DCA silent phone calls

[mr.ton]

Are these common in the industry & to what extent do people feel?

[Paladine]

Are these common in the industry & to what extent do people feel?

 

Common? They have driven me into a total rage on a number of occasions. I average over 50 silent calls from Capital One/Debitas per week for almost a year now.

 

There used to be a time when autodiallers were illegal if I remember correctly? Its about time that situation was reviewed in light of VOIP technologies being used by call centres nowadays because any situation where an autodialler phones you and then hangs up because there is no "agent" available when you pick up, is utterly reprehensible.

 

I wonder how many man hours (for want of a more politically correct term) are wasted each year in the UK as a result of stress from this type of harassment? I was on the verge of requesting an exam be rescheduled just last month because I was so messed up from the constant harassment on the phone from Capital One and Debitas.

 

Maybe it is time we started to bring this situation to the media's attention and starting some form of campaign to ban autodiallers or better enforcement of the various Acts these procedures are contravening with a statutory financial award to the plaintiffs for damages for when these autodiallers constantly call and then hang up.

 

The war on terror should start at home and the terrorists we need to worry about are Big Business. No ethnic group has laid a finger of harm on me or my family and I have travelled extensively; big business however has caused me substantial mental anguish and lobbied to have many of my rights removed. So really, who are the terrorists?

 

Alex

[mr.ton]

No ethnic group has laid a finger of harm on me or my family and I have travelled extensively; big business however has caused me substantial mental anguish and lobbied to have many of my rights removed. So really, who are the terrorists?

 

Oh absolutely...

Big buisness & this New Labour government are the biggest bunch of terrorists & threat that this country faces today

[loyalbrummie]

Just had one from RW , strange way of getting me to pay up or discuss it isnt it , obviously they want me to ring back .

Will ring later when i get me sarky head on .

[42man]

If you are getting calls which you find harrassing use the OFCOM form here.... Silent calls (when you answer the phone, there is nobody there) | Ofcom

[Paladine]

If you are getting calls which you find harrassing use the OFCOM form here.... Silent calls (when you answer the phone, there is nobody there) | Ofcom

 

To be honest I have a lot more faith in TS than I do in OFCOM, my complaint is currently with TS.

 

Alex

[loyalbrummie]

Just left a complaint for ofcom about RW , dunno if it will do anything BUT if you dont buy a lottery ticket you will never win it will you .....

[42man]

Alex....I had a letter from HSBC saying that the OFCOM guidelines allow companies to make up to 3 calls per day, 8:00am - 8:00pm and includes Saturdays and Sundays, interesting to note also that OFCOM penalised the Abbey and a debt collection agency called Complete Credit Management for excessive silent calls... It would seem that both OFCOM / OFT / Trading Standards have a different view OR the financial companies just follow which rule suits them best !!!

 

Abbey accused of making excessive silent calls - Brand Republic Login - Brand Republic

[Paladine]

Alex....I had a letter from HSBC saying that the OFCOM guidelines allow companies to make up to 3 calls per day, 8:00am - 8:00pm and includes Saturdays and Sundays, interesting to note also that OFCOM penalised the Abbey and a debt collection agency called Complete Credit Management for excessive silent calls... It would seem that both OFCOM / OFT / Trading Standards have a different view OR the financial companies just follow which rule suits them best !!!

 

Abbey accused of making excessive silent calls - Brand Republic Login - Brand Republic

 

OFCOM regulations may be different but I suspect what it means they can call you 3 times a days if you don't ask them not too. I can't see the OFCOM regulation overriding statutory rights under Protection from Harassment Act, Communications Act and Administration of Justice Act. Once you ask them not to call citing the relevant Acts they have to stop calling irrespective of OFCOM regulations.

 

At least that is my understanding of it. Even then, these 2 companies (or one company) are well outside the boundary of 3 calls per day between 8-8.

