Which? research reveals how the menace of nuisance calls must be addressed
As Which? hosts an event in the Scottish Parliament to discuss the Government’s Action Plan to tackle nuisance calls with MSPs, new research from the consumer champion reveals how these calls continue to be an issue for Scots.
As many as eight in 10 (81%) received a nuisance call on their landline in the last month, down from nine in 10 (91%) who received such a call in 2015.
With the average number of nuisance calls being reported at 14 per month, it’s not surprising that seven in ten Scots told Which? that receiving cold calls had actually discouraged them from picking up their home phone when it rings. Four in ten (41%) also said that they have felt intimidated by cold calls.
Which? has long campaigned on the need to tackle the nuisance calls problem in Scotland and has worked closely with the Scottish Government and supports the recently announced Nuisance Calls Action Plan that aims to tackle this everyday menace.
The most common calls to landlines reported relate to: silent calls (48%), PPI insurance claims (42%) and accident claims (44%). In 2015, the three most common types of calls were PPI (66%), silent calls (55%) and the Green Deal or energy efficiency measures, including boilers and double glazing (52%).
The consumer champion wants MSPs, Scottish businesses and regulators to now get behind the Scottish Government’s Action Plan and ensure that it tackles the problem of nuisance calls in Scotland. Which? wants Scottish businesses to ensure that they are delivering on their responsibilities when it comes to making marketing calls and texts. It is also pressing the UK Government to swiftly deliver on its commitment to make senior executives more responsible for the actions of their company.
Alex Neill, Which? Managing Director of Home Products and Services, said:
“Nuisance calls continue to be an everyday menace for too many people in Scotland. We’ve been campaigning for more to be done to tackle this issue and welcome the Scottish Government’s action plan.
“We now need to see MSPs, businesses and regulators get behind it, so that people start to see a real difference and are no longer bombarded by these unwelcome calls.”
Notes to Editors:
● 2017 research: Research Now, on behalf of Which?, surveyed 1010 residents of Scotland online between 1st and 8th September 2017. Data was weighted to be representative of age and gender of residents in Scotland.
● 2015 research: Research Now, on behalf of Which?, surveyed 1000 residents of Scotland online between 11th and 19th November 2015. Data was weighted to be representative of age and gender of residents in Scotland.
● Landline results:
○ 81% of those with a landline say that they have received an unsolicited marketing or sales call call in the last month. This compares to 90% who told Which? they had received an unsolicited call to their landline in the past month in 2015.
○ The average amount of cold calls received last month by those with a landline was 14 (18 in 2015), with the most common types being silent calls (48%), accident claims (44%) and PPI insurance (42%)
○ Of the 81% that received an unsolicited marketing or sales call on their landline in the last month, of those, 39% of those were a scam, and 5% were victims of that scam.
● Attitudes towards nuisance calls:
○ 86% people agreed that cold calls are an annoying interruption to their daily life
○ 41% said that they have felt intimidated by cold calls
○ 71% said that receiving cold calls has discouraged them from picking up their landline phone when it rings.
● Which? Stop Nuisance Calls Campaign:
○ Nearly 30,000 people in Scotland have now signed the Which? petition to stop nuisance calls
○ You can find out more about the Which? Stop Nuisance calls campaign here: https://campaigns.which.
Press Release