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Newbury Today Forum _ Random Rants _ Cold calling and marketing calls
Posted by: Iommi Sep 17 2009, 07:33 PM
We keep getting calls from 08000445260. They never leave a message and I understand they are a marketing company (Stella, something or other).
Anyone know a good way of stopping this? has anyone used 08445443501?
Posted by: Strafin Sep 17 2009, 07:52 PM
I have done a little bit of googling and I think your calls are coming from a company called Stellar UK. If you type in the telephone number the calls are coming from into a search engine, there are a lot of results linked to this firm. This link gives you some information, and at the bottom contact details. Try ringing him three times a day and see how he like it!
http://www.callcentreclinic.com/directory/outsourcing-18/49.htm
Posted by: lordtup Sep 17 2009, 07:52 PM
A number of years ago I joined the telephone preference scheme , which was very successful in stopping those wretched calls , usually at meal times , that blighted one's evenings .
Recently I have noticed the odd one or two starting to creep back in , so politeness I'm afraid goes out of the window , but that doesn't help with those calls that are computer generated such as the one that you have cited .
Try contacting BT and see what they say , after all they have given your number to the perpetrator
Posted by: theone09 Sep 17 2009, 08:13 PM
A great website to check who's calling is http://www.whocallsme.com
Posted by: Rachel Sep 17 2009, 08:22 PM
Recently I have noticed the odd one or two starting to creep back in , so politeness I'm afraid goes out of the window , but that doesn't help with those calls that are computer generated such as the one that you have cited .
Try contacting BT and see what they say , after all they have given your number to the perpetrator
I also registered with the TPS a few years ago & recently started to receive sales calls again, predominantly from.....wait for it.....BT! I had 3 in 1 week from them, but the 1 that did it for me was when "Danny" didn't bother to establish he who he was speaking to, spent 7 minutes telling me how he could save me money then (when I explained I would never go back to them for calls because of previous monumental mess ups, which he would have seen if he'd looked) was rather stand offish because I hadn't stopped him earlier;he actually accused ME of wasting HIS time!
Anyway, I contacted the TPS again & they updated my registration....so far, so good
Posted by: Newbury Expat Sep 17 2009, 08:32 PM
Anyway, I contacted the TPS again & they updated my registration....so far, so good
Nice one
TPS is (or at least used to be) a great system. If anyone does call you, simply ask them for their name and company, tell them you're on the Do Not Call list and listen to them panic. Not sure what teeth it has but anytime a cold caller was notified by us that we were on the list the tone changes radically so I imagine that there are some fines potentially levied.
Of course this was a little while back - not sure if it's still effective.
Posted by: Iommi Sep 17 2009, 08:47 PM
The nuisance is also that the calls are often silent and go dead. I understand that this is due to the computerised methods they use where they call many at once and wait for the first to pick up.
Posted by: GMR Sep 17 2009, 09:04 PM
Recently I have noticed the odd one or two starting to creep back in , so politeness I'm afraid goes out of the window , but that doesn't help with those calls that are computer generated such as the one that you have cited .
Try contacting BT and see what they say , after all they have given your number to the perpetrator
I also joined that and they are very good. And if the call persists you can make a complaint and they will deal with it.
Posted by: GMR Sep 17 2009, 09:05 PM
That is correct. They call a couple of numbers at once and the first one to answer gets preference and others are left hanging.
Posted by: On the edge Sep 17 2009, 09:19 PM
If you have the time, can be a source of innocent fun. Try and sell something back, sad I know, but can be a laugh!
Posted by: Newbury Exile Sep 18 2009, 04:36 AM
Or steal a routine from Jerry Seinfeld and tell them you're busy, but if they give you their home number, you'll call them back tonight and you can talk about it. Inevitably they either refuse or say they're not allowed to do that, you then deliver the punchline.
"Guess you don't like having your home called by a total stranger, huh?"
Let that one sink in.
"Bye."
Posted by: Andy1 Sep 18 2009, 08:58 AM
Recently I have noticed the odd one or two starting to creep back in , so politeness I'm afraid goes out of the window , but that doesn't help with those calls that are computer generated such as the one that you have cited .
Try contacting BT and see what they say , after all they have given your number to the perpetrator
I don't believe registering with the TPS stops Marketing or Computer calls longterm, so you have to reregister every so often.
Posted by: GMR Sep 18 2009, 09:29 AM
"Guess you don't like having your home called by a total stranger, huh?"
Let that one sink in.
"Bye."
When they phone I tell them that they want my dad. When they ask when will be be back I tell them that he won't be as he is dead. They then take you off the list and don't ring back.
Posted by: Wicca Sep 18 2009, 02:02 PM
My partner's dad did that.
They called asking for a Mr ____, he responded which one as their are 5 of them 
Posted by: On the edge Sep 18 2009, 08:25 PM
"Guess you don't like having your home called by a total stranger, huh?"
Let that one sink in.
"Bye."
Great! Can't wait for the next call; must try this.
Posted by: Strafin Sep 18 2009, 08:41 PM
http://www.basticle.net/misc/cell_phone_echo.mp3
This audio clip is a good one to try as well
Posted by: GMR Sep 18 2009, 09:05 PM
This audio clip is a good one to try as well
Sorry; only a blank page comes up.
Posted by: Strafin Sep 18 2009, 09:11 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6pRRSHVzaE
Sorry about that, try it on youtube
Posted by: GMR Sep 18 2009, 09:25 PM
Sorry about that, try it on youtube
That was brilliant. I might try that myself.... especially the last bit. The trouble is keeping a straight face.
Posted by: regor Sep 19 2009, 08:22 AM
I tend to agree with the caller with enthusiasm, beg for more details of their wonderful product or service and then gradually let slip that the staff here do not allow me to have anything sharp or pointed because of what happened to that nice mister Smith when he visited me on his own.
They tend to loose interest in talking to me. I don't know why.
Posted by: On the edge Sep 19 2009, 05:43 PM
That was a great find Strafin!
Posted by: Strafin Sep 19 2009, 09:51 PM
Someone sent it to me when I was a telemarketer!
Posted by: GMR Sep 19 2009, 09:56 PM
My daughter did that a few years ago and found it repetitive and left.
Posted by: gel Sep 20 2009, 03:20 PM
TPS like it's sister company the DPS (which covers mailings) is a bit toothless; it's funded by the Marketing Industry, and can't cover calls from overseas numbers, even Ireland.
Also some telesales companies say when challenged, or we're not selling, we're carrying out a survey, which gets round the Regs.
My phone has a "Hold" facility so you can talk to someone in the house whilst keeping caller on hold;
this has benefit of playing caller dreadful electronic music; I leave them to it, and hang up a few minutes later! 
Posted by: Sarah Sep 27 2009, 05:10 PM
Had one of these callers 'just doing a survey' today, what part of 'Sorry I haven't got time to answer your questions today' don't they understand. 
Posted by: Berkshirelad Sep 29 2009, 08:06 AM
Not far off, but it doesn't quite work like that.
And the regulator (OFCOM) places an absolute ceiling of 3% in any 24 hour period for 'silent' calls.
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