Silent Calls

DonnyDave

tagz wrote:

We keep getting calls from 0845 055 4454. As soon as we answer it cuts off. Is there any way I can find out which company is calling without actually ringing them. I hate the idea of paying to find out who they are!

I've just had a call from this number. It wasn't a silent call and the lady said it's Kitchens Direct. It is part of MKD Holdings who has been investigated by Ofcom over the number of silent calls it has been generating. If this continues you may consider complaining to Ofcom about it.

See this thread on The Scream! Forums and this site, started by someone plagued by this rubbish.

CrazyChemist_2

Complaining to OfCOM? :rotfl: what are they going to do about it? They are the most ineffective regulator ever!

Silent_Calls_Victim

CrazyChemist wrote:

Complaining to OfCOM? :rotfl: what are they going to do about it? They are the most ineffective regulator ever!

After two years of working on Ofcom, we could be close to some success in this area. I will not speak too soon, but invite you to watch and listen out for the announcement that will happen in the next few weeks.

Many of the points raised in this thread are covered by the information on the website https://www.users.waitrose.com/~silentcalls. There is lots there, so some of it may be hard to find, but please have a look.

David

JamesUK_3

the lady said it's Kitchens Direct. It is part of MKD Holdings

Oh dear... the sister company of the one i work for...!
I didn't even know we/they *DID* marketing calls? Generally we use a 'customer visits showroom/sees tv advert, calls us, we book' policy.

er.. Sorry?

black-saturn

I've had loads of these silent calls this week. I wonder where they get my number from as I am ex directory. I am also registered with the TPS (or whatever it's called).

skipuk

OK like you I get many of these silent calls so this is what I intend doing.
Install a answer machine on my pc such as this one. http://www.download.com/Ancyba-Answering-Machine/3000-2349_4-10150657.html?tag=lst-3-2
This is a shareware answering machine on your computer that allows you to leave custom greetings based on caller id. You will be able to perform various levels of call-screening and call blocking. You can also view your voice-messages over the internet.
So when say caller id comes up on your phone “Secret” set the answer phone to leave a massage such as “Thank you for your call today unfortunately I do not answer calls that withhold there contact telephone numbers. If you wish to contact me in the future please do not withhold your number thank you for your call”. Hopefully if many of us do this they may just get the message. (Second thought I think not but it will cost them the price of a phone call)
PS. Anybody know of any good free answer machines out there or any better ideas!

Silent_Calls_Victim

JamesUK wrote:

Oh dear... the sister company of the one i work for...!
I didn't even know we/they *DID* marketing calls?

As I understand it, your company, presumably that based in the City given as your location, does indeed operate differently.

When Ofcom investigated Kitchens Direct, following my formal complaint, in early 2004, they were found to have attempted 26 million calls in three months, 1.5 million of which were Silent Calls. Ofcom is presently content with them making only 10,000 Silent Calls each day. We look forward to that situation changing shortly.

black-saturn wrote:

I've had loads of these silent calls this week. I wonder where they get my number from as I am ex directory. I am also registered with the TPS (or whatever it's called).

Using an automated dialler it is a fairly simple process to try all the allocated numbers on an exchange. To be legal however, callers must check every number against the TPS.

skipuk wrote:

OK like you I get many of these silent calls so this is what I intend doing. Install a answer machine on my pc ...
PS. Anybody know of any ... better ideas!

If Caller ID (CLI) identified the caller and only those making Silent Calls withheld their number and always did so, this would be an answer.

Unless you have received a completed call from the same number before, there is no way that you can identify a caller from their CLI.

It is "standard industry practice" for those making Silent Calls to give a number that is simply connected to an answering machine. This method will not stop these calls.

Many businesses do not give CLI as they cannot guarantee to route a return call to the person who called initially. I believe that is fair enough. I get many such calls, which I am happy to receive.

Many friends calling from their place of work, a hotel or overseas may not be able to prevent the number being withheld. This is a commonly reported problem for users of the BT ACR facility.


On a voice telephone call, anonymity is determined by what is said when you answer the call. If the caller gives their name and the purpose of the call, that is satisfactory. CLI is a red herring, which is being promoted by BT for commercial purposes.

The only way we will stop Silent Calls is by persuading reputable companies, such as BT, to stop making them, and by the threat of action by Ofcom.

David

---

For lots on the campaign against Silent Calls and other related nuisance please visit http://www.users.waitrose.com/~SilentCalls/

---

Skiduck

I have just recieved a bout of these calls from Excell and am registered with TPS.

Thanks for the earlier info of their contact details, I shall be filling in this form.

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/cgi-bin/tps_complaints.pl

I also had a quite heated debate with the person who called me back to inform me which customer of theirs wanted to speak to me so much. It was MBNA - credit card from them now cancelled with an explanatory letter - i don't use it much so I'm not cutting my nose of to spite my face - it may just give them a kick if other people follow suit.

I informed the gentleman at Excell that he was breaking the law - he denied this saying it wasn't a cold call.

I infored him I did not ask MBNA to contact me and my account was with MBNA and nothing to do with Excell. He didn't quite understand that my account details were between MBNA and myself and any marketing was cold calling.

I still get an average of 10 calls per week from call centres, a lot from India etc and this has to stop, but increasingly they are creeping back from the UK. My phone line is not a marketing tool.

I will take advice from everyone on this thread and instead of hanging up - intimidate the caller until I can reach someone from the call centre that can delete my records.

black-saturn

I get loads of calls like this. I also get the ones from the mobile phone companies etc etc who keep you on the line for ages.

I've found a good way of dealing with them which is say "Hold on a minute please I'll find the person you need to speak to". Then just get on with what you were doing in the first place. After a while they will get fed up and hang up and it's cost them loads to stay on hold.

Fruitcake

As previously mentioned by another poster, one method used to get your number is a sequential dialer. This works by the company concerned first deciding the area to target and feeding in the STD code for that area. The machine then generates a low number based on other numbers selected from that areas' phone book. It then dials the STD code followed by this made up number.
If that number does not exist, the machine records the fact and never dials it again.
If it gets an engaged tone it will redial a number of times and try to get an answer. If it doesn't get through it stores the number and the fact that someone was on the phone at that time of day. It will ring you back at about the same time the next and subsequent days and try to get an answer.
If it rings but it is not answered, it stores that number to dial again another day but at a different time.
If it rings and is answered by you it connects it to a person at the call centre if one is available. You get to be annoyed by a real person cold calling you.
If it rings and is answered by you, but can't connect to someone at the call centre, it hangs up and stores the number and the fact that someone answered at that time of day. This is the Silent Call. It will ring you back at about the same time the next and subsequent days until a caller is available when you answer. This is why you get Silent Calls several days in a row at about the same time.
When the machine has finished with the first number it has dialled, it increments by one and dials the new number, thus restarting the process all over again. This is the sequence part of sequential dialling.
These machines can dial several numbers at once and companies can have more than one machine.
There are variations where the machine leaves a recorded message instead of hanging up.
Once finished with the target area, a new STD number is fed in and another bunch of people get hassled. If the decision is made to target your area again in the future, the machine uses the information it gained from its last attack. This is why Silent Calls may stop and then start up again months or years later.

Fruitcake

You Only Listen To Me When I'm Wrong