advice on a cold calling company

jonnym

sorry if this is in the wrong section...


My father is 70 and is continually naive to cold calling even though we have had several strong conversations about it. I visited him this morning and he told me of a new bed he was getting through "a competition he had won" from a call he recieved from a withheld number.

I asked him for more details but he could not really remember what the girl on the phone had said other than "he will come from stockport (about 40 miles away) and if you choose not to go ahead, all you will pay is his travel expenses".

Now, i am already going to be there when the salesman calls on monday, but as my father has not signed anything, will he be liable for the cost of his expenses as the cowoys are stating?

The other thing is I want to give this guy the third degree on taking advantage of older people, but at the same time, he is coming a long way because of my fathers naivety...but i suspect they know what they are doing...

how would you handle it?

skylight

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/

Register him and his number here ASAP.

I did this for my Nan and it worked (and for every other member of my family!)

Cannot guarantee it will filter every single call, but companies are supposed to check their calling lists against the TPS service and take off those registered.

With regards to the Monday thing, I would call the company first thing Monday AM pretending to be your father and say you have changed your mind and you want to cancel the visit. Pretned that you have taken advice and you want your number removed from the list. If they insist that the person is coming, tell the it will be a wasted visit as no-one will be home. I would stay with your father on Monday incase they do turn up, and if they do, refuse them entry to the property.

I hate scum that prey on the elderly like this.

skylight

Also, is there any chance you can get withheld numbers barred on his phone (bearing in mind doctors surgeries etc usually withhold their numbers). He obviously has caller display, can you not persuade him to only answer the names he recognises?

Quasar

tps is an excellent way to stop these calls. I used to get two or three per day (really!) until I finally registered with tps. Within about a month all cold calls stopped. Now I get calls only from companies I'm a customer of, such as a couple of credit cards, Orange Broadband etc.

Perhaps 2 or 3 per month now, and no weirdos.

skylight

Actually, re-reading your post, you may not be able to call the company Monday AM!

Make sure you open the door Monday and tell the blighter that your father is not in. And remind him that the pressure tactics employed are illegal (they can't prove otherwise as I am sure they wouldn;t have recorded the call, although cannot guarantee this) and that your father never wants to hear from them again. If he does, you will report them for harrassment to the Office of Fair Trading.

And no, I cannot see how he would have to pay a "fee" for a free competition, regardless of travelling expenses. The WORST they can do is ask your father to pay. Which will be terrifying for him, because they will threaten all sorts (that will all be rubbish). Remember, the WORST they can legally do is ask your father to pay. Only a court judge can force payment or issue bailiffs and he/she is very unlikely to do that when you have put your case forward over the scum scam merchants.

skylight

And (sorry to go on!) Another Idea.

Call BT first thing tomorrow (150 from the landline) and tell them about the silent and nusciance calls your father has been getting and ask for a number change. They should do this for free then.

Make sure the number is withheld when he dials out and ensure the number is ex-directory. Also register the new number immediately with TPS.

All this should stop these people getting the new number on any type of calling list.

T.F.S.B.I.G.W.S.

I saw a TV prog a while back in which a situation was devised which was designed to upset the salesman.
As he sat in an old guy's house, believing that he had made an easy (extortionate) sale, the old guy said "I need to ask my wife" and he indicated a photo of an old dear and said "She's been dead seven years."
The salesman got up to leave immediately but the guy said "No - sit down. This will be OK."
So the salesman was persuaded to sit while the guy sat there appearing to go into a trance - chanting and singing. The salesman wasted hours of his time - no sale.
I can't imagine that you will be able to repeat the above but, if the salesperson calls, (and you have hours to waste or can spend doing stuff while wasting the salesman's time) try to waste as much of his time as possible - as long as he is sat there not getting a sale he isn't ripping off someone else.
Perhaps you could persuade someone to walk in (on your signal - when the salesman can't be persuaded to remain any longer or at an appropriate time) with a camcorder announcing something like "Hello, John Peters, BBC Rogue Traders. Why are you cold calling old elderly people?"
Ex-directory and TPS are excellent advice (while your at it go for Mail Preference Services too).
Hope this helps - hey - post the film!

Bossyboots

Alternatively, if you don't fancy the wind up, when the salesman arrives deny all knowledge of him being expected and say someone has given him your father's details without consent.

jonnym

Thanks to you all for some good advice. I am sorely tempted to do the BBC thing just to gain some sort of sick satisfaction from seeing the weasels face.

On numerous occasions, I have almost lost my temper with my dad because he just picks up the phone even though it is a withheld number and listens to what these people have to say, I hope that whatever the outcome of this, he will now understand the tactics deployed by these people.

I think I am just going to go to the door, and tell the salesperson that he won't be gaining access to the premises at all and that I believe that he is taking advantage of dad's vulnerability. I can't think of any other way to deal with it. I don't have the number for this company as they have such scruples that all information was held back.

I did put dad on TPS a year or so ago, when i did mine, so the number of calls he does get is limited, but I can't seem to get him to understand the consequences of taking calls from these cowboys.

twink

maybe ex directory is the way to go then, i am and never get bothered with these calls

homersimpson_3

I asked him for more details but he could not really remember what the girl on the phone had said other than "he will come from stockport (about 40 miles away) and if you choose not to go ahead, all you will pay is his travel expenses".

there's a company which sells automatic beds where you press a button and half of the bed goes up which ran a competition and they phone you all the time. i read on one discussion group many months ago some person entered and they actually turned up with a bed without them requesting it. i entered the competition and often come home to find withheld number. they ring up every few months and i just say not interested.
he may not have won a bed at all but discount on bed and they may try to charge him for travel expenses if he doesn't buy bed. ring up trading standards first thing on monday and ask for them for advice. the chances are this co may have already been reported to them anyway. tell the man you don't want the bed, ask for confirmation in writing where you have to pay and refer matter to trading standards and let them sort it out. suggest father's telephone number is ex directory and you do contact telephone preference service. sorry but these beds cost about 8k and some of these companies have been on watchdog- sales pitch lasting hours. if you don't have bed health damaged etc etc. don't take any nonsence from them- ask them to leave and if they don't call the police.