Cold calls - National Research Centre

[haplesshacker]

Is anyone else getting constant calls from these people.

Always phone from 'out of area', always an Indian person, and always very rude, because I ask who they are, what the purpose of their call is. Apparently I am 'required' (their words) to do a survey. When I ask "who says so", they hang up or argue with me and then hang up.

I want to go and bug the CEO with spam calls etc.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Not had the pleasure of these yet but getting plenty of calls about DIY, conservatories etc. I just tell them the house is about to be repossesed and they hang up

 

[clubchamp07]

We've had a few of those calls, as soon as I hear the voice I hang up. It's not as if their going to give me money or a villa in Spain.

 

[drawboy]

oooooh spam calls make my blood boil, I usually tell the caller I will go get the home owner and leave the phone on the window cill, they soon hang up.

 

[Golfmmad]

Any cold calling like that is a real nuisance.

We had friends round for dinner recently, he is an ex Police Officer in fraud investigation. He now runs his own private fraud investigation business and was talking about this type of call. His advice was, never give details about yourself, however little it may seem as they can gradually build a profile about you without you even realising it's happening.
Always ask who you're talking to, how did they get your number, what company they are representing, etc etc, they don't like it when YOU keep asking questions.

My mate has a good strategy though, the first thing he says to them is, "Can I have your phone number"? And they say, "Why do you want my number?" He just says, "So I can phone you at 9pm in the evening and pester you". It usually does the trick!

Golfmmad.

 

[Basher]

I just speak with a foreign accent in the style of Borat, and constantly ask them to "please to repeat what saying as I am not being understoods what them saying."

They soon get bored and hang up. Especially when I tell them "how I very enjoying livings in your country."

 

[chrisd]

Register with the Telephone Preference Service online. It doesn't stop every single call but I probably only get one per month on average and rarely any sales calls from this country. I have even registered with the business version at work.

Chris

 

[Imurg]

If you get one of these automated calls then just hit the #button on your phone repeatedly for 10 seconds. Apparently this fries the machine at the other end and deletes your number from their list.

And every time you get a bunch of junk mail don't bin it. Save up all the pre-paid envelopes you get from credit card companies etc , fill the envelopes with your junk mail and send it to them instead!

 

[RGDave]

Register with the Telephone Preference Service online. It doesn't stop every single call but I probably only get one per month on average and rarely any sales calls from this country. I have even registered with the business version at work.

Chris

I've been registered for years. If I get one, I ask for company information and remind them (as politely as I'm in the mood!) they shouldn't be 'phoning.
t.b.h. They are few and far between.
I registered British Gas as a nuisance as well. That went down well. In fairness, I owed them some money, but endless "ghost" calls to my home and mobile is unacceptable.

 

[haplesshacker]

We are registered with the TPS!

 

[viscount17]

I registered with TPS some time ago, still get some calls though. It doesn't seem to matter to a lot of companies - their number is withheld, they won't give you a name, and will say that you have to contact them to have your name taken off their list! I suspect that any penalties they may get are too few and too far between.

Didn't some of the worst polluting businesses manage to get a cap put on the fines they could get, something like 25K on a 10M business.

 

[birdieman]

My method is don't answer the phone, if it's important they can leave a message and I will deal with it in my own time.

This however doesn't go down well with HID and drives my mother mental. They seem to think that if your phone goes you MUST answer it....why? I say it's my choice.

This is as a result of too many times being disturbed by cold callers after a day on the phone at work or at weekends, having to stop what I'm doing in my leisure time, walk to the phone then get some annoying foreigner on there who introduces themselves by saying "Can I speak with the owner of the household...." No you cannot, goodbye!!!

I know they're only doing their job so I'm never insulting but I am to the point and put the phone down instantly.....before I stopped answering it!

 

[DCB]

Standard response to any calls between 6-7pm is " If you're selling windows, doors, kitchens or conservatories I'd advise you to hang up now"

It's amazing how many times the line goes dead

 

[Robobum]

I no longer have a home phone, the connection is there to pipe in the internet, skype etc but I don't have a phone connected to my home number. We just use our mobiles for everything.

 

[Region3]

I'd heard of this before and reading this thread made me think about it again so I decided to go to the site and register.

I probably get about 4 or 5 a week while I'm in, and the missus reckons she gets just as many in the day.

Finally, I thought, we can be rid of these annoying wastes of time.
I went to the site and put my number in and it tells me we are already registered!! FFS

I hate to think how many we'd get if we hadn't registered.

What should I be saying to them now I know they shouldn't be ringing, and what do I need to know so I can complain about them?

 

[viscount17]

What should I be saying to them now I know they shouldn't be ringing,

bog off? anything else they're impervious to. try telling them that you are on TPS and either they tell you that you have to contact them (see below) to get your name taken off their list (won't happen) or they won't know what you're talking about.
everybody is in on it, and making money from it, except us! starting with the b's that sell the electoral register rolls - that for one should be illegal.

and what do I need to know so I can complain about them?

who, when and probably their phone number - which you are unlikely to get

 

[Farneyman]

You should re register every year or so as "new" calling lists are created all the time. You may have filled out ur number on a credit card application/ some credit aggreement/ survey etc

I worked as a trainer in a call centre and the agent must finish the call as soon as possible once you mention your on the TPS.

As RGDave says get the info from them first so that if they call back again you can keep a record of the calls then contact the company direct if they keep calling.

Call centre workers are all on targets for contacts if they get someone on the tps they should put it down as "dont call again" some dont do this to keep there figure artificially high.

You could always try to chat them up and see how long they stay on the line and tell them your recording the call for your "training purposes". That scares the shite right out of them.