BTL and other Indian Call Centre Companies and the TPS

MidlandsMum

Even though our home number is registered with the TPS we have been receiving unsolicited calls from Indian based call centres. Very often either myself or my husband are asked for by name and these calls are getting very annoying. They usually come in during dinner or our evening family quiet time. I've tried explaining we are registered with the TPS but the caller very often doesnt have a clue what I am talking about. What is the process for dealing with these companies and is there any organisation I can go to to make these intrusions stop? The company tolday is called BTL, but I can find nothing about them on the web.

Thanks in advance!

MM

star1_2

Unfortunately - complaining to the Indian call centre will be useless, as there is effectively no UK legal jurisdiction over their activities and the need for them to comply with the TPS register/rules - but any UK company they are calling on behalf of does !

I would suggest a couple of approaches :-

(a) ask who they are calling on behalf of, then make an official complaint to the UK company who is using their services, and if necessary to any ombudsman, regulator or governing body they belong to. (I did the same regarding cold-calls I received on behalf of O2)!

(b) despite also being registered with TPS I have the same occasional calls, as soon as I detect it’s a sales call, I politely stop the agent and say "Have you heard of TPS?", if the answer is "Yes" - I respond, "you shouldn’t be calling this number then, should you?", after afew moments - this often meets with an apologetic response from the agent. If the agent hasn’t heard of TPS, I then say "do you have the internet?" (they always say yes!) I then tell them to do a search on TPS in google, read all about it and the law that applies, and decide if they want to call me back"!

Best of Luck !

so2006

I hate companys that use overseas call centers and refuse to use them, is there a thread that has a list of them? or should i start one?

1st on the list: Norwich union!!!! I left them for that reason!

Mrs_B_12

I've tried everything, putting down the phone, not answering unknown calls, being polite etc. After years of calls still getting through if I'm in a hurry I swear loudly and it does seem to have some effect.

liz545

If you have an answerphone, turn it on during mealtimes and when you don't want to be disturbed, and turn the ringer on the phone off. Anyone who needs to get in touch with you will leave a message for you to call back, and any nuisance callers can easily be screened out.

star1_2

liz545 wrote: »

If you have an answerphone, turn it on during mealtimes and when you don't want to be disturbed, and turn the ringer on the phone off. Anyone who needs to get in touch with you will leave a message for you to call back, and any nuisance callers can easily be screened out.

Alas the call centres have a way around this .... Unfortunatly this won't work for some call centre's (UK and overseas) who use "auto-dialers" (this is when a computer pre-dials a database of phone numbers), the computer then "listens" on the line for a "real person" to answer and passes the call to an agent....

If your phone number is answered with an answering machine, or just scilence, it registers your number as being valid, but with no one present to take the call .... as a "valid" number it gets put on the list to "try again later" .... this will keep happening until the call is answered by a real person (at a preset interval, say every 2-3 days) or when the number of attempts the company stipulates is reached....

sillyvixen

i am ex directory, have registered with tps and my number has only been valid for 12 months, my problem is there is a cold call list with a misprint on and i keep getting cold calls for a mrs reid!! can be up to 4 an evening, i explain that there is no one of that name here and the call centre try to get on with their script. i have tried to be polite and have even been told i am mrs reid of 19 address not a million miles from where i live (looked up the no in telephone directory and try and give it to them!) no they still keep trying to sell, question etc.. i am not being funny but if they have been told the no is incorect i am not the person and have put them right they could have at least have the decencey to apolagise and hang up - apparently foriegn call centers do not have the same sence as british call centres making a wrong call!!!

sillyvixen

star1 wrote: »

Alas the call centres have a way around this .... Unfortunatly this won't work for some call centre's (UK and overseas) who use "auto-dialers" (this is when a computer pre-dials a database of phone numbers), the computer then "listens" on the line for a "real person" to answer and passes the call to an agent....

If your phone number is answered with an answering machine, or just scilence, it registers your number as being valid, but with no one present to take the call .... as a "valid" number it gets put on the list to "try again later" .... this will keep happening until the call is answered by a real person (at a preset interval, say every 2-3 days) or when the number of attempts the company stipulates is reached....

this again is just impolite - answere phone pause click click am i speaking to mrs reid - no!!! the other thing is that it registers as a missed call (silence) on answere phones!! it happens far too often, too the point i dont answere my phone at certain times unless the answere phone has kicked in and i know who is calling - my friends/family are beggining to notice!! and this makes me look rude!!

star1_2

sillyvixen wrote: »

.... have even been told i am mrs reid of 19 address not a million miles from where i live (looked up the no in telephone directory and try and give it to them!)

Tricky one - It might be an idea to log every permutation of your number (including the one you have detailed) on TPS and see if that works.

If the CLI (Caller Line Identification) is always from the same call centre, you may have scope to ask your phone company to block this incomming number, although this would often need involvement from OFCOM to permit this.

dexters_mum_2

I had this recently, although from the UK, the TPS sent me a form for a TPS breach, although they can't do anything about one particular case, it heps them build a portfolio of problem companies.

It's a lengthy form and I went through it with every call I recieved, generally from the same group of companies, but as these companies are calling me when I have made a specific effort for them not to, why not waste their time?

The form asks about the callers name, company, registered address, purpose of call, where they alledged they received your number from etc.

I end the call with 'Please remove my number from your list or I reserve the right to take further action', it might not be the best but it has worked for me.

You could get the BT facility (if you are on a BT line) that blocks witheld numbers, it might screen out some of the problem calls?

star1_2

dexters_mum wrote: »

I had this recently, although from the UK, the TPS sent me a form for a TPS breach .... It's a lengthy form

I end the call with 'Please remove my number from your list or I reserve the right to take further action', it might not be the best but it has worked for me.

You could get the BT facility (if you are on a BT line) that blocks witheld numbers, it might screen out some of the problem calls?

Yes - the TPS paperwork is rather long-winded and almost puts anyone off reporting unwanted calls, I completed it one one occasion and it stopped the company concerned contacting me!

"Annomous caller reject" is available on Virgin media lines too.