New “silent” call rules backed by £2m fine
From today, firms can be fined up to £2 million for breaking new rules aimed at minimising the level of nuisance caused by the “silent” calls sometimes generated by automated dialling systems in call centres.
Ofcom is reminding companies that rely on telephone sales that new regulations have come into force, aimed at preventing consumers being harassed by repeated silent calls.
The watchdog has written to the call centre industry spelling out the changes, which restrict the use of answer machine detection equipment and mean that consumers should no longer receive repeated silent calls from the same company, over the course of a day.
Ofcom received over 9,000 complaints about silent calls last year, with around 70% of complainants saying they received two or more silent calls in a day from the same company, often over a period of days or even weeks.
The watchdog’s chief executive, Ed Richards, says: “Ofcom has given sufficient warnings to companies about silent calls and is ready to take appropriate action against those companies who continue to break the rules.”
Category: Insurance News
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