'˜Nuisance call' petition attracts 20,000 signatures

Three quarters of Scots are discouraged from answering their phone due to nuisance calls.

Many Scots find nuisance calls intimidating. Steven Scott Taylor / J P License

We’ve all been there. Sat at the dinner table, about to tuck into a home cooked meal and then suddenly the phone rings.

‘Nuisance calls’ are not only annoying but also intimidating for four out of ten Scots.

Research from Which?, surveyed one thousand Scots online and found that a staggering nine in 10 Scots have had a nuisance call to their home land line.

Over 60 per cent of nuisance calls are PPI related.

The research from the consumer affairs website found that 85 per cent of Scots want the Scottish Government to crack down on nuisance calls and a similar number want the UK Government to take action.

Data from the report also found that 90 per cent of Scots want to see the director of the companies responsible for nuisance calls be held personally accountable and fined if the firms make calls without the necessary permission.

The research comes as Which? have launched an online petition calling on the Scottish Government to cut off the cold calls.

Over 60 per cent of nuisance calls are PPI related.

With over 20,000 signatures there is mounting pressure to take action against the offending bodies.

The petition calls for cracking down on businesses breaking the rules and also to provide help to those who need assistance in cutting down the amount of nuisance calls they receive.

The online survey found that these are Scotland’s most common nuisance call offenders:

SNP MSP, Graeme Dey responded to the calls for regulation by Which? by holding a cross party event in January to raise awareness of the campaign and to inform fellow MSP’s about the problems of nuisance calls.

Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said:

“With the vast majority of Scots wanting action to tackle nuisance calls, it is clear efforts must be re-doubled to crackdown on this modern menace.”

The energy company SSE are one of the few have already to signed up to the demands, putting a stop to all cold calls in 2013.