We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum. This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

Does anyone know who this company is please?

gregg1
gregg1 Posts: 3,148 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
Have been receiving repeated calls from 02079 9447549 - eight today so far - the first one at 7am this morning which woke my kids! They say they are doing market research and so inform me that they are not regulated by the TPS (when I threatened to report them to the TPS). They are driving me round the bend - has anyone else been called by them? I would be very interested as to what my options are here. BT say I can get the number blocked but I have to pay for it - no surprises there then!!!
«1

Comments

  • Bossyboots
    Bossyboots Posts: 6,753 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Why don't you just pretend to be interested if they call again and ask for their company name. If they are doing market research they have to tell you the name of the company for whom they are working and the organisation for whom they are conducting the research and they should in fact volunteer this, you should not have to ask.

    I do quite a lot of telephone market research (not ad hoc though, things I have indicated I am willing to do) and they always start by telling me they have to give me the information I have indicated here that they should be telling you.

    What is odd though about what you are saying is that I have never had a call as early as 7.00 a.m., never had a return call if I say I would rather not take part or had a return call at a time I stipulate if it is not convenient at the particular time they call. This make me wonder whether this is market research at all. It certainly does not sound reputable either way.
  • gregg1
    gregg1 Posts: 3,148 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Bossyboots wrote:
    Why don't you just pretend to be interested if they call again and ask for their company name. If they are doing market research they have to tell you the name of the company for whom they are working and the organisation for whom they are conducting the research and they should in fact volunteer this, you should not have to ask.

    I do quite a lot of telephone market research (not ad hoc though, things I have indicated I am willing to do) and they always start by telling me they have to give me the information I have indicated here that they should be telling you.

    What is odd though about what you are saying is that I have never had a call as early as 7.00 a.m., never had a return call if I say I would rather not take part or had a return call at a time I stipulate if it is not convenient at the particular time they call. This make me wonder whether this is market research at all. It certainly does not sound reputable either way.

    You make a good point - we have asked them time and time again to remove our number from their records - any reputable company would do this. Maybe its time to get a wistle to blow down the phone !!!
  • DonnyDave
    DonnyDave Posts: 1,579 Forumite
    gregg1 wrote:
    Have been receiving repeated calls from 02079 9447549...
    Please check this number as it is one digit too long.
  • gregg1
    gregg1 Posts: 3,148 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    DonnyDave wrote:
    Please check this number as it is one digit too long.


    sorry folks - I am having a bad day - the number should read 02079 447549.
  • Bossyboots
    Bossyboots Posts: 6,753 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    gregg1 wrote:
    You make a good point - we have asked them time and time again to remove our number from their records - any reputable company would do this. Maybe its time to get a wistle to blow down the phone !!!

    We might get into a debate on the definition of reputable but I could spend the rest of my evening listing every single company that has been asked to remove either my home or our company details from their records. In one exceptionally honest moment by an employee who I had tied in knots with my comments I was told that I could ask as much as I wanted, I would be told every single time "Sorry we will do that straightaway" but that it would never be done. I believe that to be true as to date, all the companies are still ringing and among those are ones I would class as reputable.

    My favourite trick is to just leave the telephone on the side until they have hung up. The lady selling insurance from WH Smith wins the award for the most hilarious call. Each time I went back to check, she was still reading from her script, clearly unaware that no-one was listening the other end.
  • Code: 020 7944
    Area: London

    Operator: Worldcom
    Tariff Band: National (inc VAT)
    Service: Geographic
  • earner
    earner Posts: 106 Forumite
    ... interrupted my watching of meercats!

    I couldn't understand him, he was indian and speaking very fast. Didn't understand a word he was saying.

    Stopped him to say, I was TPS registered and he gave me the "this is market research" line, so I told him I didn't have time and hung up.

    You don't expect it on a bloody Saturday night!

    c**ts
  • topherxp
    topherxp Posts: 267 Forumite
    it sounds like one of two things

    it is market research and the company is obviously operated by the lowest of the low

    or

    it could be a possible attempt at identity theft, they will ask a number of questions trying to get as much information from you as possible.

    Plus what happens when you ring the number and if you haven't you should with hold your number and find out more
    If saved £2710 and only spent the interest (Based on a return of 5%), you would have enough money to pay your TV Licence every year. Saving you £7452.50 over a period of 55 years, based on you buying a license from the age of 20 until your 75 at a cost of £135.50.
  • Heinz
    Heinz Posts: 11,191 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Car Insurance Carver!
    It's a false CLI (dialling 020 7944 7549 gets just the unobtainable tone).
    Time has moved on (much quicker than it used to - or so it seems at my age) and my previous advice on residential telephony has been or is now gradually being overtaken by changes in the retail market. Hence, I have now deleted links to my previous 'pearls of wisdom'. I sincerely hope they helped save some of you money.
  • I foolishly felt sorry for the guy on the end of the line - you know, what a terrible job - so I answered the first couple of questions. Rapidly decided I didn't want to give out this kind of information - do I have a laptop, do I connect to the internet, do I have a mobile phone, etc - so I told him thanks for his time but I didn't want to continue, goodbye. The rather aggressive guy then called back! So I told him I said I didn't want to take part in his survey and he started to get quite pushy saying he just wanted to finish it. I then got rather aggressive back and told him that I wanted my number taken off their register and that he should stop harassing me. I hate to think of these characters getting some scared old person who lives on their own on the phone. Makes my blood boil. I guess that'll teach me for trying to be nice...
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 346.7K Banking & Borrowing
  • 251.4K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 451.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 238.9K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 614.3K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 174.8K Life & Family
  • 252.1K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.