Milton Keynes – your chance to call time on nuisance calls and texts

Consumers in Milton Keynes are invited to express their frustration with nuisance calls and texts as the Which? Calling Time campaign visits Milton Keynes this week.

A giant six foot, four inch flashing telephone will be in the MK Centre from Monday 3rd June to Wednesday 5th June. People can press a big ‘STOP’ button, which will light up the phone, to air their frustrations about unwanted calls and texts and express their support for the Which? Calling Time campaign.

The Which? Calling Time on Nuisance Calls and Texts campaign is demanding that all the relevant regulators work together to cut off unwanted calls and texts and properly police and punish those responsible. We launched the campaign in March after we found that 70% of consumers had received a nuisance call in the last three months and 40% an unwanted text.

Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd said:

“People are sick and tired of being bombarded with nuisance calls and texts and rightly want to see more action taken to cut them off. We are touring the country to hear directly from anyone affected by this pest and to give them the opportunity to vent their anger. Which? will then forward the public’s message to regulators and the Government.

“All the regulators should do more, together, to properly police and punish the companies responsible with substantial fines and suspension of licences.”

Which? wants all the relevant regulators – the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the Ministry of Justice, Ofcom and the Office of Fair Trading – to set up a joint taskforce.

The joint taskforce should:

  • POLICE – proactively and forensically scrutinise the activities of the Personal Injury and PPI industries, known to generate a large percentage of unwanted calls, to expose the source of the problem.
  • PUNISH – if it finds evidence of rule breaking regulators must take strong enforcement action including substantial fines and suspension of licences.
  • PUBLISH – make public its recommendations for any new powers regulators require to cut off nuisance calls, and to share all appropriate information from its investigations.

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Please contact the Which? press office on 020 7770 7562/7565 if you would like to interview a Which? spokesperson, or if you want to send a photographer/camera to attend the event.

Notes to Editors

  1. The roadshow will also visit Manchester, Cardiff, Glasgow and London throughout June.
  2. We have received 30,000 votes of support for the Which? Calling Time campaign.
  3. We are also lobbying for a Private Member’s Bill – Communications (Reducing Unwanted Telephone Calls and Texts) Bill – to reform the law on how consent for personal data is used, and give regulators more powers to enforce the law.
  4. TNS on behalf of Which? conducted a face to face survey of 1,000 UK adults to ask their experiences of cold calling between 6th and 10th February 2013. Data were weighted to be representative of the UK population.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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