All my personal telephone numbers have been registered with The Telephone Preference Service for some time, but today I received a recorded advertising message which has just p–ed me off. I’ve reported it to TPS and to ICSTIS (the UK regulator of premium rate numbers) with the following message:
On 15th September 2003 at 19.29BST, I received a recorded (female voice) telephone call to my home residential number (that is listed with the Telephone Preference Service).
The message said I had won a £1000 prize award (well, my telephone number had) and that I had to call 0906 638 9992 at £1.50 per minute (call last 7 minutes) to claim the £1000 award. For terms and conditions, I was to see www.moreflights.net (may be incorrect) or write to PO Box 6017, Basingstoke, RG21 4BZ.
It’s bad enough that I was called whilst my number is listed on the TPS, it’s twice as bad that it was a recorded message that had no human operator at the other end, third that I had just got to sleep after an extremely long and hard shift at work, fourthly that it was advertising a premium rate phone number and fifthly that it’s probably a “rip-off/con”!
I hope this company (which failed to give a name, details of where they had got my number – apart from ‘randomly chosen’ or any other identifying information) gets massively fined and shut down!
473 Comments
I found your site some time ago and listed my home telephone number and my business number (I have a small internet business – sole trader) with the TPS. The amount of calls I get to both numbers has practically ceased. However I still get a few calls, mainly from international numbers (I assume these do not have to abide by the rules of the TPS)
I received a call today on my business number and told the person calling I was listed with TPS. The guy didn’t know what I was on about and showed little interest when I said he should not be calling a number listed. He obviously didn’t know what this list was. Not sure if there’s much I can do, but I took his name and the company name. Wondered if anyone still gets calls (from an actual person) and if so whether it is worth reporting them.
If only there was something we could do about salesmen to the door! They are my current candidate for Room 101!!
I too just ended up here after getting a call from 01273 861 500, answered and they said nothing. Weird.
11:01am on May 2nd (bank holiday monday), luckily, I’d just finished having a much needed lie-in, otherwise I would have been even more angry.
“Margaret” from Holiday Rewards (or rather, a recording of her) phoned to tell me I’d won a Carribean Cruise, a holiday to Florida and a few other things that I didn’t write down.
Apparently I had to press 9 to get more info, but didn’t want to risk getting put through to a premium rate number (or anything) so didn’t. Anyway, having read this site, next time I will be pressing 9 and aiming to get more details such as how they got my number, why they think it’s OK to completely ignore the TPS (which all my numbers have been registered with for 6 months or longer now) and why they keep harassing me.
Incidentally, I’m on NTL, if anyone else is looking to draw comparisons to their own experience of these bastard recorded message callers.
It’s the same people over and over – I normally hang up before they get further than “Hi, this is (someone) from Holiday Rewards” but it really pisses me off how they completely ignore the TPS and think it’s OK to phone me on my personal number on a fricking bank holiday of all days!!
GRRRRRR!!!
Just had this call….. completely grilled the guy about it when I got through to an operator… sounds like he was having a bad day…
I gave the number a ring… yeah I know silly but hey … was bored… and apparently I have won £5k…. and all i had to do was text a mobile to claim my prize which is going to take 45 days to arrive… probably enough time to forget about it… I think my next text will to be bbc’s watchdog…
Looks like this has turned into a dumping ground for this sort of thing, so…
I’ve had 4 or 5 calls from Holiday Rewards, all around 8 or 9pm. They’re recorded messages, which I thought was illegal, and invite me to press a number to get connected. After a while of waiting, it just disconnects. The number is withheld
I registered with the TPS almost immediately after getting my phone connected, so they clearly haven’t checked the list either.
I’ve had the Holiday Rewards ‘Stacy Calling’ call loads of times and finally getting really sick of it I ended up here!!!
After reading some of the comments above I think that something really needs to be done. I have made quite a few complaints to ICSTIS regarding several companies and they have never done anything. In fact it seems to me that they try as hard as possible to fob you off with some sort of excuse. When you look at their website and delve into it a bit it turns out that ICSTIS is governed by none other than the premium rate operators themselves!!!!!
They only ever do something about a problem / scam artist when they really have to.
I am also registered with the TPS and MPS and still get junk mail and also junk phone calls…..the type of companies to make calls / send mail out like those here are the same companies who don’t register with the TPS / MPS so they are not bound by the code of practice and even if they were they can remove themselves because it isn’t a ‘legal’ body only voluntary.
Its about time the government started changing some laws and protected the individual rather than business. I will be complaining to my MP and MEP and I’ll also be looking at the information that Scott gave above regarding breach of law because that is the only way you can get the buggers!
I will also be taking a look at the Federal Trade Commission website because, if as suspected, Holiday Rewards are an american company it may be possible to take action against them in the US through the FTC website.
Incidentally, looking at daves post above it seems a little coincidental to me that most of my junk phone calls started after my wife gave notice to NTL that we were cancelling their telephone service and going elsewhere!!!!
It also seems a little coincidental that when I answer the phone to a salesperson they ask if I’m Mr X, using my wife’s maiden name – the telephone service was in my wife’s name before we got married and it was left that way until we cancelled – but they don’t know that!
Anyway…starting to rant a bit so I’d better go and investigate some of those links
Had a number of calls from 01273 861500, all on my caller display box, all when I was out – no messages left. I’m X-Dir and not too happy about it! Telephone search says number is in Brighton (or thereabouts).
Just rang the number & it has a message saying ‘you were recently called by Domestic & General Services on behalf of Sky offering you…..blah, blah blah!’
