“TPS alone will not stop nuisance calls” – Which? response to Ofcom and ICO’s Telephone Preference Service research
Richard Lloyd Which? executive director and chairman of the new independent nuisance call Task Force said:
“The more people sign up to the Telephone Preference Service the better, but this research confirms that the TPS alone will not stop nuisance calls once and for all.
“Companies need to play by the rules that are there to protect consumers from unwanted calls, and those that don’t must be punished by the regulators. People should also look carefully at what they are agreeing to when they tick a consent box and check how their personal information is being used.”
Notes to Editors
1. Which? launched its Calling Time on Nuisance Calls campaign, after finding eight in 10 people had received a nuisance call on their land line in the previous month. Eight in 10 people found these calls an annoying interruption, while one third felt intimidated by them.
2. Over 112,000 supporters have backed the Which? campaign and you can log your complaint about an unwanted call or text through the Which? Nuisance calls complaint tool
3. There is a new task force, devised as part of the Government’s Action Plan on nuisance calls, which is chaired by our executive director, Richard Lloyd, with membership including The Direct Marketing Association, Call Credit, the Customer Contact Association, the Ministry of Justice, the Communications Consumer Panel, the Information Commissioner’s Office and Ofcom. The new Task Force will look at the following issues and will report back to Government with its findings later this year:
Definition of consent – especially whether people are giving informed consent
Clarity of information provided by marketing companies
Methods of obtaining consent – whether consent is opt-in or opt-out or through pre-ticked boxes
Consistency across Channels – looking at requirements of different channels (email, text, phone)
Time-limits – how long consent should last once it has been given
Usage – how data can be used and shared once consent has been given
Record Keeping – how do firms demonstrate consent has been obtained legally
Responsibility – the relationship between lead generators and companies conducting marketing activities and who is responsible for obtaining consent.
4. We have lots of information for consumers about how to avoid getting nuisance calls and texts on our website:
http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/action/how-to-stop-nuisance-phone-calls-
Statement: Calling Time, CMCs, Consumer, Technology, Which?