Commenting on Ofcom’s second annual study into the problem of nuisance calls to home landline phones Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, says: “Unwanted calls are a modern day scourge that is clearly showing no sign of abating, as Ofcom’s research reveals.
“At the very least unwanted calls are annoying, and at the most they are distressing for vulnerable people who can’t understand why they are being hounded.
“PPI calls might be tapering off, but the levels of unwanted calls have hardly changed year on year. Live marketing, silent and recorded calls to home landline phones are as prolific as they ever were.
“The findings suggest not enough is being done to protect consumers – and what is being done isn’t working. The fact that only 1% of calls were considered ‘useful’ by those who took part in Ofcom’s study says it all really.
“The problem goes beyond our home landlines of course. Nuisance calls and texts plague our mobiles too. Our research shows that millions of Brits are taking steps to eliminate nuisance calls and texts – 59% always opt out of having their data shared with third parties when filling in forms, 58% never give out their phone number if they can help it, and 51% have subscribed to the Telephone Preference Service.
“We’ve heard of people getting unsolicited texts within just a few days of using a brand new SIM, having not shared their number with anyone. It’s just not acceptable.
“Consumers can keep the pressure on by continuing to lodge complaints, with the TPS for unwanted live telesales calls and silent or abandoned calls with Ofcom.”
Maja Hauke
Phone: 0207 148 4663
Email: maja.hauke@uswitch.com
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