For almost a year, I've been plagued with regular calls to my BT landline phone from Argos. It's the same pattern - this number appears on my phone, I answer, it rings a few times at their end and then they start demanding payment on an Argos store card from a Mrs. Norton.

As far as I'm aware, there's never been a Mrs. Norton at this address and I've politely been informing them of this. Some of the callers have been quite offhand and insistent that she does live here and that this is her phone number - news to me! The calls stopped a few months ago and I assumed that they'd finally taken my number off their list, but a week or so ago they started calling several times a day, once in the morning, a couple of times in the evening as late as 8pm and even at weekends. I've just finished on the phone with them AGAIN. I'm getting calls while working from home, eating my tea, in the middle of TV programmes - it is a real pain in the arse.

The number that calls is 01204 677400, a Bolton line. I've never had an Argos or any other store-card, I have no debt, I don't know anyone called Norton and there is absolutely no chance that these calls are legitimately meant for me.

So the question I have to ask is - how do I get these calls at all hours stopped or blocked? Is there someone I can contact at BT to report a nuisance caller or get incoming calls from that particular number barred? I've been patient, I've explained over a hundred times and I've now taken to just putting the phone down on them.

Thanks in advance - you would save my sanity!

next time they call you need to get some information on them. What is the debt collectors company name and address, the name of the person calling you and get them to confirm there number. If you can get some info on the person they are chasing (name you have, but also first name, address, argos acc number if you can. Then call Argos customer services to see if they are really acting on behalf of Argos and give them the information you have. If you get no joy from Argos then yes you need to contact BT but you might need to prived them with proof which is hard for phone calls. I would also contact comsumer direct witht the information you have and they might be best to advise. Simply getting BT to bar the number is unlikely to help as they will just use another number.

Thanks for your reply - I'll ask them for that information next time they call up, but I think getting the number barred would help. It's always been that same 01204 677400 (how sad am I, I know it off by heart now!). If you call the number back, it does say Argos on the recorded message that plays.

It just annoys me that I'm so careful to save up for stuff, live within my means and not get into debt, but I still get nuisance calls from rude arsehole debt collectors. It makes me wonder whether I should go and get that Android phone I've been after but can't afford if I'm going to get the hassle anyway! (Joking.)

I suggest you get BT "choose to refuse" its free for the 1st month (not sure of charges after that)
You can bar the number calling you, callers get the message "The number you have dialled is not accepting calls from this number"

They may stop calling you after a month, you could then cancel the facility

i would say you should speak to them and get some info to call Argos CS with. Yes they may give up, but they could also step up the campaign against you. if it was me id want it stopped at source rather than blocked.

Very good advice. Some companies operate a policy whereby if the overdue balance exceeds a certain number of days, they will pass the details on to the baliffs who will start coming round to the house.

I would suggest you call BT and fill out a nuisance calls form. You may as well report the calls to the police just to get a crime number from them. The crime number is proof how seriously fed up you are with these calls and may make them more likely to help. I know the phone company i work for can only take certain steps after receiving a crime number.

They've called up again just now (on a Sunday morning, I ask you) and while they gave me the name of the person they were chasing, they wouldn't give any further details like address, Argos account number or the amount owed. When I asked the address they thought they were calling, they asked me for my address - no chance!

I told them for the hundredth time that no-one of that name lived here and that if they called this number once more I'd report them to the police for nuisance calling. I don't think it's going to get to the bailiff stage - the calls have been going on for a year. If they were going to take it to the next stage they'd have done it by now. I was happy when they gave it up a few months back so it's really annoyed me that they've started up again.

I might keep a list of Bart Simpson prank calls by the phone - "who are you after? Ms. O'Problem? First name Bea? I'll just get her" - or perhaps I'll just stick a whistle on the shelf with it.

Unfortunately these companies will also try to hide behind the Data Protection Act. They cannot legally discuss the amount of the debt with you or possibly the address of the person they are trying to contact. They should tell you who they are though and the name of the company they are calling from. If they don't tell you the company name, try hiding your number and calling them back on the number you managed to get hold of.

You should always speak to a supervisor or manager. Never try to deal with the operator who calls you. Insist, firmly but politely, to be transferred to a manager.

Tell the manager that you want your number removed immediately from their systems. It should be very easy for you to prove that the person they are chasing does not live at your address.

You could give them a partial address, just the street name for example. If that does not match the address of the person they are chasing then hopefully they will realise a mistake has been made. If you are in the phone book then you could give the manager a fuller address so he/she can check it on the BT directory enquires website.

http://www.thephonebook.bt.com/

But whatever you do stay calm and polite. You will get on much better than if you start shouting down the phone at them.

