data Protection Act" (his exact words). I then asked to speak to a supervisor and was eventually transferred to another foreign-sounding gentleman, who also claimed that he could not tell me.

I subsequently obtained contact details for Tucan Claims and emailed them asking the same question. I received a reply asking for - wait for it - my telephone number!!! :mad:

When I asked why they wanted it, they replied saying that they needed it so that they could check my details in their database to make sure they had the right person. I replied saying that I would provide it only if they could give me their assurance that they would not use it for any other purpose.

That was almost three months ago. Despite sending them two reminders in the meantime, I am still waiting for that assurance.

Eddi_the_Seahorse

Kernow_Kid wrote: »

In the end I contacted a friend who was working in Military Intelligence.
As i have family in the Military he was happy to help.
He used some of his OWN equipment (he's now a freelance investigator), to check where the calls were coming from and within a few days he found out that it was BT's own Customer Care centre!

We sent them the details and they apologised and paid compensation.
They told us that it was down to two people who had since been arrested by authorities in that country for selling customers numbers to cold calling companies.

The total number of calls in a six month period?
239.

BT were very helpful once they knew it was linked to them but not much help before then.

It's good to know that you eventually got to the bottom of it (well done!) and got some compensation (even more well done!), but rather worrying to think of the lengths you had to go to before you got a result. It's a depressing prospect for those of us who don't have access to Military Intelligence

giverny

When cold called from abroad to answer a "market survey" as many of the calls seem to be these days, I immediately ask how much they are offering to pay for my valuable time.

For most callers this response isn't one they have been trained for and often elicits silence or a garbled response as they just don't know what to say - can be quite a fun way of dealing with these time wasting calls.

MrGreen44

I have had a few debt company calls and with no number or withheld, I simply ask the person on the phone for there number.

The reply I got was they are not allowed to give out that information.

To which I reply you have my phone number but I cannot have yours, call soon ends very quickly.

fenderbender44

LIke everyone else I'm hacked off with unsolicited calls. I live in NE Scotland and although I don't have a heavy NE accent I get a great deal of pleasure in putting on an extreme Doric accent.

Expressions like "Fit like loon" chavving awa and nae the noo" This completely destroys their pre-prepared script and leaves them totally confused. One even asked me if I spoke English where I lived!

Also seems to work with callers from the South of England.

Might as well get some pleasure from them disturbing me rather than just hanging up!.

SparkyG

I say say Mrs *** died in the night and pretend to sob hysterically, getting louder and louder :rotfl:Pointless and childish i know, but it makes me feel better