..to think registering with Telephone Preference Service makes no difference

[bigbluebus]

We registered with TPS a number of years ago and for a while its seemed to have some effect. However, we recently seem to be being bombarded with unwanted phone calls from India. Posted a couple of weeks ago about the calls (scam) where the Indian chap with the english name trys to help you sort out a virus on your computer - the computer he knows nothing about.

Now I am being hassled by a company who claim to be offering grants for loft and cavity wall insulation. They rang at 7.30pm last night just as we sat down to eat dinner - it was 'Leo'. My husband told him we already had cavity wall insulation and sufficient loft insulation. Then this morning whilst I was out in garden pegging out washing, I had to race inside to answer the phone (DH & DS were out so thought I'd better get it in case it was them ringing) only to find it was now 'Mark' from the same organisation that rang last night asking the same questions. Told him in no uncertain terms that we did not need a grant as we already had sufficient insulation, as we had told his colleague last night & would he please remove our number from their dialling list. He continued to ask me questions about when I got my insulation & why I didn't need any more loft insulation. I just repeated - remove our number from your list - at which point the line went dead - which seems to be standard for these calls - never a polite ending for having interupted your day unecessarily!
Is there no way to stop these calls?

[Andrewofgg]

I keep on saying this: Ask them politely once to go away. If they don't, a referee's whistle at full blast down the mouthpiece is worth a dozen more polite requests.

[chill1243]

Sorry about your probs. But I think Tel Pref made a difference to me. Dont get much nuiscance and am in the book.

Mailing preference? solved my problem in that area.

[BlowHole]

Andrewfogg, you could damage someone's hearing by doing that. No matter how annoying they are, surely you don't want to be responsible for that?

[bigbadbarry]

I agree, it helped for a bit then not so much - I get at least one unwanted call most days. I just hang up now, having tried asking politely to be removed from the list.

[Andrewofgg]

BlowHole - when I use that method which I have done twice - I first say "Ring off or regret it" - and if they don't, then I go for it.

[curlywurlycremeegg]

I have spoken to BT about this and they suggest re registering with them every couple of years.

[BlowHole]

Maybe you should say "Ring off or I'll seriously injure you"
Or maybe you could just put the phone down?
I know how annoying it is, but you really need to think about what you are doing. The person phoning will have a headset on, so won't be able to get the phone away from their ear quickly.

[bigbadbarry]

I just tried to re-register and it just says I am already! Got my hopes up for a minute there.

[AmberLeaf]

I have registered with them but still get calls with a recorded message about PPLs etc etc.

Really bloody annoying but I have caller id and tend to ignore calls from 0845....numbers.

I wish I knew how to stop them.

[wheelshavefallenoffthebus]

YANBU. It's really annoying!

[ratspeaker]

I think a lot of the companies get numbers from when you fill in forms for say delivery and give a phone number
Be very careful to either tick or not tick boxes with " we will share with carefully selected compainies who may interest you " crap

I'm getting lots of texts to claim money for an accident
never had said accident or been injured in the last few years

The TPS can't do anything about calls from outside the UK from what I understand


With the cavity wall lot I'd tell them I was registered with TPS and they must remove me from their database and they are going to be reported
may not work but may put them off

[JambalayaCodfishPie]

This is why our landline no longer has a phone plugged into it.

Registered with the TPS and it made no difference.

We only use mobiles now - just notified the relevant people of the change.

[OryxCrake]

We definitely have fewer cold calls since registering with the TPS but they still happen.

I always tell them we're registered with the TPS and shouldn't be on their database. Sometimes they say sorry and hang up; other times they slam the phone down without a word. Either way, the call ends quickly!

Hope the cavity wall calls stop - what a pain.

[LiegeAndLief]

We registered with the TPS and had nothing for several years, it was great, but unfortunately now keep getting pre-recorded calls from 0845 and 0844 numbers. They always ring when I'm hanging the washing out or changing a particularly hideous nappy, and I always race to the phone thinking it might be dh (when will I learn?! he never rings about anything important anyway) and by the time I get back dd has smeared poo everywhere.

The recorded calls are particularly annoying as I can't shout at anyone.

[Tyrionlovingyourwork]

I work from home and cold calls are very annoying.

