Cold Calling Advice

mjr600

Also posted on the Utilities Thread

##This advice is good for any annoying sales type phone calls made from the UK##

Over the past week for some unknown reason I have been cold called via the British Gas 'automated dialling' service almost daily.

It turns out that it was a call centre in Glasgow which was responsible.

Up until now I have simply hung up, however having just got up after a night shift and being that way out I asked to speak to the manager..

Got his FULL name

Told him that I held him vicariously liable for commiting an offence under The Protection From Harassment Act 1997

for

'pursuing a course of conduct (a) which amounts to harassment of another person, and (b) which he/she knows or ought to know amounts to harassment of another person'

and under The Telecommunications Act of 1984

for

b) sends by those means, for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another, a message that he knows to be false or persistently makes use for that purpose of a telecommunications system, is guilty of an offence

I informed that if he did not oversee my removal from their phone system and further calls were recieved I would report the matter to my local Police. Under NCRS (look that one up for yourselves) guidelines they would refer the matter to Glasgow Police who may issue him a warning under The Protection From Harassment Act or may report him for summons to a UK magistrates court.

Those of you who properly understand the technicalities of the above will realise that I speak 80% truth and 20% bluff.

The response from the manager was instant.

He would personally ensure the removal of my name and phone number from all British Gas call centres, he apologised and will ring me to confirm when it has been done.

He sounded frightened.

We shall see.

Try it it might work for you.

Heinz

Sorry, my acronym search tool only found:

National Corvette Restorers Society
National Resources Conservation Service
National Capitol Response Squad
North Carolina Retirement System
Nonconformance Report Supplement

Which one of those is it?

And why?;)

John_M_Business

Why not just register yourself with the Telephone Preference Service:
https://www.tpsonline.org.uk

I do this once a year without fail and, guess what, (virtually) no calls!

Heinz

John_M_Business wrote:

Why not just register yourself with the Telephone Preference Service:
www.tpsonline.org.uk

I do this once a year without fail and, guess what, (virtually) no calls!

Or, if you have a BT landline, phone 0800 916 55 44 and sign up for BT Privacy (free Caller Display) and for TPS on the same call.

pricefighter

You can always get a Telecrapper 2000 see [url] http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/12/the-telecrapper-2000/[/url]

Make sure you play flash recording.

Cardew

Heinz wrote:

Or, if you have a BT landline, phone 0800 916 55 44 and sign up for BT Privacy (free Caller Display) and for TPS on the same call.

Heinz,
Not always that simple. I am registered with TPS and kept getting calls see extract from another post.

"For weeks I have been called up to several times a day by a similar number 08000 191 773. No reply when phone picked up. It has been a real nuisance for a long time.

If you ring that number a recording states it is Exel(Excel?) Marketing and they are calling you on behalf of a client and there is nobody to talk to. It states if you do not want to receive any calls ring 01294 225321 – that number is always engaged until late at night and then no reply.

I have contacted BT and made a formal complaint to TPS – I am registered with TPS not to receive cold calls.

Anyway today a result – there was someone on the line from the same number and he asked for me by name! It was MBNA for Alliance and Leicester Credit cards.

Now I have an A & L card, which I hardly ever use, which is why they were calling – to give me some irresistible offer no doubt. I went into ballistic mode and I am assured that my number has been removed. "

I assume that it is not classified as a 'cold call' as I am a customer.

Heinz

Do you have Caller Display already? If so, what does it show on those calls?

If not, I assume 1471 gave you the number - so get Caller Display and ignore those calls.

pricefighter

Cardew wrote:

Exel(Excel?) Marketing

Cardew.

Been discussed here a while ago.See http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=78197&highlight=excell+contact+centres

Also post on the Say No to 0870 site .

http://www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1114646496/0#0

Web site is http://www.excellcontactcentres.com/

mjr600

NCRS

National Crime Recording Standard

The single most bureaucratic peace time policy to be implemented by any Government, in the world ever !!

Cardew

Heinz wrote:

Do you have Caller Display already? If so, what does it show on those calls?

If not, I assume 1471 gave you the number - so get Caller Display and ignore those calls.

I have caller display on one phone but not on another.

Ignoring calls is not the point is it? I really don't want my phone ringing and ringing every day, I still don't want to go to my phone and have to check caller display. If I ignore it will keep ringing back.

Cardew

pricefighter wrote:

Cardew.

Been discussed here a while ago.See http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=78197&highlight=excell+contact+centres

Also post on the Say No to 0870 site .

http://www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1114646496/0#0

Web site is http://www.excellcontactcentres.com/

Thanks for this.
I have just got hold of the duty manager at Excell.

He checked and confirmed that they had indeed called me 5 times yesterday and on previous occasions.
However their computer 'detected' that an answerphone had answered and hung up when I answered. I have perfectly standard BT phones with no answerphone(I use 1571).

Obviously their computer is wrongly set up, but it seems that they are not going to do anything about it. They have removed my telephone number but of course it will not stop other people receiving these calls.