Stopping Annoying Calls

Tripledrop

I have recently started a debt-management plan with Payplan.

I have an IF card (Halifax), and a Virgin card (MBNA). I am constantly getting calls from both's collection agencies, both based in India.

These call centres call from 8am, all the way through to the evening, and don't stop until (I assume) you pay. I have explained to them that I am dealing with Payplan, but they still call.

I work for a Mortgage company, and we recently employed an Indian call-centre to provide us with leads, and I know from experience that they wern't regulated (by the FSA in the case of mortgages), so could pretty much do what they like. We had countless horror stories from annoyed customers.

Is there anything (other than pay!) that will stop them? Is there a way of screening calls as well, so I know who's calling?

Dolly_Smith

as I've said on another post somewhere, I just don't answer my phone. I wait til it rings off and then do 1471 - if it's someone genuine they won't withhold their number or they'll leave a message and you can call back. If it's not, well - let em try again...and again...and again

the calls soon drop off - I hardly get any now (apart from BT 'we're not trying to sell you anything, but...' at 9.15pm last night!!!!)

desperatelyinthered

There is a call barring thing with BT I think. Just call them and say you are receiving nusiance calls, they give you a number and straight after you receive one of the calls you dial the number and they cant get through again.
May be called choose to refuse?

A_Nice_Englishman

Assuming yuo're a BT customer, sign up for BT Privacy at Home. This is free and as well as Caller Display you will be registered with the Telephone Preference Service which should cut down the number of cold callers you get.

Caller Display shows the number the call is from so you can ignore it if you want to. You will need a compatible phone. The calls from India will probably come up as 'International' or 'Unavailable'.

Tripledrop

Yeah, we have caller display, and they do come up CLI Withheld, but it would be good to know rather than guess, who's calling...

A_Nice_Englishman

Presumably nobody you WANT to speak to (family, friends) withholds their number though?

KatrinaC_2

Tripledrop wrote:

Is there anything (other than pay!) that will stop them? Is there a way of screening calls as well, so I know who's calling?

Have you written to them to tell them that you will not enter into correspondence by phone?

I know a few people on here have done this and so far it seems to have worked for them.

Kat

Tripledrop

Yeah, the mother-in-law, and the father-in-law do... But that comes up "Withheld", and the foreign ones come up "CLI Withheld". So at the moment, it's easy to distinguish, but what if we start to receive calls from an English call centre?

Tripledrop

KatrinaC wrote:

Have you written to them to tell them that you will not enter into correspondence by phone?

I know a few people on here have done this and so far it seems to have worked for them.

Kat

No, I haven't, maybe I'll try this... I did call and request this, but they told me they couldn't stop it...

I was under the impression that companies could only contact you with your permission, but was told this isn't the case when you owe money. Is this true?

A_Nice_Englishman

Tripledrop wrote:

Yeah, the mother-in-law, and the father-in-law do... But that comes up "Withheld", and the foreign ones come up "CLI Withheld". So at the moment, it's easy to distinguish, but what if we start to receive calls from an English call centre?

I take it MIL & FIL have their numbers withheld by default. If so they can dial 1470 before your number to releae the CLI for that call only. That's if they're with BT. NTL/Telewest may be different.

KatrinaC_2

Tripledrop wrote:

No, I haven't, maybe I'll try this... I did call and request this, but they told me they couldn't stop it...

I was under the impression that companies could only contact you with your permission, but was told this isn't the case when you owe money. Is this true?

It's worth a try - all it'll cost is a couple of stamps

You can stop companies cold calling, but when you owe them money I would imagine that you would have to have given them permission in the first place. If you do request that they do this, you wouldn't be stopping the company contacting you, just stopping them harassing you. If they want to get in touch then they can put pen to paper and stop making your life a misery.

Kat