If you don't get anywhere then write to their head office. Argos are part of Home Retail Group, their contact details are here

http://www.homeretailgroup.com/home/about/comdetail/

Just wondered when OP got their phone line installed?

I seems to me like they are getting phone calls for whoever had the number before them.

if i were you i would contact the information comissioner, theres got to be a breach of DPA in there if you know a debt collection agency is chasing a Mrs Norton....they're going completely the wrong way about it

Try calling the number for Argos on this page http://www.homeretailgroup.com/home/tools/contact/ and ask for Sara Weller. She is the MD of Argos. If this doesn't work, look for Home Retail Group on the Companies House website and download the details for the board. This will include their home addresses where you can send them letters of complaint (recorded delivery of course) that will get answered. Board members do not like their working life to intrude on their home life like this.

Or just tell Argos when they call next that, as a result of their previous calls, you've done a bit of checking and have discovered Mrs. Norton' s new address although, unfortunately, you don't know her new phone number!

[quote=carguy143;37249528]Very good advice. Some companies operate a policy whereby if the overdue balance exceeds a certain number of days, they will pass the details on to the baliffs who will start coming round to the house.
QUOTE]

This is totally incorrect!

Bailiffs cannot call on you except on the instructions of a court. And a court will only order action after a summons has been issued and the court has gone through the whole procedure of serving a summons on you, etc, etc.

I had the same problem when I got the phone and 20meg broadband upgrade with Virgin, a week after getting the phone on the debt collectors began to call me "hello could I speak to mr-mrs Robertson" this went on and on, no matter what I said made any diference to them, I rang up Virgin customer services who would not issue me with a different number to stop it.
As soon as the yearly contract was up I got the phone out, and everything is great now.

Colin

Regardless of weather the debt is with you, or (as in the case) someone who doesn't live at the address, there's a very simple way to deal with debt collection agencies - Don't converse with them in any way shape or form. Fortunately you're able to identify when its them calling so at least you know when not to answer the phone.

Not long ago I had similar issues with Capital One. After ignoring their calls for 3 weeks, they stopped. What you have to remember is that its up to the collection agency to prove that the person they're after is there; Its not a case of you having to prove that they're not.

I managed to get the calls stopped around New Year by simply repeating the same threat to report them to the police as a nuisance call every time they phoned. Eventually, they seemed to get the message and crawled back under their rock.

So imagine my surprise when the phone rang early on Thursday morning and it was our friends at Argos debt collection in Bolton once again, with demands for money! Mrs. Norton must have missed another payment. They've been phoning twice a day since, waking me up at 8 this (Sunday) morning with a call.

If I could find out where she lived, I'd go round to Mrs. Norton's house and politely tell her to stop being such a bloody delinquent and pay her Argos card - and use her own phone number next time she wants to buy cheap Argos shite she can't afford!

Anyway, I'm logging all their calls ready to make a real police complaint this time.

You know about the consumer forum? There's loads of advice you can get on there.

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk...tion-industry/

There's letter templates you can print off too if you feel necessary (even if it isn't your debt you can get a definite stop put to the calls)

Thanks for the link - but I think the people on that garish website are looking at far more significant problems than a few nuisance phone calls for a debt that isn't theirs. I stopped reading when I saw a lengthy post about someone having the police called on them and nearly getting beaten up because of a debt (!)

I don't have the time to get into the sort of endless, intricate battles with legalese letters that the people on that site seem to be in; I just want the calls to end. If I was actually in a load of debt myself, I might be able to summon up the energy to wade through that stuff but at present it's too nice outside!

A quick google seems to sugest this is actually argos card services/home retail group calling you and not some 3rd part debt collection agency.

Companies aren't, by law, allowed to chase debt that isn't enforceable.

As Mrs Norton obviously doesn't live where they are calling, the debt is unenforceable and they should have stopped calling you when you explained you weren't who they were after.

The best people to complain to are the Financial Ombudsman http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/

http://www.connectotel.com/marcus/ceoemail.html

You will find Argos CEO email address on this website email them. The complaint will be picked up by customer relations.

If you ask them they will normally send Argos vouchers as way of apology.

Letters have been sent, they've been told hundreds of times and they are STILL CALLING.

Is there ANY way I can stop this nonsense?

It's driving me up the wall.

How about just firing off an email after every call? Copy to your local police force.

Set up a special gmail email address so they don't get your personal email address of course.

Customer.Services-Card@argos.co.uk
sara.weller@argos.co.uk
terry.duddy@homeretailgroup.com

I know this may seem like a lot of money to fork out but will pay for itself in the long run, its an absolute godsend and I can highly recommend it.

Not just for nuisance calls, but sales calls, cold calls, overseas calls and there is a whole bunch of options to get your own back etc.

Truecall