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Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Beith MPLiberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Berwick Upon TweedWorking for you and the Berwick upon Tweed Constituency all year roundin Northumberland and in Westminster |
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MP Alan Beith calls on companies to end practice of silent calls to Northumberland residents
March 12, 2009 12:00 PM
Sir Alan Beith, Liberal Democrat MP for the Berwick upon Tweed consistency, today joined with consumer groups to highlight the problem of silent telephone calls, which cause misery for thousands of consumers when he welcomed the campaign from communications regulator Ofcom and consumer champions Consumer Focus and Age Concern to raise awareness of silent calls and how to avoid them.
Alan Beith said:
"Although silent calls can seem intimidating, they are usually just marketing calls and not malicious. However, they can be a cause of great anxiety. Knowing how to avoid them is one way consumers can take control."
Silent calls are caused by automated calling systems known as diallers which are often used in call centres to generate and attempt to connect calls. If there are not enough call centre agents to handle the numbers of calls the dialler makes, it may result in a silent call. Ofcom guidelines state that call centres using diallers should play an information message if a call is abandoned to prevent the call being silent. In many cases this is not happening, and results in consumers receiving silent calls. Ofcom receives over 1,000 complaints a month from consumers worried and frustrated about this issue.
Audrey Gallacher from the consumer champion organisation Consumer Focus said
"While companies continue causing distress by making silent calls, consumers should report them to Ofcom so they can investigate and take enforcement action if necessary."
Gordon Lishman, chief executive of Age Concern England, said
"Silent calls cause anxiety and distress to those on the receiving end. We are very pleased that Ofcom has taken action to reduce the incidence of these calls and has produced an informative guide telling people how they complain."
Consumers can take steps to avoid these calls by registering for the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), which makes it illegal for companies to call them for marketing reasons. Consumer wishing to register for the Telephone Preference Service to avoid unwanted marketing calls can register at http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/ or by calling 0845 070 0707.
The Telephone Preference Service 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. Organisations with which consumers have an ongoing relationship may well gather consent during the early stages of your relationship with them and will therefore be entitled to call even if their number is registered on TPS, unless the consumer has specified they object to them calling for marketing purposes.
A guide with details of how to register for the TPS and complain about silent calls is available on the web sites of Ofcom, Age Concern and Consumer Focus.
Ofcom has opened a programme of monitoring and enforcing compliance with guidelines which relate in part to reducing the harm which can be caused by silent and abandoned calls. As part of this programme, Ofcom has recently taken enforcement action against Abbey National plc, Barclaycard, Complete Credit Management Ltd, Equidebt Ltd and Ultimate Credit Services Ltd. The consumer guide is available at http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/guides/nuisance.pdf
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