2 Answers

What are nuisance calls?

Nuisance marketing calls can be live sales calls or calls where a pre-recorded message is played. What these calls have in common is that there is an attempt to promote a product, service, aim or ideal to you.

The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 cover the way organisations make direct marketing telephone calls.

There are two types of marketing calls:

Telesales (live) calls Unwanted sales calls from a real person.Automated calls Pre-recorded marketing messages that are played when you answer the phone.

Telesales (live calls)

Live marketing calls should not be made to anyone who has registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) or the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS), unless they have told the caller that they wish to receive such calls from them. They should also not be made to anyone who has told the caller directly that they do not wish to receive marketing calls.

What can I do to avoid nuisance telesales calls? To help stop nuisance live marketing calls you can:

register with the TPS free of charge;check privacy statements when you provide your phone number; andtell organisations you deal with if you would rather they did not market you by phone.

What can I do if I am receiving nuisance telesales (live) calls? If you receive a live marketing call which you think breaches the Regulations you should write to or email the organisation concerned (remembering to keep a copy of all correspondence). Tell them about the problem and allow them time to put things right.

If you continue to receive live nuisance calls 28 days after registering with the TPS, you can complain to the TPS. Alternatively, you can report your concerns to us.