Would you?

[TWR]

Tea time again and the phone goes, no-one there, just about to starting enjoying you tea, & again the phone goes, *** Hell, you pick it up, good evening Sir / Madam "Can We" You put the phone down, we are on the TPS Apart from that, would you go as far as suing them for harassment? I am thinking of doing so, we should not have to put up with these calls.

[marval]

If I get any calls that come up as international or withheld, I don't answer them. If it is someone I know they will start to leave a message, then I can pick up and speak to them.

[Baldric]

People we want to talk to ring our Mobiles, anything else can wait!

[EcclesCake]

Sue an overseas company, at my expense, no chance!

If it is inconvenient I don't answer the phone, using the answer phone to screen calls is a convenient way of bypassing these calls too.

[tamborine]

get an ansafone. I only deal with calls when it suits me.

[Old_Geezer]

You need to put this into the Law forum.

But my thoughts are that the TPS is a voluntary code of practice isn't it ? You can complain, but only a legal eagle could tell you if you have a case for harassment. Surely each of these calls is from a different caller ? Is a single call harassment ?

As for foreign countries, I'd hate to think how far an individual would get. Identifying the caller is difficult enough, but then you have to deal with a foreign legal system.

Do as folk suggest. Don't answer international or withheld number calls. Can one get the phone company to block these automatically ?

As for domestic country callers, get yourself one of those blockers that come with a list of known spam callers, and to which you can add numbers as you receive and identify them, so they can't disturb you from that calling number a second time.

[Old_Geezer]

Or do as I do, look across, if the number is unavailable just take the phone off the hook. A couple of days ago my phone was telling me someone was still connected 40 minutes later. No sound when I checked, so I decided that was a big enough charge for them to cope with.

[TWR]

I appreciate your comments, but these calls never used to happen, it's only within the last 4 > 5 years ago since these calls started, why should we have to purchase Blockers and the likes? we do have a rights regards Privacy & I think these callers are invading our Privacy by unwanted calls, correct me if I'm wrong.

[Mamyalynne]

I couldn't/wouldn't attempt to sue, far too costly a risk to take for me.


I get briefly annoyed then move on.


I agree they are a pest.

[Buenchico]

>>>the TPS is a voluntary code of practice isn't it ?

No it isn't. The Privacy and Electronic (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 place a legal obligation upon businesses to comply with the provisions of the register.

This link is about still receiving unsolicited calls after registering with TPS:
http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/stillgetcalls.html

The complaints procedure is here:
https://complaints.tpsonline.org.uk/consumer

As a criminal offence (as defined by the Protection from Harassment Act 1997) a successful prosecution can only be brought when it can be shown that the actions undertaken by the defendant were both
(a) repeated ; and
(b) targeted against a specific individual.
It's likely that a civil court would use similar guidelines, so the chances of successful civil action against a caller for harassment would appear to be extremely slim.

[Peter Pedant]

I feel sorry for them quite honestly

There you are eating your weeties and curled up in front of a fire watching coro

and there THEY are in front of a monitor getting sworn at...
and being paid peanuts

I know which one I would be

[Old_Geezer]

You have a point, TWR, but life isn't fair. They must get enough success (profit) from folk buying as a result. They might suggest their trade is to sell and it wouldn't be fair to stop it. Sometimes you just have to growl at the world.

[corylus]

Just unplug your phone for a while. Like others here if I don't recognise the number or if it's international or withheld I don't answer.

[TWR]

Corylus, why should you have to do that for a phone you own & a landline you pay for.

[corylus]

I am not OBLIGED to answer any calls if I don't wish to do so.

[joeluke]

Caller display - don't answer withheld/international calls

It's not rocket science

[douglas9401]

I engage 'Simon' (pronounced sighmawn) or whoever in conversation from time to time, answering questions until I get bored then just hang up.
Hopefully they're as annoyed as me then.
I've been known to have a right good swear at them too.

[glenbar]

I find that most of them are recorded automatic calls so I don't even have the pleasure of telling them where to go

[nailit]

I used to ask if they would hang on for a second as I was just answering a knock at my door. I would then just leave the phone off the hook and carry on watching tv. My kids used to take a guess as to how long they would hang on before holding up.
Other times when they asked "good evening sir, how are you today?" I would go into a long discussion about my health problems and see how long I could keep THEM on the phone for.
Don't have a land line now.

[Old_Geezer]

Not voluntary eh ? Well one learns something new every day. I just wish my mind didn't need telling a number of times before it accepts the correction, I wonder if I'll still be thinking it is next time I'm asked :-(