Consumer sport

[simpo two]

From R4...

A woman was sick of getting unsolicited calls despite being registered with the TPS. The calls were coming from Florida so they were exempt from that system. TPS sent her to the Info Commissioner, who sent her to OFCOM, who sent her to the TPS... you get he picture.

Anyway, the calls were telling her she'd won a prize and that she should call a 0800 number to claim it. So, it didn't cost her anything to dial up - in fact it cost the company...

After a suitable amount of red wine, she dialled them up and had a chat, at their expense. She did it a few times, getting different promo companies each time. Then she e-mailed the 0800 number to 150 friends. She rang the company and told them what she'd done; the guy on the end sounded a bit nervous and called his manager over. 'You can't do that' they said. 'Well I have', she replied. 'OK', said the manager, we'll stop calling you if stop doing this'. 'No deal, I want you to stop calling the whole UK', she said, 'and if you don't, I'll e-mail your 0800 number to 1,000 people...'

Nice one!

[Hardcore2000]

why would the company use an 0800 number? the idea is people ring a premium rate number and they make money?

[simpo two]

Hardcore2000 said:

why would the company use an 0800 number? the idea is people ring a premium rate number and they make money?

I guess increasing numbers of people are wise to that. 0800s will get more response and they hope the salesmen will do the rest.

[john75]

so what is the number of the said company ?

[shadowninja]

It's pissy, but the only real way of dealing with companies who bypass the TPS. The behaviour of the Florida-based company gives respectable marketers a bad name.