Cold Calling: Yay or Nay?

koantemplation · 30/04/14 - 16:38

Do you think there should be a law against cold calling?

SULLA · 30/04/14 - 16:40

koantemplation wrote: »

Do you think there should be a law against cold calling?

There is a law about when you are allowed to sound your car horn. The same should apply to cold calling.

Foox · 30/04/14 - 16:41

If they ban it wont it just add to the thousands already out of work?

exlordlucan · 30/04/14 - 16:41

I hardly get any now that the energy companies have been stopped from doing it.

chaff · 30/04/14 - 16:42

If the same company keeps calling despite being told not to, then yes, although there's probably legislation already in place to cover that. Getting the odd random call from different companies might be irritating, but not enough to warrant a law against it.

MAW · 30/04/14 - 16:53

You can sign up to the telephone preference service, then there is already a law against it. So, Kontemplation, if you don't ;like cold calls, get to their site, sign up, then you can bust the ass of anyone who bothers you. Some folks don't mind being called by salesmen though, and there's always the slim chance they are selling something you want. I think things are OK the way they are.

Andy2 · 30/04/14 - 16:55

The ones that annoy me the most are the pre-recorded ones that will fill up your answering machine with their blather.

Andrue · 30/04/14 - 18:48

There's too many laws already. Stick a notice on the door (I actually have a plaque) then ignore anyone you don't know who knocks/rings.

shmisk · 30/04/14 - 18:49

MAW wrote: »

You can sign up to the telephone preference service, then there is already a law against it. So, Kontemplation, if you don't ;like cold calls, get to their site, sign up, then you can bust the ass of anyone who bothers you. Some folks don't mind being called by salesmen though, and there's always the slim chance they are selling something you want. I think things are OK the way they are.

Im signed up to them but still get at least 5 cold calls a day

Vicky. · 30/04/14 - 18:55

MAW wrote: »

You can sign up to the telephone preference service, then there is already a law against it. So, Kontemplation, if you don't ;like cold calls, get to their site, sign up, then you can bust the ass of anyone who bothers you. Some folks don't mind being called by salesmen though, and there's always the slim chance they are selling something you want. I think things are OK the way they are.

Doesn't work very well. I have been signed to that for years and still get probably about 2/3 calls average a day. Telling them you are registered with TPS and they arent meant to call you just gets a 'I will remove you from the system' followed by another call from the same company the next day >:(

RuthStar · 30/04/14 - 19:37

I think something should be done about it, I went for a job interview about a month ago, a job centre recommendation of all things, and it was cold calling, basically knocking on peoples doors, 200 a day this company wanted me to do, seriously, I'd end up getting decked by someone. They gave me the job, and when the date came to start it, I didn't show up and ignored their calls, wasn't even a per annum salary, it was commission, so you could work all the hours under the sun, not meet their targets, and not get any money to pay the bills. Its a horribly shady business practice in my opinion. Needless to say, I've just started a much much better job with a guaranteed salary.

Stiggles · 30/04/14 - 19:40

I still can't understand why anyone would vote no on this....

abarthman · 30/04/14 - 19:45

No need for a law.

It really is quite simple to register with the TPS and screen calls on an answering machine and caller display.

Worst case scenario - you pick up the phone by accident and you have to speak to an actual person. Just tell them you're not interested. No problem.

Andrue · 30/04/14 - 19:46

Stiggles wrote: »

I still can't understand why anyone would vote no on this....

I explained. There are remedies already available. There are machines that will screen telephone calls (I have one, called a TrueCall). There's no need for yet another law especially since it's virtually unenforceable. Our government already has too much power. If you hate cold calls you have the power to deal with them already.

Biffo the Bear · 30/04/14 - 19:46

They should make a law that cold-callers can only call other cold-callers. That way, we get some peace, they get to keep their jobs and it's win-win.

[Deleted User] · 30/04/14 - 19:46

I get several a day most of the time I just hang up on them.

myss · 30/04/14 - 19:48

I'm another who's signed to TPS and still get the odd cold call.

Stiggles · 30/04/14 - 19:56

Andrue wrote: »

I explained. There are remedies already available. There are machines that will screen telephone calls (I have one, called a TrueCall). There's no need for yet another law especially since it's virtually unenforceable. Our government already has too much power. If you hate cold calls you have the power to deal with them already.

You explained nothing actually.

