FIRMS FACE £50,000 FINES IN CRACKDOWN ON SILENT CALLS

Have you been upset and annoyed having picked up a ringing telephone to be greeted by silence?  Silent calls occur when automated calling systems used by call centres generate more calls than the centre staff can deal with. This results in silence on the line when the call is answered. These abandoned calls cause considerable anxiety and annoyance especially to the elderly, hard of hearing and people living on their own. BT currently handles about 80,000 complaints a month from customers worried that they've received a silent call. It is estimated that we all receive 5.7 silent calls a month but if you are at home all day up to 7.3 silent calls a month will be received.  . 

I have been contacted by several elderly people who have made complaints in the past only to be told that these calls are automated and it’s the luck of the draw, when many numbers are dialled, who picks up the phone first gets a voice or the silence.  New measures designed to deal with these silent calls were agreed by a Standing Committee of which I was a member at the end of March.

Companies generating marketing calls have been issued with new guidelines when using automated diallers to contact members of the public.   OfCom the Communications Regulator has informed marketing companies that the practice of silent calls must be brought immediately to an end and not repeated. Measures include increasing fines increased from 5,000 to £50,000, forcing companies to ensure that no more than 3% of all calls over a 24 hour period fail to be connected to a member of their staff.   This decision follows a request by Ofcom and a DTI consultation, where 63% of adults questioned said they were concerned about silent calls.

Silent calls must now have a voice with a brief recoded message giving the identity of the organisation on whose behalf the call was made and details of a no or basic charge telephone number that can be called to stop future calls from the organisation.  Any number which has received an abandoned call must not be called again for 72 hours except by a live operator.  A return call telephone number must now be generated by each call rather than the usual number withheld message.

If you have been troubled by silent calls or unsolicited sales and marketing telephone calls you may wish to register to the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) by calling 0845 070007007 or you can register on line at: http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/ctps/number_type.html.