Nuisance calls

Nuisance phone calls - stop them

Legal and consumer

23 January 2009 15:09

Nuisance calls and unsolicited sales messages annoy millions of Britons every day – now  phone watchdog Ofcom has launched a new consumer guide on how to halt them...

Moaning  about pushy salesman who repeatedly ring you from a call-centre flogging anything from double glazing to mobile phones is becoming a national past- time.

The worst bug bears are the silent calls and faxes that ring in the early hours of the morning and originate from call centres – particularly disturbing for those who live alone. Between September 2007 and the same month in 2008 the number of consumer complaints about silent received by Ofcom increased from around to 300 a month to 1,050. Over 14 million people feel strongly enough about cold callers to have registered with the Telephone Preference Service (a free service to block tele-marketers).

Silent calls from automated call centres are a major cause of anxiety for thousands of people every month. Most of these calls are not generated with malicious intent but occur when call centres using automated calling systems generate more calls than their available agents can deal with. When the person called answers the telephone, there is no agent available, resulting in silence on the line.

Maximum fines of £50,000

Ofcom fined Barclaycard £50,000 (the maximum possible) in September this year after complaints after they breached tele-marketing rules. Ofcom investigated Barclaycard from October to May 2007 and found it had an extremely high number of silent calls where people receiving them had no way of knowing who had called them. It also found some of Barclaycard’s  call centre had no procedures to prevent people receiving repeated abandoned calls over a short period of time.

Ofcom has also previously fined Abbey National, Complete Credit Management, Space Kitchens, Bracken Bay Kitchens, Carphone Warehouse and Toucan for breaches of its rules on silent and abandoned calls.

Ofcom has also launched How to avoid nuisance calls a new free guide for consumers  (available to download from Ofcom) on dealing with unsolicited calls including the following handy tips.

Telephone Preference Service

Everyone has the right to refuse unsolicited marketing messages through fax, phone, email and text messages. The first step in stopping these calls is registering with the Telephone Preference Service  (it’s free) by calling 0845 070 0707 or registering at www.tpsonline.org.uk This takes 28 days to take effect but reputable organisations should screen against this lists when making marketing calls. If calls persist after 28 days you can complain to the Information Commissioners Office at www.ico.gov.uk or call the help-line on 08456 306060.

You can also register to block faxes at the Fax Preference Service on 0845 070 0702 or visit www.fpsonline.org.uk.

Complain to the Information Commissioner

If you’re receiving automated calls – a recorded message you can’t speak to (eg:‘You’ve won a cruise’) you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner  at www.ico.gov.uk. Regulation 19 of the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations 2003 requires that companies or organisations making these calls have your prior permission.

Set up a phone privacy service

Protect your privacy by registering for a phone service that will filter your calls for you. For example BT offers a number of services including:
Caller Display - where you see the number that’s calling you before you answer.
Choose to refuse - blocks particular numbers from getting through to you.
Anonymous Call Reject - blocks incoming calls from withheld numbers.
BT Privacy At Home - service includes caller display and registration with the Telephone Preference Service.

Block silent calls

Ofcom now insists companies using this system now include a short recorded message identifying the source of the call. They should also have Caller Line Identification (CLI) so you can use 1471 to find the phone number and report them to Ofcom. If the number was withheld and you are receiving a large number of calls you need to contact your phone provider who can trace the calls. You may also be offered an anonymous call rejection service. Complain to Ofcom http://www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/landline/silent
or ring 0300 123 3333 

Report malicious calls to your phone provider

Phone providers have special services set up to deal with these type of complaints (BT has a dedicated Malicious Calls Bureau on 0800 661441 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week). However, if calls are abusive, threatening or obscene or otherwise distressing you should report them to the police. Malicious calls are an offence under the Telecommunications Act and callers can be jailed for up to 6 months.