Is this harrassment??

InDeepDebt

Have I got all this to come?

MBNA were being pains in the bum with their phone calls - I must have gone through my SOA three or four times in two days. They finally stopped when, after I spoke to a rather agressive lady from what seemed like an offshore call centre, I reported her for her aggressive manner and the fact that her grasp of English was dire.

Barclaycard are now being a pain (I've mentioned this in a few threads). They (Mercers) keep phoning me. Now, I don't mind speaking to people but when they just say the same thing, it gets me annoyed. Anyhow, they spoke to me on Monday and they agreed not to ring me back for 14 days. They rang back half an hour later but I was then asleep (I work nights).

Tuesday they tried twice but I missed their calls.

Wednesday morning, just as I was walking out of the door taking the kids to school, they ring me again. I recognised the number. They asked me for my Date of Birth - I refused and told them to stop ringing me. I advised that they had told me that they wouldn't ring me for 14 days and they had since rang me on numerous occasions. As they had therefore not updated their records, they were in breach of the data protection act and I would report them. She put the phone down.

Not sure whether any notice has been taken or not - we'll see whether they try to contact me today. I'll be well and truly in the land of nod though by 8:30 so we'll see how many missed calls I wake up to.

Oh what joy!

Jim

confused90

You know the simple way to deter persistant calls is to simply refuse to speak to them, as soon as they say who they are say goodbye and put the phone down.

As some of you will know already i have been in dispute with barclaycard for a while and mercers used to ring me several times a day despite being told in writing that i would only deal with the matter by letter.

a typical call consisted of
Mercers: Hello can i speak to Mr **** Please
Me: can i ask who's calling please
Mercers: yes but could you confirm your name and address first
Me: no i don't know who you are
Mercers: we need to confirm we are speaking to the right person first for data protection
Me: sorry, i don't give my personal details out over the phone for security reasons, if it's important you'll have to write to me. Goodbye.

Simple blocking tactic, each call ten seconds and stress free, eventually they'll give up and start writing as requested.

I know to many the very thought that it might be a dca on the phone is stressful and scary but it needn't be, as long as you are replying to letters and dealing with the matter in writing there is very little they can do and you do not have to speak to them on the phone.

DarkConvict

Refusal to answer security questions works quite well, due to the nature of their business unlike many companies they can't announce who they are as i would break OFT guidelines.

never-in-doubt

DarkConvict wrote: »

Refusal to answer security questions works quite well, due to the nature of their business unlike many companies they can't announce who they are as i would break OFT guidelines.

Oh yes matey - its a cunning ploy and generally always works - especially if you also say 'this call is being recorded' and that way, if they dare breach DPA then you simply report them.

We can play dirty too :eek:

InDeepDebt

InDeepDebt wrote: »

Have I got all this to come?

MBNA were being pains in the bum with their phone calls - I must have gone through my SOA three or four times in two days. They finally stopped when, after I spoke to a rather agressive lady from what seemed like an offshore call centre, I reported her for her aggressive manner and the fact that her grasp of English was dire.

Barclaycard are now being a pain (I've mentioned this in a few threads). They (Mercers) keep phoning me. Now, I don't mind speaking to people but when they just say the same thing, it gets me annoyed. Anyhow, they spoke to me on Monday and they agreed not to ring me back for 14 days. They rang back half an hour later but I was then asleep (I work nights).

Tuesday they tried twice but I missed their calls.

Wednesday morning, just as I was walking out of the door taking the kids to school, they ring me again. I recognised the number. They asked me for my Date of Birth - I refused and told them to stop ringing me. I advised that they had told me that they wouldn't ring me for 14 days and they had since rang me on numerous occasions. As they had therefore not updated their records, they were in breach of the data protection act and I would report them. She put the phone down.

Not sure whether any notice has been taken or not - we'll see whether they try to contact me today. I'll be well and truly in the land of nod though by 8:30 so we'll see how many missed calls I wake up to.

Oh what joy!

Jim

Don't believe it. Woke up today and there was a letter saying that a debt collector was going to visit my house.

All fired up, I phone Mercers. The 'lady' explained that my account was on hold for 30 days following my phone call of the 24th. Seems that me spouting the Data Protection Act did some good. I may have made a boo-boo though, I advised her that I was about to send a letter to Barclaycard requesting the CCA.

Cheers

Jim

gilligansyle

DarkConvict wrote: »

Refusal to answer security questions works quite well, due to the nature of their business unlike many companies they can't announce who they are as i would break OFT guidelines.

This is one of the things that never ceases to amaze me about DCA's when they ring up. They ring from a witheld number and ask to speak to x, you ask who they are and what it is about, they repeat that they need to speak to x. Then the security question dance starts:-

-Before we can discuss anything can you confirm your identity ?
-No tell me who you are
-I can't discuss that until you confirm your identity
-I won't disclose personal information to someone witholding their number who won't tell me who they are
-I need to make sure I am talking to the correct person
-I can't give personal information over the phone

Repeat until they get fed up