Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Abuse from call centre, would you complain?

19 replies

Knitwit101 · 25/01/2019 13:35

We repeatedly get calls from a call centre asking to speak to our 12 yr old about an investment he has with an investment trust. It's A small amount of money invested by his grandparents in his name and managed by us, not him, he's 12. He doesn't even know about it yet, it's to help him buy a car or something when he's older.

So every time someone phones I explain that he is 12 and they can not speak to him but they can speak to me. They then make an excuse and hang up.

Today I answered the phone while cooking lunch and I could hear it was the usual bad line from the call centre, they asked for ds by name. I just hung up. I couldn't face explaining it again for them to not take any notice anyway. Was I rude? Maybe I was.
Anyway, the phone rang again immediately, same guy, said "why did you hang up on me?" I'm still frying eggs, still didn't want to get into a discussion about it, so hung up again. Phone rang again, I picked it up and he said "Bitch. You're a bitch." Then hung up.

So I want to complain. But maybe I was a bitch for hanging up in the first place. I just get so fed up. They never listen and take note that they shouldn't call a 12 yr old. I don't want to have to explain myself over a bad line to someone again and again.

I don't even really know how to complain, there's no obvious contact details on the investment certificate or anything.

I know working in a call centre is a crap job and I'm lucky I don't have that job. Maybe the man was having a truly shit day. Maybe he'll lose his job if I complain and then I really am a bitch.

OP posts:
LuciaJayce · 25/01/2019 13:39

Complain. Irrespective of whether you hung up they had no right to call you a bitch.

JustanotherCHRISTMASuser01 · 25/01/2019 13:53

oh hell no that is not acceptable - complain!
Jesus if I did that when i was in a contact centre id have been sacked on the spot

INoahGuy · 25/01/2019 14:04

I don’t think it’s rude to put the phone down when you don’t want to take a call. Complain. The call agent has no right to ring you back twice then call you a bitch.

SuperMummy1234 · 25/01/2019 14:08

Wow, I’m tempted to think it might be fraudulent. They record their calls don’t they? Defo complain.

Ariela · 25/01/2019 14:38

Register your son's name and the telephone number with TPS too.

kaytee87 · 25/01/2019 14:45

Seems really bizarre that he'd keep trying to call back. Yes, complain.

icannotremember · 25/01/2019 14:46

Oh, I would complain massively. I would include something about my concerns that adults repeatedly attempted to contact a minor child despite having been told by his parents that they could not speak to him.

I know working in a call centre is a crap job and I'm lucky I don't have that job. Maybe the man was having a truly shit day. Maybe he'll lose his job if I complain and then I really am a bitch
I've done a lot of crap jobs and had truly shit days, doesn't mean I got to ring people up from work and call them names.

WineCheeseSleep · 25/01/2019 14:51

Definitely complain, that's completely unacceptable!

Original poster
Knitwit101 · 25/01/2019 16:34

Seems really bizarre that he'd keep trying to call back

It was really bizarre. He called me 3 times. I assumed calls were recorded, I suppose he either didn't care or didn't think I would bother complaining and so his calls wouldn't be listened to.

It never occurred to me they might be fraudulent. They are some kind of smallish investment trust managed by some massive parent company so I'm struggling to find the right place to complain to.

OP posts:
Sausagefingers9 · 25/01/2019 16:36

I’ve worked in a call centre. Yes it’s crap but seriously no need for that.
Definitely complain.

Ucangourownwoo · 25/01/2019 16:38

I think it's worth looking into reporting to the ICO as a 12 yo can't consent to marketing.

PennyMordauntsLadyBrain · 25/01/2019 16:42

Are they ringing from the investment company themselves?

I’d complain, absolutely. Not just because of the unacceptable way the caller behaved, but a complaint might also be a good way to get the repeated calls to stop.

I’ve done outbound calls in a call centre before and it’s a shit job, but if you can’t handle being hung up on it’s probably not the right job for you!

Original poster
Knitwit101 · 25/01/2019 16:45

Are they ringing from the investment company themselves?

I don't know, I suspect it's a marketing company they have employed. It's certainly nothing important because they would have written to us surely.

It's not even worth all that much, it's certainly not worth fending off pointless, and now rude, phone calls every week.

OP posts:
DeathyMcDeathStarFace · 25/01/2019 17:29

It's that kind of thing that would make me move the investment to another company, totally uncalled for. Would the grandparents be happy with moving the money, especially if you told them what happened? Then you can tell the company when you move it exactly why you are doing so.

Have you tried searching for the company online, then you might be able to find a head office to contact? Complain to them, then they might either deal with it themselves, pass it on to the correct people to deal with it or give you the right person to contact. Or they might be able to tell you if they are fraudulent calls.

Definitely complain if you feel able, there might be others more timid/unable to complain and you'd be doing them a favour.

Daisymay2 · 25/01/2019 17:45

I definately suspect a fraud but speak to the parent company. However I am confused how the shares are in your son's name as my understanding is that they can't be in his name as under 18s can't hold investments. ( My DC are adults now so I might be wrong) The grandparents should have purchased in their own name with the child's initals and not in his name- ie Mr and Mrs KnitwitSnr a/c ABK and the investment is transferred when he reaches 18. It is better in their name for tax reasons.
I had a fall out with a guy who rang me about shares I owned and I basically told him that I wasn't prepared to answer his questions. he rang back twice once to say I had ruined his day and the second time he told me that he was removing me from the share register ( as if he could). I rang the Registrars and complained. He was nothing to do with them, they called the Fraud people and asked me to report to the police.

Original poster
Knitwit101 · 25/01/2019 19:18

I am coming to the conclusion that it's definitely not something official. Dh thinks theyre just getting his details from the share register and cold calling. I don't know how they know his name though because the investment is in dh's name with just his initials after it. But they definitely ask for him by name. I've never had any calls about his brothers.

I can't decide if it's just cold calling and I should ignore it or if I should contact the police. I don't have any details to give them though. I don't have a number or name or anything.

OP posts:
Valkarie · 25/01/2019 19:32

Contact the main company first to find out if it is them calling. They will be recording calls. If you are not a named person on the policy they will not be able to speak to you, but you can request a complaint response to the policy holder. If it is not them calling then report to action fraud.

bruffin · 26/01/2019 10:39

Have you googled the phone number

BettysWoo · 26/01/2019 10:53

I'd hang up too, or not answer it in the first place. Better than you being rude.
Sounds like he's had a bad day. Should you complain? How much do you care? If you want to, complain. If you can't be bothered with it all, don't 🤷‍♀️

New posts on this thread. Refresh page