Nuisance telephone calls.

[accyman]

Originally Posted by DaveinGermany

I sadly doubt that Marge, look how much "Wrath & Hatred" has been directed at MP's over the last year or so !! Net result ??

oh i dont know the poll tax riots didnt do too badly, once you start smashing London up Mps respond pretty quickly

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Gayle

Another way that they seem to have got round it is by saying that they are doing market research! I had three calls last night, all from companies who said that the TPS didn't refer to them as they were doing market research.

They might well have been doing market research but their subject matter seemed remarkably like companies that are selling - windows, timeshare and I can't remember what the third was. I suspect that if I'd let them continue with their supposed market research they would have asked at the end if they could contact me again at a later date, thus giving them permission to ring me to 'sell' me something.

Ya Gayle these calls are creeping in more and more, it would appear that you dealt with yours in exactly the same way as I doshoot um down in flames

[Sara]

Just had a phone call from an energy company helpline. Asked for there name and company so i could report them to the TPS and they slammed the phone down on me. RESULT

[mallard]

thanks len for that info.

[Margaret Pilkington]

and if you should perchance mention that you are going to contact the Information Commissioners Office,(with their name and details) the person on the other end puts the phone down and then goes to inspect their drawers

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

and if you should perchance mention that you are going to contact the Information Commissioners Office,(with their name and details) the person on the other end puts the phone down and then goes to inspect their drawers

I'll bet you were great with the laxatives when you were a nurse Margaret

[Margaret Pilkington]

Jaysay,I was pretty damn good with suppositries, in fact I was good with everything(well, I would say that wouldn't I?)

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Jaysay,I was pretty damn good with suppositries, in fact I was good with everything(well, I would say that wouldn't I?)

Suppositries

[Margaret Pilkington]

Yes...... and if you put them in with the plastic still on....you could use them again

[MargaretR]

I have been registered with the telephone preference service for a very long time.
In the past 2 weeks I have begun to get frequent junk calls again, three a day on some days.
I often take daytime naps, so this type of call is more than just an irritation for me.

I have googled for ways to stop them.
'Optout uk' claims to work, but wants cash, 3 rates- £8, £50 and £90, according to degree of effectiveness.

This other link claims that the telephone preference service is worse than useless.
The Telephone Preference Service UK
extract-
The first thing to understand about The Telephone Preference Service is that it is a joke.
It is a wholly ineffectual attempt to pretend self regulation by the junk phone callers and a fairly transparent ruse to cloak themselves in an entirely bogus aura of acceptibility. Supposedly, if you register with this service, then about three to six months later, they circulate your number (only) on a file to the junk phone callers telling them not to call you.

But since only 70 junk calling companies (as of 19/08/96) are part of this scheme and new fly-by-night junk callers spring up and replace existing ones continuously, the scheme is worse than useless. It promises little and delivers less. Most of the junk phone callers have never even heard of the Telephone Preference Service.

The other thing which militates against your local sleazy double glazing company from joining the scheme is that they must pay an annual fee to receive the list of people they shouldn't call. This fee varies from £250 to £3000, depending on the size of the company.

And a more "reputable" example: The Royal National Institute for the Blind junk calls for fund-raising. It has made a policy decision not to join the TPS because it 'would cost us far too much'.

Nevertheless, you may wish to avail yourself of this service and it may slightly cut down on the rate of increase of people junk calling you.

There is no free solution to the problem, other than unplugging the phone when you don't want to be disturbed

[Margaret Pilkington]

unplugging the phone is a nice idea, but for some people it really isn't a viable option.
I have to leave my phone plugged in, as my mother may need me at any time, I also need to be available should she activate her lifeline.
TPS does not weed out all the calls, I know this from my own experience, but recently when I have received these types of call I have asked who is calling and then cited the Information Commissioners Office......this has meant a speedy end to the call......and a promise not to contact me again in the future.
If I find that a company does call again, then I will have no hesitation in contacting the ICO.

[derekgas]

I have been having more fun than usual with these of late. Apparently, Mori type polls for research are exempt from tps rules, you can however request they remove you from their database, trouble is, if you do, it seems to me that they may then pass your details on to a third party (maybe a partner company), because after being harassed all week from a number which didnt speak when I answered (automated calls, but no operative available when the call is answered, so your left in silence), I requested my info be removed, and what do you know? I have been pestered by a different number daily, since I sent the request, so have now requested that they remove my details, and do not pass them on to a third party! Will see what happens.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Derek, please mention the Information commisioners Office. These silent calls are illegal.

[garinda]

I've had my number listed withg the T.P.S. for ages too, and it's worked really well, until of late.

I've been receiving two to three calls per day recently, offering I don't know what.

Mostly I use the answerphone to screen out the calls, but occasionally it's easy to forget, particularly at certain times of the day when I'm expecting calls.

Recent retorts have been 'No, he's dead', or to just put the phone next to the radio, and see how long they'll pay to listen to Radio 2.

When starting politely with my 'I'm sorry, I don't take any unsolicited calls', I was recently told to 'Hang on, and let me speak mister', I did lose it rather, and resorted to some good old fashioned expletives, before cutting her off.

[derekgas]

Most of the sales people are quite rude nowadays, you hardly get to say 'no' and they just hang up!!No goodbye, or anything, anyone would think we were hassling them!