Rule change cuts number of ‘annoying’ silent calls

THE number of silent or abandoned calls – from companies cold-calling multiple customers at a time – has dropped dramatically over the past year, following the introduction of new rules to outlaw the practice.

According to Ofcom, just under a quarter of consumers experienced an abandoned call – where the caller hangs up after answering – during 2011, down from over a third in 2009.

The number of consumers experiencing silent calls has also fallen from 30 per cent in 2009 to 24 per cent in 2011.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Since September 2010, firms that breach these rules face fines of up to £2 million, and Ofcom is currently taking action against Homeserve, nPower and TalkTalk. These investigations are ongoing and Ofcom expects to issue updates in the new year.

“The research also shows that, although there has been a fall in the number of people receiving silent and abandoned calls, consumer awareness about the problem has actually increased,” said Ofcom.

The report added: “Most abandoned and silent calls are not generated with malicious or mischievous intent, but by technology used by call centres to automate the manual processes associated with physically making a call. But these calls can still cause annoyance and anxiety.”

Under the new rules, abandoned call rates must be no more than 3 per cent of all live calls made in any 24-hour period per campaign and must carry a short recorded information message.

In 2011, Ofcom received 30,000 visits to the consumer advice section on its website about silent and abandoned calls. Increased awareness and improvements to Ofcom’s online complaints process have also resulted in an increase in the number of complaints it has received, the regulator said.

Related topics: