Help with Nuisance Phone Calls

It's a bit long, but just wnated to show you this notification I just received from the crime prevention people. . See what you think.




New Ofcom rules to better protect consumers come into force on 1 October



Consumers will be better protected against nuisance calls, and vulnerable customers treated more fairly, when new strengthened rules are introduced on Monday 1 October 2018.



Last year, Ofcom completed a comprehensive review of the General Conditions – the regulatory rules that all communications providers must follow to operate in the UK. The aim of the review was to update their rules to ensure that consumers have the protection they need against sharp practices, and to support Ofcom’s enforcement work. The resulting changes place tougher requirements on all UK communications providers, in a range of areas including nuisance calls, complaints handling and the protection of vulnerable customers.



In summary, the new rules will:



Help to better protect people against nuisance calls
•Phone companies will be banned from charging customers for caller display, a service which helps people to screen unwanted calls;
•Telephone numbers displayed to people receiving calls must be valid and allow a person to call the number back;
•Phone companies must take steps to identify and block calls which carry invalid numbers – a feature of many nuisance calls – so they don’t get through to consumers in the first place; and
•Ofcom will be able to take back blocks of numbers from communications providers if they are found to have been systematically used to cause harm or anxiety to people, such as to make nuisance calls or perpetrate scams or fraud.



Require telecoms companies to treat vulnerable customers fairly
•Communications providers must introduce policies for identifying vulnerable customers – such as people with learning or communication difficulties or those suffering physical or mental illness or bereavement – to ensure they are treated fairly.



Help ensure that complaints and customer requests are handled appropriately
•All communications providers must ensure that customer concerns are dealt with promptly and effectively;
•Customers must be kept informed about the progress of their complaint and be allowed faster access to dispute resolution services in cases where the matter cannot be resolved by their provider; and
•Ofcom is issuing new guidance to providers on handling customers’ requests to cancel their contract. This should include allowing customers to cancel by phone, email or webchat, and ensuring incentive schemes for customer service agents do not encourage poor behaviour.

Re: Help with Nuisance Phone Calls

so no caller display cost so line rental goes up by £3 a month, they intend to get your cash one way or another.

Re: Help with Nuisance Phone Calls

Agree realspeed. I'm with BT with TV, Phone, Mobiles (2) and Internet. What is annoying is that any perks trihat one signed up with, which saved us money, is whipped away once the contract period is up, their excuse being that it was only for that fixed period, yet, they haven't hesitated to put their prices up twice during that same fixed period, which means they are having their cake and eating it
.
I think it is wrong that they are allowed to increase prices during a contract period that was agreed with both parties.

Re: Help with Nuisance Phone Calls

I don't seem to get any nuisance calls anymore. Then, I only plug in my landline if I'm going to use it.

Calls on my mobile I can block.

Re: Help with Nuisance Phone Calls

Must admit Ffosse, they have all but ceased on my phone too.

Re: Help with Nuisance Phone Calls

my house phone has a blocking system in it so if the caller display is an unknown number we block it.. It is one of those with a couple of cordless extns by panasonic.

Re: Help with Nuisance Phone Calls

Totally agree, Shroppy.

Re: Help with Nuisance Phone Calls

l also get less nuisance calls than l did. That’s probably because l use BT’s free, call blocker.

Re: Help with Nuisance Phone Calls

I now adopt a number of roles for nuisance callers, the latest being my accounts department personae..on receiving a call from an obvious nuisance caller I respond in my most cheerful and helpful voice..’ good morning/ afternoon, accounts department, can I have your policy number please? ..
It leads to lots of confused to ing and fro ing.
My other role is to answer in French, all the callers are Indian and called Simon so that throws them too...hey! I am retired I have lots of spare time in my hands

Re: Help with Nuisance Phone Calls

As soon as they price increase whilst you are under contract, you have 30 days in which you can cancel the service with them without penalty

I did earlier on this year, went to Plusnet ( owned by BT ) and have the same service for less then half the cost