Unwanted sales calls
September 2006
It's called "cold calling" - those unwanted sales calls at home from companies you've never had any dealings with before, at all hours of the day and night. But now there's a way to stop getting them.
The National Directory Database is a list of all telephone numbers in public phone books or available through directory enquiries.
Tell your phone company
Simply tell your phone company - the people you pay your line rental to in your telephone bill - that you want them to record your preference on the National Directory Database that you don't want to receive cold calls.
Once they record your preference, it can then take up to 28 days for this information to filter through to marketing companies within the Republic of Ireland. If the cold calls keep coming, complain to the Data Protection Commissioner, who has the power to prosecute.
These rules don't apply if you were recently or already are a customer of the company, but a reputable company should respect your wishes not to be called.
If they keep calling you
If they do keep pestering you, say something like:
"Let me stop you there. Have you heard of the preference service in the National Telephone Database? This means that it is illegal for your company to cold-call me, so could you please remove my details from your database? If your company calls again I will have to report you to the Data Protection Commissioner."
Use your imagination
Or use your imagination. For example:
- Simply put the phone down gently and quietly - not on the receiver but next to it. Then pop back every so often and tell them you're "nearly there"
- Throw them off their script by asking them for "the password". Puzzled, they invariably say they don't know the password, so tell them you cannot proceed with the call unless you are given the password
- Or just be totally honest and explain how you're "watching something good on TV" or you've "got friends round"