How do I stop cold call harrassment from Energy search

martits

I recently opened up a Hair Salon and ever since then I have been getting cold calls every day from a company called Energy Search. They pretend to be the official meter registration department to get you talking and then try to get you a better deal on your energy. So they are an energy comparison company for businesses, in disguise. I tell them to stop calling me, yet they continue to do so, 5 times a day. This has been going on for 9 weeks now.

I have tried the following:

1. Telling them to take me off their list and not to call me.
2. Reporting them to the ICO twice (cold calling department) of OFFCOM.
3. Joining the TPS to opt out of cold calling.
4. Asking Plusnet to block their calls (they won't).
5. Being polite to them.
6. Being rude to them.
7. Putting the phone down instantly.
8. Asking to speak to the manager (where they say they will get them for me, wait 15 seconds and put the phone down)

I have asked them why I keep getting the phone calls and they say it is because my meter is not registered to my provider. I have asked my provider and they said that this is not a thing. One operator actually tried to help me. He spoke to the manager and they apparently phoned up my provider to confirm the registration. He called me back and said that it was sorted and I am now off the list. He lied.

I am sick of this company. I really feel harassed and feel like they are playing a joke on me. I know it is illegal what they are doing but I feel there is nothing I can do. The ICO says they can't stop them calling but the complaint may lead to a fine. Hopefully a big one. :mad:

Does anyone have any other ideas?

JJ_Egan

Buy a BT 8500 phone and block the number .

bod1467

+1 to the above. We got one (well, the dual handset version) and since then NOT ONE nuisance call has come through. (They still appear in the calls list, but the phone doesn't ring).

If they are using a geographic number to call you then, like advised above, you can simply add it to the blocked numbers list.

Note: your line must be enabled with Caller ID for this to work.

martits

Oh yes I have tried this too. lol.

But I did not know that it wasn't working because caller ID was off. I thought the phone just didn't work and wasn't prepared to buy a new one.

I've had a look at my phone and there is no setting but have found out that caller ID is a paid for extra service. Only £1 a month so not too bad (although I would expect it to be free).

I phoned Plusnet before and they offered a service called 'choose to refuse' to block the calls. I asked them why they never offered it before and they said it is a last resort as it is a BT service and not theirs. It is £6 quarterly and they are giving me the first quarter for free so I will see how that goes.

Thanks for the advice then. I have 2 options. Pay for a blocking service which is an external service or pay for caller display so that my blocker on my phone works. Either way I have to pay because of this horrible company.

I just wish there was some way that I could stop them by law.

Mistral001

Be polite, but do not answer any of their questions. If they ask you which supplier you are with, then politely say that you have a policy of not discussing your suppliers with unsolicited callers. You are a business and even the name of your present suppler should be confidential between you are that supplier and not disclosed to a competitor of that supplier. Never tell them what you are presently paying a supplier.


Always be polite. Even thank them for calling when ending the call. I find that if you are in any way confrontational with these types of cold-callers, you tend to get more calls.


By the way using the techniques that I describe above alone has reduced my cold-calls from several a day to about one a month.

martits

Interesting strategy. I have tried being polite and treating the callers like human beings because I realise that it is just a job they have to do, and while some of them have sounded like they were genuinely trying to help me get off their list, I don't think they could. I think Energy Search must have an awful computer system where they do not communicate anything to each other. I will remember your advice for the future though. Thanks.

unholyangel

Have you actually written to them or just asked them via phone?

Why not flip it and try and sell a pamper day/something similar to them?

I often tell companies that call our company that we don't do business with anyone who uses cold calling techniques and if their company/product was that good, they wouldn't have to call people to get them to buy it.

If that fails, I then tell them I'll be invoicing them for my time.

If its a quiet day and I don't have much to do then I tend to wind them up a bit (for example, try asking them who supplies their energy and how much they pay.....after all, they seem to think its okay to ask complete strangers for that information ).

Or just tell them that they need to speak to your "purchasing department" and you're very sorry but you're only allowed to give the number to authorised suppliers.

vikingaero

Fight fire with fire politely:

If I get calls from cold calling companies I ask to be taken off the database. Most companies, even reputable ones, will not remove your number on first request - it's too valuable and what these companies claim in public is different to what they tell their staff to do in public.

If the company called you from an 0800/01/02 number then brilliant. A lot of us have unlimited call tariffs on our mobiles to call them back. Check to see if 0800/0844/0845/03 numbers are included in your tariff.

Then call them back repeatedly. Ask inane questions but always be polite. I had one exasperated agent who spoke to me 20 times in one day. I said that if they called me I would call them back 100 times using my free minutes. On the toilet. Call them. Waiting for a bus. Call them. Waiting for your kids. Call them. It's the only surefire way to stop calls now.

vikingaero

If you don't want to call them them Google "PPI callback" and put in their number into the request. The lower down the google search results the more disreputable the company to call them back will be...

sidefx

vikingaero wrote: »

If you don't want to call them them Google "PPI callback" and put in their number into the request. The lower down the google search results the more disreputable the company to call them back will be...

Brilliant! :T

neil-uk

I've only just come across this, and it's probably too late, but you may want to consider reading this;

http://0lly.uk/2015/08/19/exposed-bes-utilities-energy-search-ltd-scam-caught-on-tape/