Giving a cold caller the cold shoulder

[vernon]

I received a call from a woman working for a no win no fee claims company. She informed me that the company that she represent could represent me in an unsettled claim.

I challenged her to tell me my name.
I asked her which accident/injury she was referring to.

She was unable to identify me or the injury/accident that formed the basis of a claim.

She received a peremptory and impolite dismissal.

She then rang back twice! I answered the call and left the phone unattended on the desk next to me.



Thing is, it was a repeat performance of the previous day's abortive attempt to get me to sign up for a claim from a different claims company.


It must be worth their while to tout for business....

 

[swee'pea99]

I try to be gentle with cold callers - it must be a bugger of a job. 'Thanks but no thanks' generally does the trick. I did have one on the line once who was being such a pain that eventually I just put the phone down. It rang again immediately: 'How dare you just put the phone down on me!' said an indignant voice. I put the phone down.

 

[Canrider]

Cold callers, yesh, okay, if they're doing market research or such, maybe.

This 'We'd like to sue someone on your behalf (for an accident that may/may not have taken place)' goes beyond the normal realms of 'justifiable' cold-calling. Apparently people have been stung for making false claims if you say 'yes' to them..

 

[gb155]

I've had a spate of the "Accident" ones in the last few days.

 

[gallego1968]

I get cold callers call me a few times a week, either mobile phones, insurance, claims and other stuff and i just usually say call me another time as i am working and the next time i see the number come up i don't answer it.

 

[asterix]

I recently worked out why, in France, I keep getting cold calls (one was for ice cream!).

When I buy something big, the shop might ask me for my phone number and in the past I just gave it to them. They can then sell the info on to these cold callers. Recently I bought a window and gave the shop my mobile number (UK) when this didn't satisfy them, I found I had 'forgotten' my French land line number.

Fortunately it is now ages since I had a cold call. They usually come when I am up a ladder with a bucket full of something heavy..

 

[cyberknight]

Go here..


http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/



What is TPS?

The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is a central opt out register whereby individuals can register their wish not to receive unsolicited sales and marketing telephone calls. It is a legal requirement that companies do not make such calls to numbers registered on the TPS.

The original legislation was introduced in May 1999. It has subsequently been updated and now the relevant legislation is the Privacy and Electronic (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.

Who can register?

The term individual includes consumers at their residential address, sole traders and, except in Scotland, partnerships.

How long will it take to become effective?

Once a number has been registered it will become effective in 28 days.

Is there any charge for registering?

No, it's free to register on the TPS.

Who pays for TPS?

No money is received from the Government to run the Service, the direct marketing industry pays for it.

If someone does ring me up i just tell them that i am part of this service and how did they get my number... they hang up.

 

[gavintc]

I have a Skype phone with an Edinburgh number - makes calls from the family easier. I am amused at the cold calls I get on this number and yes I did once ask for my windows to measured for a quote from one. When I then explained we were in Naples, they rang off pretty quick. I must register the number on TPS. Thanks for the link.

 

[PBancroft]

I've had calls in the past week offering me an extended warranty on a VW Polo that no longer exists. Muppets.

 

[coffeejo]

I registered with TPS a while back and it's been brilliant. Took a month but not a unwanted single call since then.

 

[Spinney]

I'm with TPS, but I still sometimes get calls along the line of 'we're doing a survey about home security, have you got time to answer a few questions', then they offer a home visit which no doubt will end up with an offer to sell a new burglar alarm or something. So they are trying to get past it by saying they're not selling, they are doing a survey...

 

[chillyuk]

We have registered with TPS a couple of years ago. It helps a lot in reducing unwanted calls except for British Gas who think the rules don't apply to them and call us on average twice a week.

 

[funnymummy]

I've just re'registered with them. I thought I was already, but reecently have recieved a flood of calls from 'unavailable' numbers.
I stopped answering the phone for a while when the display said 'unavailable' but, as i discovered last night - if I didn't answer they'd just keep calling every 10 minutes - Persistant little buggers...They stopped after my Airzound accidently went off as I answered the phone!

 

[Chilternrides]

Of course it's not the individual caller's fault, but it is bloody annoying, particularly if they are being watched over and are obliged to have the "check-list" conversation, regardless of what you say in response. A modern day ill I'm afraid.

Register with TPS as already mentioned, but that will not stop all of them immediately: Until then, polite but firm is the way, and don't engage any longer than to say that you are not interested, and no they can not know who you are currently insured with / being provided gas, electricity or telephone services by and yes you are quite happy to waste money by sticking with them, as "I'm afraid you've called a business line and my boss is watching and listening..." A white lie, yes, but it does work.

 

[rustychisel]

most of ours come from Indian based call centres offering dodgy telephony and internet deals, to the point of persistence. As you know, most of the callers adopt anglicised names such as "Jonathon" and "Katherine", but of course the accent gives it away.
When they identify themselves we've taken to saying things like "Hello Katherine, this is Sanjit" or "You're speaking to Ramadesh" which tends to puzzle them no end so it's easy to get in a "no thanks" and hang up.