Do BT know how to work the TPS list before calling people?


I just had a call from 08003890043 - Chap calling on 'behalf of BT' - Said as i'm an existing customer if i get a credit card from them then i'll save money on my line rental.

I've got two problems with that statement:

The number he called is no longer with BT, it was ported a couple of months ago to another service.

The number he called is TPS registered.

Hmmm, rant over

Are you sure the call was from BT, and not someone claiming to be 'connected' with BT?

I frequently get spam emails from 'Vicky at BT Offers' which is nothing whatsoever to do with BT.

As i said, they said they were calling 'on behalf of BT' - but trying to sell BT Credit Card..... So i guess BT give info from customers to MBNA Europe/some third party who call out and try and get people to get a 'BT Credit Card' - helps you save money on rental, Even if you're no longer a customer!

I'm sick of these companies calling up and saying on behalf of <big company name> and trying to sell you things. I had a woman call on behalf of Vodafone... I sad are you Vodafone or not? She said no, calling on behalf... I said 'sorry not interested, and hung up' - Maybe that was rude of me?

They probably guessed that you are a BT customer from your phone number. In many cases BT numbers are distinct from cable numbers, for example in Reading BT numbers start with a 9 and cable numbers with 3. Trouble is that falls apart when you get into number porting as in your case.

So it is unlikely (though not impossible) that BT had nothing whatsoever to do with this call.

If you are registered with TPS then report the number. Since you no longer have a business relationship with BT they can't hide behind that to cover themselves with TPS.

And if you read the small print on the TPS website if they really are working on behalf of BT then they cannot also hide behind the fact that they may be based overseas! In those circumstances they are still obliged to filter their calls with the TPS database.

Yep - very easy to see who has what numbers - can see it here www.ukphoneinfo.com

I work for a Telco

They asked for me by name, so got my name from somewhere! I'm not in the directory services.

Yes - i do plan on reporting them to TPS. They can even have the call recording too if they like!

Calls to my number may be recorded in the interest of reporting cold calls

Hi sean,

I'm sorry you've been receiving calls from other companies saying they're Vodafone. It's a concern for us that our customers are being misled by third parties, and we're working as hard as we can to prevent this sort of thing from happening.
My best recommendation for the future with such calls is to ask for a number to call the company back on. If it is Vodafone it's immediately apparent when you get through as you'll hear the company name in the welcome message. If you're ever concerned by what you think may be a bogus call, please don't hesitate to call 191 free of charge from your handset and seek assistance from us directly.

Hope this helps,

edwardpeter
Vodafone UK

Thanks for the info.

I'm very awkward on the phone, and don't fall for these funny tricks!

Sadly today i got a call from a real person at Vodafone , telling me it would be a good idea to stick another 6 months on my contract... Of course it would! They're very very pushy when you say no.