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Complaints rise about silent calls
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Complaints soar about silent calls
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Seamour Rathore Seamour.Rathore@consumerchoices.co.uk
Silent calls and the mis-selling of land lines are the biggest source of complaints to communications regulator Ofcom.
The British public is fighting back when it comes to the scourge of silent calls. Complaints in the year September 2007-September 2008 tripled to around 1,050 per month. Ofcom (www.ofcom.org.uk) previously received about 300 a month. Silent calls generally come from call centres’ automated systems.
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"We continue to work closely with the industry to reduce consumer harm from mis-selling"
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The findings were published in Ofcom’s The Consumer Experience 2008 survey (www.ofcom.org.uk/research) published yesterday.
Ofcom has recently taken enforcement action against Abbey National, Barclaycard and several other companies to combat the harm which can be caused by silent calls.
The other main reason for complaints to Ofcom is the mis-selling of fixed-line services. The worst perpetrators pass themselves off as other companies and some even switch customers without their knowledge – a practice dubbed “slamming”. Complaints are hitting 1,050 a month in the last year, up from 800 a month previously.
Ofcom, which plans to tighten existing sales and marketing rules in early 2009, said in its report: “Tackling mis-selling remains a high priority…we continue to work closely with the industry to reduce consumer harm from mis-selling.”
Silent calls and mis-selling have in the past year taken over from complaints about difficulties obtaining a MAC code – needed to switch internet service supplier, or those about mobile phone cashback deals.
Consumers are increasingly exploiting opportunities to get the best deals on internet services, the report also found:
- The take-up of bundles is up from 18-32% over the last year. A bundle is a package deal from the same supplier on services such as broadband, TV and phone/mobile which can bring the overall cost down.
- Consumer awareness of three or more fixed line suppliers is up to 62% (55% in 2007)
- Consumer awareness of three or more mobile providers is up to 89% (85% in 2007)
- To make switching easier for customers Ofcom has awarded two services, including Broadbandchoices.co.uk with a price accreditation logo. The logo indicates that on these sites consumers can be sure that price comparison calculators are accurate, transparent and up-to-date
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Ofcom has published a number of new consumer guides (www.ofcom.org.uk/advice) on silent calls and mis-selling.
Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: “The fact that people are becoming more aware of different providers and of the benefits of bundling is great news, as these people are more likely to be saving money on their phone, broadband and digital TV bills.
“To make sure your bills are the lowest they could be, it’s wise to compare deals using an accurate price comparison calculator like ours, which takes all costs into account.”
Find the Cheapest broadband at BroadbandChoices.co.uk
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