 

Alex

[2Grumpy]

Alex....I had a letter from HSBC saying that the OFCOM guidelines allow companies to make up to 3 calls per day, 8:00am - 8:00pm and includes Saturdays and Sundays

 

Isn't this a DCA spin on the comment by a judge in a harassment case that harassment is unlikely to have been caused by less than 3 calls in total?

 

Grumpy

[dannyboy660]

I was under the impression they were supposed to be clamping down on all this stuff

 

Credit Today online

 

Probably another case of they say all the right things, but very little actually happens......

[Paladine]

I was under the impression they were supposed to be clamping down on all this stuff

 

Credit Today online

 

Probably another case of they say all the right things, but very little actually happens......

 

Exactly my point about OFCOM. Their "revised" regulations amount to nothing but a toothless dog since it only covers autodiallers which give an automated message when the dialled party picks up. So it does absolutely shag all for those of us receiving dozens of silent calls every single day for months and months and months on end because of the use of the same equipment but without the automatic message on connection.

 

Alex

[dannyboy660]

Exactly my point about OFCOM. Their "revised" regulations amount to nothing but a toothless dog since it only covers autodiallers which give an automated message when the dialled party picks up. So it does absolutely shag all for those of us receiving dozens of silent calls every single day for months and months and months on end because of the use of the same equipment but without the automatic message on connection.

 

Alex

 

Ah yes.....I see what you mean. It's all becoming clearer to me now.

[Paladine]

Ah yes.....I see what you mean. It's all becoming clearer to me now.

 

See the situation which is covered by the proposed revision to the regulations only effects a very small percentage of nuisance calls. In my experience very few companies use the automated message method, whereas a great deal of them use the autodiallers to just hang up if an agent is not available.

 

Alex

[loyalbrummie]

Paladine , dont know if you are aware of this or if its any good but have a read of this and see what ya think .http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/debt-collection-industry/114832-stop-unsolicited-calls-recorded.html

[dannyboy660]

Thinking about what you said earlier has given me the idea for a little business opportunity.

 

How about a device similar to an answering machine which can be programmed to recognise the origin of incoming calls. You can decide if the call gets through to ring your 'phone or not by pre-entering the numbers of family and friends or necessary numbers such as your work, etc. In the case of silent calls they get cut off after a suitable time that has cost them money.

If the machine hears a human voice from a barred company, such as 'Feefin, Bullie & Barsteward Ltd' the machine immediately bursts into a perfect digital rendition of #"Congratulations, you've bought a turkey...."# complete with vocals, to the tune of Sir Cliff's "Congratulations" subject to license, of course, or failing that someone with a suitable song who does approve. The machine will respond with a suitable song/tune depending on who the caller is and your pre-programmed preferred reponse. From that it would get it's name, the "PPP Off" device.

 

Has this already been done?? Could it work??

[Paladine]

Thinking about what you said earlier has given me the idea for a little business opportunity.

 

How about a device similar to an answering machine which can be programmed to recognise the origin of incoming calls. You can decide if the call gets through to ring your 'phone or not by pre-entering the numbers of family and friends or necessary numbers such as your work, etc. In the case of silent calls they get cut off after a suitable time that has cost them money.

If the machine hears a human voice from a barred company, such as 'Feefin, Bullie & Barsteward Ltd' the machine immediately bursts into a perfect digital rendition of #"Congratulations, you've bought a turkey...."# complete with vocals, to the tune of Sir Cliff's "Congratulations" subject to license, of course, or failing that someone with a suitable song who does approve. The machine will respond with a suitable song/tune depending on who the caller is and your pre-programmed preferred reponse. From that it would get it's name, the "PPP Off" device.

 

Has this already been done?? Could it work??

 

Yes it can already be done with Asterisk (the PBX system I have been talking about that I need to configure). Asterisk is also free and industrial grade software (used by a vast number of businesses for managing the VOIP/POTS networks).

 

Alex

[loyalbrummie]

RW has a song for me nowadays

MERCY BY DUFFY .

[willrubins]

Are these common in the industry & to what extent do people feel?

 

Sometimes silent phone calls are just the cause of a mobile phone being accidentally dialed when on the user's pocket, bag, etc.