I registered with TPS a few years ago and have recently found the number of calls have crept up. I re-registered with TPS and have changed my privacy setting with BT (for free). Cold calls stopped with a week; it may be worth registering again.

Now to stop chuggers knocking on the door.

[simonthedog]

Just say, 'i'm not interested thank you, good bye' in your nicest voice, then put the phone down. You do not have to engage in their conversation

[PigletJohn]

TPS does work, except that companies outside the UK do not feel under any obligation to obey UK regulations. You can't blame TPS for that.

If you have caller display, it will show "number not available" or similar for overseas calls. In this case I usually say "what country are you calling from" repeatedly until they tell me some lie, which I then challenge them on, saying "I can see you're not calling from a UK number, why are you lying to me?"

If a UK company cold-calls you (they shouldn't) you can either say "I am registered with TPS, why are you calling me?" whereupon they usually slam the phone down, OR, if you are feeling vindictive, you can so "Really? That's interesting. I might be interested in that. What's the name of your company?" (if it sounds a bit like a genuine company e..g. Barclays Research, say, "is that part of Barclays Bank?" write it down) "And where did you get my number?" (write it down, they will tell you some lie)

When you get bored with them, say "As I am registered with the TPS I shall be making a complaint to them, you should not be calling me"

Then dial 1471 and note down the exact time they called you, and their phone no (if not withheld)

then log on to the TPS website and make a complaint.
www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/index.html

I only did that once, and was very gratified, months later, to be told that the company had been fined.

[PigletJohn]

LiegeAndLief buy a cordless phone and put it in your pocket or hang it round your neck.

[fatlazymummy]

My son worked [very briefly] on telesales for a double glazing company. They don't use phone directories or lists. What they do is phone [code]000000, then 000001, 000002 and so on, right up to 999999. That way they don't miss any numbers.
I'm not saying all companies do this, but it is possible that this company did.
Personally when I get an unsolicited phone call I just say 'not interested' and put the phone down. If they ask 'are you a homeowner?' just say no. They will usually terminate the call then.

[LiegeAndLief]

PigletJohn, I do have a cordless phone, but I never remember to take it anywhere with me. It doesn't really fit in my pocket. Maybe I could get some string for it and hang it round my neck... unfortunately dd has mad obssesion with phones so I would probably end up strangled.

[Anniegetyourgun]

What they're supposed to do is check the number against the TPS list before calling it. I shouldn't be disturbed by the calls in the first place, not having TPS registration as a handy excuse to terminate the call (what excuse do I need? I never asked the buggers to disturb me!).

Annoying increase in the sort that pretend they are calling on behalf of some Government agency. I have to ask several questions and do some frantic Googling to make sure they're not really doing something official. Then there's the ones who think it's all right to call because they're not selling anything, they're just letting me know as a matter of "courtesy" that their agents are providing quotes in my area...

The most annoying thing, though, is how they've left me suspecting every unsolicited call. I was once quite short with someone who really was from my credit card company

[KenDoddsDadsDog]

There are loads of ways around TPS. it does help for some things.

[Kewcumber]

Exactly what pigletjohn said (I used to work for a direct marketing company and we alwayed checked list against TPS) if you have given your phone number to someone it does override any TPS instructions but if they've bought your number from someone else tey can;t use it.

Overseas companies never comply IME.

"and their phone no (if not withheld)" - if they are using automated diallers they cannot with-hold their number. The law cahnged a few years ago so if you get a silent hangup (because they don't have an operator availale when teh dialer gets through to your number) you can dial 1471 to find out who it was. NO number ususally means overseas company.

[TheBolter]

I agree with op - we're registered with TPS yet seem to be a magnet for nuisance callers. Everytime I ask them, "is this a sales call" which they always deny saying that they're doing market research or whatever. I always tell them that they have no right to intrude on my time or space and to GO AWAY.

Usually they hang up on me. I try to get the no. usually but it's nearly always unregistered, often I think because it's international.

[Kewcumber]

The only legal way around TPS is if you have given your phone number to them voluntarily (you might not have realised if their tick boxes are cleverly phrased) or if you have in some way given them consent to call you (ie requested information)