Sky News senior business producer Peter Hoskins
We're all more than familiar with those cold calls or knocks on the door, usually just as you're sitting down to dinner.
If you decide to pick up the phone/open the front door you're usually greeted by some over-exuberant salesperson who tries to get you to change your phone company.
If you're like me you 'politely' say "no thanks" and hang up or close the door.
I find that annoying enough, but just imagine how angry you'd be if you later found that against your wishes your supplier had been switched anyway!
Well, according to the telecoms regulator Ofcom, that's what's still happening to thousands of households a year.
It's known as 'slamming' and, admittedly, can be the result of a genuine mistake but it is often put down to over-zealous salespeople working on commission.
It's estimated that Ofcom gets hundreds of complaints a month, while thousands of angry punters a week are also understood to be going straight to the phone companies with their grievances.
Ofcom says it's engaged in an "ongoing programme of investigation" to stop phone companies signing people up without their knowledge and has the powers to fine firms 10% of their annual revenues.
So why is this still happening to so many of us?
Sir
Insofar as ofcom and the industrial revolution that transpires under its watch, it is not a matter surprising that such acts of supplier change occur as this was and remains a practice utilised by many a call centre.
From experience, the [Dream]of reduced call charges is further exasberated when an outbound connection is made with the target customer, and then lo and behold they somehow agree to the change in the absence of any signed documenation, if they are ever sent in the first instance.
Commission does pay a pivotal role as you rightly state, however, that clever likkle [Mr Telephone Man]outsources its commercial handling facility, and as such evades publicity as well as charges.
What Ofcom needs to do is get a grip, and before any consumer is changed over with or without consent, the customer must input a security code 1 week before the propsoed change. But you see, being Ofcom and the powers it has, this will be too complicated.
So, how about a 50% fine. That will open a few more lines.
Posted by: Khalid 25 Feb 2008 13:03:52