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Telemarketers are not above the law, DMA claims
Marketing News |
09/09/2010
Marketers who use cold calling techniques have a duty to do so responsibly and within the confines of the law, it has been claimed.
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has backed a recent Which? report which raises concerns about the current state of the industry, and also supports Ofcom's plans for tougher penalties for companies acting in breach of silent calls legislation.
In order for consumers to be protected, tougher action must be taken to punish serial offenders, the DMA has claimed.
"As telemarketing is increasingly under scrutiny, there is an even greater need to adhere to best practice as outlined in our DMA code to protect consumers from inappropriate behaviour," a spokesperson commented.
"It is therefore essential that companies in breach of industry regulations are penalised accordingly to enable us to maintain high standards within the telemarketing industry and build consumer confidence."
The DMA is now urging consumers to adopt the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), which is geared at stopping cold calls.
In addition, the organisation has reminded home phone users that companies are legally obliged to adhere to requests for no future telephone contact.
Ofcom has long been campaigning against silent calls, which are often caused by the use of automated dialling technology within telemarketing operations.
Numbers are dialled automatically to save the call agents' time, however if no member of staff is available to handle a call when the recipient picks up the phone, all they can hear is silence.
The communications regulator says this can be annoying and disruptive at best, but potentially unnerving or frightening, especially for the elderly and those who live on their own.
"Ofcom has levied heavy fines on companies that make silent calls in large numbers and we will continue to take strong action where it’s needed," a spokesperson for the watchdog stated.
Posted by Stephen Wilkinson
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