Silent Calls.

[Fastd]

The silent calls are caused by you being phoned by a call centre auto dialler. These are smart diallers which dial several numbers at once and then immediately connect the first one to answer to an operator. The other dialled calls are disconnected and put back into the database to be phoned another day.

 

This means that every operator is fully utilised as they never have to wait while the phone rings. When a number is not answered the time of day is noted and they try at a different time the following day.

 

One answer is to always leave your phone to ring to the point where call minder almost kicks in, that way you are pretty sure to be one of the last to answer. The downside to this is you will just go back into the list and get another call. The best answer is to us an answerphone to screen calls, that way they stop ringing you when a call is answered.

 

These people rate somewhere as low traffic wardens and child molesters in my opinion.

 

If you really want to be pestered by callers try advertising your business in yellow pages as its a sure fire way to get cold callers.

 

Dave

[Westie]

I can vouch that Westie's wife is pretty scary.

 

Elton - you just got to learn to appreciate that your timing is all wrong - asking me to go to the pub/go fishing usually coincides with me just minutes before having been given a b*ll*cking about not doing enough around the house...

[geffaz]

lol second that!

[seph]

I have just two words for them, you guessed it, both words contain F.

Not that it does me any good as they still call but it makes me feel better.

[Alan Stubbs]

Some of the new generation automatic diallers generate 'phantom' numbers to get around the Anonymous Caller Reject facilty.

 

However, the issue regarding Telephone Preference Service is a little cloudy.... If you are an existing customer, you have to ask the company to remove you from their telemarketing database, it's best don in writing. The TPS register applies only to prospective accounts. If you have ever asked for a quote from a company, they can regard you as an active prospect - and therefore fair game for their telemarketers.

 

If the call is from a UK company, they have to abide by UK law irrespective of where their telemarketing is carried out. Legally it still emanates from the UK. Any deviance from this is indolence on the part of the call centre. Still, 'if you pay peanuts you getmonkeys'.

 

If you are able to actually speak to someone, tell them that you want your details removed from their telemarketing database and under the Data Protection Act, they have to remove your details from their records within 28 days. Follow this up in writing to the marketing director of the company concerned.

 

Without a contact name or number to work from, the TPS cannot act in respect of these calls if it is a genuine 'cold call' under the terms of engagement.

 

I was the QC manager of a call centre for 18 months, and was forever dealing with escalated calls from irritated customers. Sadly we were acting on behalf of a third party who were less than diligent in DPA compliance- and these were calls to existing customers! The rules were that no account would be telemarketed more than once every 3 months, but then you get the call centre operative who thinks it's funny to set a call back for 15 minutes later, etc, etc.

 

Thank God I'm no longer involved in that particular industry.

[Steve Coppolo]

I caught one of them today

 

It was MBNA. I stayed polite up to the point where theyt told me who they were, then let them have it. They assured me that my number would be taken off of their list. That's one down

[Sharkbyte]

I had a big problem with these calls when I moved to my new house. It appeared the berk who lived here before did not know how to tick the box for no further sales communications with seemingly every company they ever dealt with.

 

I had upto a dozen calls a day sometimes, most from the Listening Company who canvas on behalf of their many clients.

 

After trying the tps without success I started politely telling / bulls*****g every caller that I lived in a council house, was unemployed and a tenant. This did the trick as now I receive negligable calls.

 

Having worked in a canvassing office when I was a student I remembered that rightly or wrongly unemployed / tenants and council houses were marked up and removed from the marketing lists with each new publication.

 

PS you would not believe how successful tele canvassing can be, I was permanently pi55ed for 3 years courtesy of a well known home improvements company.

[melpen]

When you get a silent caller the time is logged as most probable time to get an answer from a customer & not an answer phone. A profile is being made.

 

When you get a silent caller, be quick and hit the #key 7 times before they hang up, this will kick your number out of the autodialer computer.

 

this used to work, it may still be active.

[n4lly]

"When you get a silent caller the time is logged as most probable time to get an answer from a customer & not an answer phone. A profile is being made."

 

 

That makes sense, as most of the crap calls i receive are 3pm ish on Fridays.

I had always thought it was a Bombay thing