new phone, it has started already

Paul_Varjak

MothballsWallet wrote: »

Okay, so in that case I'd qualify with "marketing and market research" instead, making it clear.

It is criminal offence to make marketing calls when someone has opted out of receiving such calls, but it is not an offence to make 'market research' calls even if someone has expressed a wish they do not wish to receive such calls.

This is why TPS registration will not stop market research calls and why many companies have a clause in their terms and conditions requiring customers to agree to 'market research' being carried out (without any opt-out 'box').

Of course, some companies try to circumvent the law by disguising marketing as market research.

My full-time work is making genuine market research phone calls so I am always at the sharp end when someone tells me they have 'opted out' of such calls.

PZH

Paul_Varjak wrote: »

It is criminal offence to make marketing calls when someone has opted out of receiving such calls, but it is not an offence to make 'market research' calls even if someone has expressed a wish they do not wish to receive such calls.

This is why TPS registration will not stop market research calls and why many companies have a clause in their terms and conditions requiring customers to agree to 'market research' being carried out (without any opt-out 'box').

All due repsect (and not aimed at you) but this is why companies and call centre staff get sharp words spoken to them for unsolicited calls.

Marketing or Market Research calls (however you want to word it) made to me (any untold millions of others) really P*ss me off. It's like being followed around a shop by the staff - if I need assistance then I would ask for it. Or worse still - the pavement brigade with clipboards in their hands that everyone loaths.


I used to have an MBNA Credit Card and was plagued by calls and emails from them asking for this and that and the other - in the end, I simply cancelled the card and moved on.

dinglebert

Not a criminal offense to my knowledge but an agreement run by sales companies and policed by sales companies. They have agreed levels of "fines" but if you review their annual reports it is very very rare that anyone gets any sort of fine.

Paul_Varjak

phoodless wrote: »

Marketing or Market Research calls (however you want to word it) made to me (any untold millions of others) really P*ss me off. It's like being followed around a shop by the staff - if I need assistance then I would ask for it. Or worse still - the pavement brigade with clipboards in their hands that everyone loaths.

I agree that people should be able to opt out of market research calls. Until that day comes, I will continue to provide an internet phone number (that goes direct to voice mail) to any company I do business with.

MothballsWallet

Paul_Varjak wrote: »

It is criminal offence to make marketing calls when someone has opted out of receiving such calls, but it is not an offence to make 'market research' calls even if someone has expressed a wish they do not wish to receive such calls.

This is why TPS registration will not stop market research calls and why many companies have a clause in their terms and conditions requiring customers to agree to 'market research' being carried out (without any opt-out 'box').

Of course, some companies try to circumvent the law by disguising marketing as market research.

My full-time work is making genuine market research phone calls so I am always at the sharp end when someone tells me they have 'opted out' of such calls.

Then I hope the market research companies are prepared to face the new UN Omega Law Statute Book.

There's too much money in market research for HM Gov to care about the individual's right to opt out of these calls (which I think EU directives may also cover).

After all, the EU is in favour of opt-in for marketing (and possibly market research) but UK Gov likes opt-out because of the lovely tax revenue the companies doing it creates

Paul_Varjak

I do not know if there are any EU directives designed to make market research calls illegal, but if such such directives do exist it would still not be illegal to make market research calls in the UK until enshrined in UK law (unless seen as a human rights issue of course).