Why can’t these people leave a damned message – after ‘Googling’ the number and reading all of the above I was worried I’d been scammed – or would be if I happened to be in to answer it!
Liz
My mum just fell for the same scam. £1000 pounds in cash OR a £5000 prize. 0905 0099012 £10 down the drain.
i have juust had a call from the number 01273 861500 when i answered the phone line just went dead lucky after checking on net and finding this site i won’t be responding to number
I listed my number with TPS online after reading stuff here and having a few problems some time ago. A few weeks ago I posted a message to say that I had received a telephone call from a company who obviously had never heard of TPS when I told them I was listed. I reported them to TPS and was surprised to get a letter from TPS last week to tell me they couldn’t do anything about my complaint as my number wasn’t listed! I immediately went online to add my number again and a message came back saying “this number is already listed”! I phoned TPS and they said I definitely WASN’T listed, so they added my number whilst I was on the telephone. I thought it best to tell you all because if you are continuing to have calls – even though you have lsited your number online – it may actually not have registered! I hope this makes sense! It’s not the easiest thing to explain!!
I do not want to hear from this stranger again. I have an unlisted number and wonder how this has been bypassed
Although I am registered with Telephone Preference Service, I still get silent or advertising phone calls regularly. Phone number is always withheld. Most of them start with “Congratulations! You have won…..” whereupon I immediately hang up.
I have to say, Ive been getting these kinda calls aswell, I used to recieve the competition ones for a while and recently they have started being from SKY, except they are an independant company on behalf of sky offering an extra warranty on my equipment, I told the guy I wasnt interested but he tried to convince me anyway, glad I didnt give him my bank details, I mighta been paying someones £1000 prize!
Dan
Just had the recorded call from Margaret at Holiday Rewards … press 9, etc. Mentionned it to my wife and she’s had lots of them through the past few weeks but just ignored them.
As there seems to be no way of stopping these – they come from outside the UK (hence aren’t blocked by barring “number witheld” calls) – it would be “unfortunate” if after pressing 9 or dialling the 0800 information number if say a personal attack alarm accidently went off near the mouthpeice. *Illegal if deliberate* but if a company can accidentally call a number listed with the TPS when using sophisticated autodialers rather than careless humans, it’s clear that all sorts of accidents can happen. It would make running a call centre very difficult if it happened a lot.
“Hello this is Rosie and you’ve been selected to receive a 2 week holiday aboard the luxury cruise liner Royal Carribean Press 7 NOW to claim your heavily discounted holiday to orlando florida home of disneyland mgm studios REMEMBER this call is FREE press 7 NOW”
American accent
Paraphrasement of a call received recently multiple times, always around 5-6pm. Was especially annoyed because it looped about 10 times on a *21* divert to my mobile – most definitely *not* free to me under that circumstance!!
Number displayed on the mobile was +160455070, the same call when it isn’t diverted doesn’t show a CLI on the BT landline. Calling the above number just results in unavailable tone.
Anybody recognise this one? Would love to ID & report it if possible! landline is TPS registered, don’t know if this is relevant if the call originates outside the UK?
Update on recent post, (‘Rosie’), turned out to be a company called Sunrise Travel at the Silverlake Resort, Orlando, Florida. Chap I spoke to on dialling the 9 vas pleasant & polite & agreed to remove our number from the list, then proceeded to ask for our number. Hell no I thought, so you can confirm it as a ‘live’ one? I just said do us a favour, find it on your system & remove it, cheers, goodbye..
I don’t believe in this day & age he wasn’t staring at a screen pop.. I dunno.
Anyway just thouht I’d post some details in case anyone else comes looking
Can’t beleive these people are still at it… I’ve had two calls I know about, but as my answer machine is permentantly on they haven’t left a message. Now I’ve found this on the web I certainly won’t be answering, even if they do leave a message!
Obviously being ex-directory means nothing to them…
Update on ‘Robot Rosie’ from Sunrise Travel, Florida.
Touch wood, but I was suprised to stop receiving calls from these people, after having dialled the ‘9’ and asked for removal. Nothing for at least a week now, before I asked for removal I was being called religiously once a day, sometimes twice, that I knew of. Maybe I speak too soon, if so I shall post back.
Got a ‘silent call’ from 08668493243 today. When the phone is picked-up the line is silent. Perhaps the caller wanted me to return the call and listen to a pre-recorded message at £X/min. In many instances the number is ‘Not Available’ but this one was available.
Dialed 1471(CLI) got the number and searched Google for that number and found only this blog and no other information.
I’d like the identity (address, telephone number/s)of the body that owns/uses this number; Where should I look? Shouldn’t the Feedom of Information Act deliver this information?
Just want to knock on the door to have a friendly word or two about not disturbing my slumber.
Well, needless to say (after reading all the comments), i got the caribean message as well. However, i got it both on my mobile number and on my personal number. The interesting thing is, i live in holland 🙂 where we have legislation against this type of scamm, so i’ve recorded the messages, and have now informed my phone company to list the number where the call was originated from since i’ve put in a formal complaint. I’m curious to see what happens.
reply to message regarding number :08668493243. i got same call today and had no answer also, i did the same and typed the number on google and only this site came up. i dialed 1471 and i got thae num not recog’.
harold:
guess you are not the only one who looks up the 08668493243 number on the internet after 3 repeated calls during the morning hours.
it’s really stressing that i have to unplug the house fone and only to plug it back when i need to use the house fone.
I have received a few call from this number 01273 861500 but it hasn’t recorded to my answerphone. I can’t add nor offer any new info except that they are still operating regardless of any fines etc.
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