Home phone News

Offenders face £2million fines for silent calls

Wednesday 27 January, 2010

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

Businesses which distress and annoy homeowners with silent calls should be fined up to £2million, the Communications Consumer Panel has suggested.

An influential group has recommended raising the penalty that companies face for persistently making “silent calls”.

Silent calls happen when a companies’ call centre is using an automated calling system (ACS) which dials more numbers than there are staff available to handle the outgoing calls.

The Communications Consumer Panel, an independent group that advises UK telecoms regulator Ofcom, says the penalty for making “silent calls” should be raised to £2million.

Regulator Ofcom found in 2009 that over 75% of UK homeowners had been victims of silent calls - when a consumer picks up the phone but no-one is there. Ofcom found that of these victims, 60% were distressed or worried by the calls.

Anne Bradley, chair of the Communications Consumer Panel, said: “We need action against companies that break the rules to show that silent calls will not be tolerated.”

The Panel believes the fine should be increased as it believes consumers will only be protected from the harm caused by silent calls once companies no longer have a financial incentive to make them.

Bradley added: “Public awareness of the cause of silent calls may be able to explain most calls away, but there is still the potential that a silent call could be malicious or from a family member in peril.”

Simon Piper, business development manager at Homephonechoices.co.uk recommends that customers who are worried about silent calls should register with the Telephone Preference System (TPS). He said: “TPS is a free service that you can sign up to so you don’t receive unsolicited marketing phone calls. Register with TPS on 0845 070 0707.”