New advice for consumers on preventing nuisance calls
23 May 2014 11:48 AM
- New
video and ‘Easy Read’ consumer guides launched
today
- PPI-related calls down but nuisance calls
persist
Consumers now have easier access to information about
preventing and dealing with nuisance calls and messages, following the launch
of new consumer guides from Ofcom.
The
first guide is a short online educational video that offers tips and advice on
nuisance calls. It is available with subtitles to help people with hearing
impairments.
The
second guide provides advice on preventing nuisance calls in an ‘Easy Read’
format, designed to be easily understood by people with learning
disabilities.
Easy Read presents information clearly and simply, using
pictures to support the meaning of the text. It can also be helpful for those
with a limited knowledge of the English language.
The new guides are part of Ofcom’s work to help ensure
consumer information about nuisance calls and messages is accessible to a wide
audience. Recent Ofcom research revealed that a third (32%) of consumers were
unsure of where to get advice on preventing nuisance calls.
A
number of organisations including Age UK, Citizens Advice, Mencap, StepChange,
Which?, Helplines Partnership and the Communications Consumer Panel are helping
to promote the guides.
Lorainne Bellamy at Mencap, who has a learning
disability, said: “Ofcom’s Easy Read guide on nuisance calls will
be really important for people with a learning
disability.
“Nuisance sales calls are hard to understand and
some of them ask for very personal information, which worries me. I am glad
Ofcom is offering help to people with a learning disability to understand
clearly how to deal with these calls.”
Measuring the problem
The
launch of the guides comes as Ofcom publishes findings from its second
annual study into the problem of nuisance calls.
It
found the proportion of nuisance calls relating to payment protection insurance
(PPI) has reduced significantly over the past year. PPI now accounts for 13% of
all nuisance calls where the product or service could be identified –
down from 22% in 2013 – although it remains the most common type of
unwanted call.
There have, however, been increases in calls about home
or loft insulation (2% to 8%), solar panels (2% to 6%) and other products
related to home improvements (3% to 7%).
The
study also found that the number of research participants experiencing unwanted
calls, and the average number received, remained broadly unchanged year on
year.
Four in five participants (84%) received at least one
unwanted call during the four-week research period, while the average total
number of unwanted calls received was 8.7 per person (or around two per week).
Other key findings included:
- The
most prevalent types of nuisance calls were live marketing calls (38% of all
nuisance calls received), followed by silent calls (37%) and recorded sales
calls (12%).
- There has been a decline in the proportion of recorded
sales calls (14% to 12%) and abandoned calls (4% to 3%) year on year. The
proportion of live marketing calls was consistent with last year, while the
proportion of silent calls increased (34% to 37%).
- Participants were able to identify the name of the
company calling in around one in five nuisance calls (19%) and the telephone
number in 36%.
- The
majority of unwanted calls were considered ‘annoying’ (81%), which
was down on 2013 (86%). There has also been a decline in the proportion of
calls considered ‘distressing’ (9% to 6%), and an increase in those
not seen as a problem (7% to 12%).
Tackling the problem
Tackling nuisance calls and messages is a complex and
challenging issue, requiring a coordinated effort from Government, regulators,
industry and consumer groups.
Ofcom has a joint action plan with the Information
Commissioner’s Office, setting out priority areas of work for both
organisations. As well as improving consumer information, Ofcom is also making
progress in the key areas of enforcement and tracking down companies behind
nuisance calls.
Targeted enforcement
action
Ofcom continues to pursue a number of companies
suspected of making silent and abandoned calls. Most recently, an investigation
was opened into Ageas 50 Limited, trading as RIAS and Castle
Cover.
In
the first quarter of this year, Ofcom has also taken informal action against 20
companies. As a result, complaints about telephone numbers used by nine of
these have stopped, while complaints have fallen significantly for four. Ofcom
continues to gather evidence in seven cases, which may lead to formal
investigations.
Ofcom is also reviewing its silent and abandoned calls
guidelines. The review will explore whether there is scope for strengthening
these and will look at any relevant developments in call centres’
practices and technology.
Tracking down the companies behind nuisance
calls
Tracing companies responsible for nuisance calls can be
challenging, especially when they hide their identity by causing a false phone
number to display – a practice called ‘number
spoofing’.
Ofcom has therefore been working with an industry
standards setting body (NICC) on a new call tracing standard that will make it
easier to track down companies behind nuisance calls. Following successful
testing, the standard will now be put into practice by industry and
Ofcom.
Claudio Pollack, Ofcom’s Consumer Group Director,
said: “Empowering as many consumers as possible with the knowledge to
help protect themselves against nuisance calls and messages is a key priority
for Ofcom.
“Our latest research helps us better understand
the root causes of nuisance calls and tackle the problem more effectively.
While progress is being made, we are under no illusions that there is still
more work to do. Together with Government, other regulators, consumer groups
and charities, we’re exploring all possible ways of better protecting
consumers”.
ENDS
NOTES FOR EDITORS
1. Ofcom is the first UK regulator to publish ‘Easy Read’ consumer
advice. Ofcom has previously published a guide to using a
mobile phone in ‘Easy Read’ format
2.
GfK NOP conducted a study on Ofcom’s behalf among a UK nationally
representative sample of 926 people with home landline phones. Research
participants were asked to keep a diary to record all calls they considered to
be ‘unwanted’ on their home landline phones across a four-week
period (13 January to 9 February 2014). While participants may have classed
certain calls as ‘unwanted’, they may in some cases have given
prior marketing consent for such calls to be made. As such, it does not
necessarily follow that all calls recorded during the research were
illegitimate or in breach of any laws or regulations in this
area.
3.
Top ten categories of products or services most commonly promoted during calls
that research participants described as unwanted (where
identifiable).
Reason for call |
Percentage of identified
calls* |
PPI
claims |
13% |
Insurance |
9% |
Home/loft insulation |
8% |
Market research |
8% |
Home improvements i.e. kitchen/windows |
7% |
Energy |
7% |
Solar panels |
6% |
Phone/broadband |
5% |
Financial services/products |
5% |
Accident claims/compensation |
4% |
*The remaining 28% includes computer maintenance or
support, charities, debt collection or repayment, pension rebate or
refunds.
4.
Participants in the research were asked to state whether each of the nuisance
calls they received was ‘annoying’, ‘distressing’,
‘useful’ or ‘not a problem’.
5.
The Network Interoperability Consultative Committee (NICC) is a technical forum
for the UK communications sector that develops standards for public
communications networks and services.