Telephone Preference Service

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Tizer
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Telephone Preference Service

Post by Tizer »

We've been harassed by a company in the City of London claiming I phoned them earlier this year (untrue) and wanting to make a sales pitch. I reported them to the Telephone Preference Service and received the following reply which I'm posting here for information of OG members. Following it is the text of a TPS fact sheet which accompanied the reply...

Thank you for your recent communication about the unsolicited direct marketing telephone call you received on your Telephone Preference Service registered number. Unsolicited telephone calls are covered by the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 which are enforced by the Information Commissioner's Office. The attached fact sheet briefly explains what the law says.

We will now contact the company that called you to ask them to investigate your complaint. We will also tell them to suppress your number so that they do not call you again. The calls should stop within 28 days. But in the unlikely event that we are unable to resolve your complaint and the organisation does not stop making unsolicited telesales calls to your TPS or CTPS registered number, you should let us know by completing the complaint form online at http://www.tpsonline.org.uk.

We will check your complaint against any response we have received from the organisation that is calling you and consider how best to resolve this matter. This may involve referring your complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (the organisation which enforces the law on unsolicited direct marketing). Please see the attached fact sheet for further information.

Thank you again for bringing this matter to our attention. We work closely with the ICO and the information you have provided will help us and them identify those organisations which are persistently making these types of calls and take action where appropriate.

Yours faithfully,
TPS Complaints Team

Dealing with unwanted telesales calls
This fact sheet explains the law regarding uninvited telesales calls (or ‘unsolicited direct marketing calls’) and describes how we deal with complaints about them.
What does the law say?
The law says that UK organisations should not make unsolicited direct marketing calls to individuals or businesses who have registered their telephone number with the Telephone Preference Service or the Corporate Telephone Preference Service. The law applies only to organisations that are based in the UK. If a UK based organisation uses an overseas calls centre to make unsolicited direct marketing
calls, then the law will apply to them. But if an organisation that is based overseas makes such calls, then the law will not apply.
The role of the Telephone Preference Service Limited
The Telephone Preference Service Limited (TPSL) runs the telephone preference services. We keep lists of the telephone numbers of those people who have told us that they do not want to receive unsolicited direct marketing calls. Companies that make unsolicited direct marketing calls must screen their marketing lists against the lists we hold, so that they do not use numbers that have been
registered on the preference services for 28 days or more.
What happens if I have a complaint about unsolicited direct marketing telephone calls?
If you believe that an organisation has contacted you even though you have been registered with a preference service for more than 28 days, you should complain to us by completing the relevant complaint form. We will check that you have been properly registered with us for the appropriate length of time. If you have, and where we can identify the company responsible for the call, we will write to them about your complaint, ask them to investigate and remind them of the law. We will also ask them to make sure that they do not call you again. In most cases the calls will stop after 28 days or less. If, however, the organisation continues to call you after 28 days have elapsed, then you should write to us again, including details of the additional calls you have received. We will check your complaint against any response we received from the organisation that called you and consider how best to resolve this matter. This may involve a referral to the Information Commissioner’s Office .
The role of the Information Commissioner’s Office
The Information Commissioner’s office (ICO) enforces the law on unsolicited direct marketing.The ICO’s powers are designed to encourage organisations to abide by the law rather than punish them and in most cases, the ICO handles complaints informally and successfully. But in those cases where an organisation persistently ignores the law, the ICO has powers to take more formal action, which could result in a fine by
the courts.
Co-operation between TPSL and the ICO
TPSL and the ICO are completely separate organisations. The ICO does not run TPSL but they do keep in close contact with each other.
Every month TPSL sends the ICO a report giving statistical information about the complaints they have received. The ICO uses this information to help further identify organisations which are persistently breaking the law. Please note that the ICO and TPSL do not have the power to fine companies themselves or to award compensation to people who have made complaints.
Our contact details:
Address DMA House, 70 Margaret Street, London W1W 8SS
Online http://www.tpsonline.org.uk Email/Enquiries tps@dma.org.uk
Telephone 020 7291 3320 Fax 020 7323 4226
Registration line 0845 070 0707
Nullius in verba: On the word of no one (Motto of the Royal Society)
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Stanley
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Re: Telephone Preference Service

Post by Stanley »

I once lived with a woman who let all her friends and family know that she would only answer the phone if it rang three times, went silent and then rang again. That way she knew that if the phone rang more than three times she didn't want the call. It worked.... I think you all know that I don't answer the phone after noon. Any cold calls before that I just hang up.
Stanley Challenger Graham
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scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
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