When people like me are being bombarded by up to 10 a day after being on TPS for years, something needs to be done. People also shouldn't have to buy things, pricey things i may add for a decent one, to stop getting pestered. TPS is utterly useless also.

It's not unenforceable whatsoever. If a law was passed and companies disobeyed it, they would be heavily fined. Even put out of business.

A law should be passed.

anne_666 · 30/04/14 - 20:00

MAW wrote: »

You can sign up to the telephone preference service, then there is already a law against it. So, Kontemplation, if you don't ;like cold calls, get to their site, sign up, then you can bust the ass of anyone who bothers you. Some folks don't mind being called by salesmen though, and there's always the slim chance they are selling something you want. I think things are OK the way they are.

I have been signed up to that for years. TPS, It's useless. Busting the ass of a recorded message isn't feasible either. Nor is a silence and switch off at the other end as they clock up their quota for the day. That was a regular occurrence. I have told callers I have TPS bla bla bla, they stop and more just take their place. Many every day. I have caller ID and I now have my house phone switched off and wouldn't have the damn thing at all if I didn't have BT broadband. I've now started getting them on my mobile, always a recorded message,.

ShaunIOW · 30/04/14 - 20:04

abarthman wrote: »

No need for a law.

It really is quite simple to register with the TPS and screen calls on an answering machine and caller display.

Worst case scenario - you pick up the phone by accident and you have to speak to an actual person. Just tell them you're not interested. No problem.

Doesn't always work like that though - I'm registered with the TPS and still get cold calls and using caller display doesn't help as sometimes their numbers say unavailable or withheld so I have to answer as calls from Germany come up as unavailable and calls from my stepmum withheld as she's ex-directory.

Most of the calls seem to be from foreign call centres and scammers telling me my pc is infected/faulty or my sky box is out of warranty (I don't have one anyway).

anne_666 · 30/04/14 - 20:15

ShaunIOW wrote: »

Doesn't always work like that though - I'm registered with the TPS and still get cold calls and using caller display doesn't help as sometimes their numbers say unavailable or withheld so I have to answer as calls from Germany come up as unavailable and calls from my stepmum withheld as she's ex-directory.

Most of the calls seem to be from foreign call centres and scammers telling me my pc is infected/faulty or my sky box is out of warranty (I don't have one anyway).

Why not get an answering machine, tell your relatives, then you can pick up if it's someone you know. It's annoying to have to pull out the cash but may help.

dosanjh1 · 30/04/14 - 20:18

ShaunIOW wrote: »

Doesn't always work like that though - I'm registered with the TPS and still get cold calls and using caller display doesn't help as sometimes their numbers say unavailable or withheld so I have to answer as calls from Germany come up as unavailable and calls from my stepmum withheld as she's ex-directory.

Most of the calls seem to be from foreign call centres and scammers telling me my pc is infected/faulty or my sky box is out of warranty (I don't have one anyway).

This is it, TPS is no good if they're calling from abroad, not sure about Europe though.

anne_666 · 30/04/14 - 20:19

dosanjh1 wrote: »

This is it, TPS is no good if they're calling from abroad, not sure about Europe though.

They're no good for calls from anywhere.

DMN1968 · 30/04/14 - 20:40

TPS is toothless - and the cold callers know it. The number of prosecutions is not far of zero.

Also, yes there are things I can do like get TrueCall, however, why on earth should I have to shell out a fortune on devices to screen out unsolicited sales calls that I never asked for in the first place. The likes of BT should offer this service for free - but then again why would they when they make money from the calls, and selling devices to block them?

I use an answerphone to screen calls. It also means I can chose to ignore people I know if its not convenient.

Andrue · 01/05/14 - 06:16

Stiggles wrote: »

You explained nothing actually.

Yes I did. Buy a TrueCall unit - or any of the other several boxes available that will screen your calls for you. They aren't cheap but then if (unlike me) you aren't willing to pay £100 to get rid of cold calls then presumably they don't bother you as much as they used to bother me. There is no need for a law because you have the power to deal with this yourself if want to.

And as has been pointed out most calls come from overseas so how is passing a UK law going to help?

So, no law. Enough with the nanny state already.

towers · 01/05/14 - 07:07

Yes, cold calling shoud be banned.

A genuine business doesn't need to pressure elderly people ( and sometimes younger ones ) because they can't take no for an answer.

Hey there!

Quick Links

Cold Calling: Yay or Nay?

Should there be a Law against Cold Calling? 165 votes

Comments