Why is cold calling not illegal in the UK?

[AtariLegend]

Literally every single day since I moved here recently I've been getting spammed several times a day by either caller unavailable or by some obscure number apparently located in London. It's usually some stereotypical Asian (not to be racist) located in some office asking me if they're speaking to "Mr. <insert my name>". Though not always, I still get plenty of calls from prats in the UK asking if I want to do a survey or tell me about PPI for the 7,578,654 that month.

I have reject caller with withheld number on, but that is to no avail as it apparently doesn't stop "UNAVAILABLE", foreign or god forbid numbers from around England.

I had a relative die last year and had to wait near a phone for a few weeks to keep getting called back to the hospital. It's very unnerving getting spam called here at the minute, it's bringing back bad memories of last year everytime the phone rings.

So in other words, why isn't this completely illegal full stop? There are a few restrictions I believe, but that's pointless. Someone shouldn't be able to look up your number and start ringing your home to sell you stuff regardless. In the case of the UK cold callers, one of them once when I stayed on the line for longer than 5 seconds asked me about home insurance I claimed when I would have been 15 in high school.

Edited September 12, 2014 by AtariLegend

[gunsguy]

I am in Canada and used to get these ALL THE TIME. Cancelled phone service and got Magicjack, though not perfect I dont care its $30 a year and I use cell phone most days anyway even at home.

NO MORE CALLS like this now

Edited September 12, 2014 by gunsguy

[Johnny Drama]

Have fun with them, fuck around with them to piss them off and they'll never call you again.

[Lithium]

About three or four years ago, a friend of mine put me on a few of those "yes, I would like to hear more about ..."-lists as a prank. I still get calls from those companies.

[Johnny Drama]

Or the classic when your friends think it's hilarious to put your name on call lists when they're at a nightclub.

[Snake-Pit]

How to politely tell a telemarketer to fuck off (in the UK) - 'I have T-P-S/Telephone Preference Service'. (Even if you don't just say that you do).

If you really want to make that insult worse, politely but firmly ask them

'How did you get my number?'

'& can I speak to the manager, please?'

They hate that.

They're trained to cut the call after that, all be it apologising or straight up cut.

Managers have more important things to worry about - Sales targets, telesales staff, meetings and families and friends, dealing with your complaint is not on the agenda.

Especially if the call's unsolicited by them in the first place.

Edited September 12, 2014 by Snake-Pit

[AtariLegend]

Doesn't work that way sorry. Not the same person phoning every time. It can be like 20 people from the same office a week spamming with calls.

Getting them to hang up is easy, the reality is the bloodsuckers will still keep your name on whatever list they have and keep calling. You'll never speak to their managers here in the UK, these are not professionally run organisations. They're scam merchants who will just keep calling, they don't care about ethics. Trolling them isn't going to stop them, not answering the phone isn't going to stop them.

I'd like to only ever have to walk over to the house phone when it's something important. TalkTalk/BT ect here should block phone numbers from "unavailable" as well, withheld just doesn't cut it.