Cold calling on Panorama tonight

cepheus

Call Centres Undercover: Panorama


With an estimated 3 billion marketing phone calls and messages received by the public each year, Declan Lawn goes undercover to investigate unsolicited and unwanted calls and texts. He exposes how some firms work around regulations designed to protect consumers
Category Documentary
Editor Tom Giles
Producer Asif Hasan
Cast
Reporter Declan Lawn (IMDB)
BBC1 8:30pm-9:00pm (30 minutes) Mon 2 July


Thousands of households are still being hassled by unwanted cold callers, despite signing up to a new Government scheme designed to stop them. Telemarketing firms are flouting the service designed to allow the public to block cold calls, an inquiry has revealed.

Not a single fine has been imposed on an offending company for at least 18 months, it found. This is despite thousands of complaints being lodged with the Information Commissioner each month.

Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2167553/Thousands-hassled-unwanted-cold-callers-despite-Government-scheme-block-them.html#ixzz1zSCNO0w7

annie1975_2

I for one will be watching this. They are a pain in the backside.Sometimes 5 times a day ringing,and they wont take no for an answer. I end up being rude to them..
I asked my daughter to answer the phone one night and tell them I wasn't in,and he was having none of it.. She looked at me with a look of disgust on her face. I took the phone off her to listen,and he was Effing and Jeffing at her...I flipped my lid and called him all the names under the sun..(surprised he didnt report me,but I didnt care).
I think they should be banned altogether.If I want a service I will ring and get my own, Thank you very much?

savemoney

I have suspected for a long time that many of theses companies operate illegally and get around the law for there own advantage. Bypassing TPS database, dishonestly obtaining and using peoples personnel details

I would like the regulator to fine each complaint and to clamp down on cold calls and tighten the rules. I have had to resort to buying a device to block cold calls so I can have some privacy at home. Is high time cold calling was clamped down I suspect most people do not want there lives intruded on by cold calls whether on phone or at the door

Farway

I was listening to some of this on You & Yours, radio 4 at lunchtime, the Information Commissioner's rep was on, and fines up to £500,000 are on the way to some firms before before Christmas, they have all been given enough rope now, and the fines only came in this year

Some get a warning, and a repeat is a criminal offence

IC said, get the details and post them on their complaint form, they are using ti to see for patterns e5c, then go & get them, or so he said

rippedoffbyspark

we are with virgin media and we get between 5-10 ppi calls a day and insurance on behalf of halifax bank its ridiculous how they get your number... something needs to be done to properly regulate these people. the same guy rang back 5 times in 10 mins one day last week

cepheus

The main difficulty is finding out who is phoning you, so you can report them. Ideally you need a quick way of reporting them as well. The main problem however is all the foreign calls which they won't touch.

david39

Many of these calls emanate from overseas, and so are not regulated by TPS. If they are working on behalf of a UK firm then that firm can be challenged directly, but most of the overseas callers act for an agency who, when asked, will say they collect the information and pass it on to whichever company they think will help the customer - thereby claiming that they don't call on behalf of any specific UK firm.

The best way of getting rid of them is not to talk to them - as soon as you know it is a cold call put the receiver down - sometimes they will call you back immediately, just do the same again.

Eventually, they will realise you are totally unresponsive and will give up - if you talk to them, they will carry on calling and will also sell your number on to other scammers.

Never talk to any of these cold callers.

savemoney

I have no problem finding out who many of these are. The problem is an effective regulator. They have the powers to fine companies then they should do it, cold calling is getting worse. Most of these companies will have a UK arm, even when calls are made overseas much if them do business here and these should be held to account. Every time I get a call I can check who they are if you put enough resources in you can trace companies. Even if you call them back all you get is a answer machine no way of getting your number removed. As I said I suspect most of these companies act outside the law. I do not give my number out likely so if I have its to what I thought was a company that has some ethics. I am also ex directory

Fine these companies and many may well stop if the fine is big enough and or fines for each complaint

cepheus

savemoney wrote: »

Every time I get a call I can check who they are if you put enough resources in you can trace companies.

How if they withhold their number and provide a false name?

Yes you can pretend to be interested, and eventually they will give you enough information to trace them, but of course this might just encourage them. The response I get is something like 'it sounds like you are gathering information' or 'it sounds like you are going to report us' before I get enough information.

They usually claim I'm not on the TPS but the TPS say I am.

cepheus

david39 wrote: »

Many of these calls emanate from overseas.

There is often a long pause with a cold caller from overseas before they answer, as well as an accent.

globalds

I just use an answer phone ...

I think they should enforce legislation .. but some bloke telling me he can't stop it .. Is well .. talking rubbish .. just let the answer phone pick up and leave a message telling callers this will happen ..pick up if YOU want to speak ..works on mother in laws too .