Ant Marketing - Opinions

[bensonhedges]

Ant Marketing is mostly "business to business", or was when I worked there a few years ago. If you don't want to be sold to on the phone, it's simple - just hang up on them.

[Berberis]

Originally posted by bensonhedges

Ant Marketing is mostly "business to business", or was when I worked there a few years ago. If you don't want to be sold to on the phone, it's simple - just hang up on them.

 

No, I dont want to be sold to by them at 6:30pm (Dinner Time) when I have already told them (last week) I was not intereted.

[md25]

Go to tpsonline.org.uk/tps and get on the national Do Not Call register.

[MuteWitness]

ant is more like one tel and homecall not double glazing

[Cols]

I'm with TPS and ex-directory so don't get hassled. ANT are in trouble with Ofcom though for generating silent calls etc

Or as Ofcom put it ......

 

"Persistent misuse of electronic communications network(s) or service(s) "

 

 

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/bulletins/comp_bull_index/comp_bull_ocases/open_all/cw_835/#content

[SCVictim]

Hi

 

I am one of the victims of Silent Calls who complained to Ofcom about ANT, as well as others.

 

As part of the way in which it conducts its outbound operations to give work to you good people ANT causes annoyance, inconvenience and anxiety to people by making Silent Calls.

 

Despite what you may be told, Silent Calls are not a necessary consequence of using the predictive diallers that keep agents speaking with people most of the time. There is no technical nor legal reason why a brief Informative Message, giving the name of the caller and the general reason for the call, could not be transmitted when someone answers a call and all the agents are busy.

 

The compliant UK telemarketing industry (and all the jobs that it provides) are under threat in two ways. Firstly, if Ofcom acts properly in the interests of citizens then ANT (and others) will be forced to cease the present method of operation. Secondly, if the industry does not show that it is prepared to treat those who it calls with respect, then registrations with the Telephone Preference Service will continue to grow. Once these have reached a certain level, which is not far off, then there will not be enough people for legal operations to call, and all the work will go overseas where the regulations and the TPS do not apply.

 

If you work for ANT or care about the jobs that are at risk, please get those driving the fleet of cars with the personalised numberplates to start thinking seriously about using the Informative Message.

 

For lots on the campain against Silent Calls and other related nuisance please visit www . users . waitrose . com /~SilentCalls/

 

David

[SCVictim]

Originally posted by Cols

ANT are in trouble with Ofcom though for generating silent calls etc

Or as Ofcom put it ......

 

"Persistent misuse of electronic communications network(s) or service(s) "

 

 

...ofcom.org.uk/bulletins/comp_bull_index/comp_bull_ocases/open_all/cw_835/#content

 

Please see my posting at: .....sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?postid=523155#post523155

[Sheffielder]

Quite an aggressive post and quite off topic as far as I am concerned

[*Twinkle*]

In no way am I defending ANT, or attempting to protect them in any way, but from my experience, the diallers in question were not actually being used, to my knowledge.

 

I worked in the "smile" department at Broomhill, doing a range of outbound campaigns. The number appeared on the screen and the caller had to physically press the number into the phone to call.

I understand from working with staff from Sheaf Quay that they had diallers, as they moaned that at Broomhill, you wasted a lot of time actually dialling the number in the first place.

 

I don't know how true it is, but when on a Market Research campaign, I was instructed that if anyone I called, claimed they'd sue the company for calling as they are on TPS, they can't, as Market research calls are supposed to be okay.

 

No offence SCVictim, but is this affecting your life so much that you have said username, as well as promote a website thats dedicated to other silent call victims? Yes, it is an annoyance... But all you have to say is "I'm not interested, DO NOT call again"...

[SCVictim]

Originally posted by caprice

Yes, it is an annoyance... But all you have to say is "I'm not interested, DO NOT call again"...

 

The problem with a Silent Call is that one cannot say "Do not call again" because there is noone to speak to. One can only register with the Telephone Preference Service to prevent receiving any unsolicited marketing calls from any compliant organisation.

 

ANT was selected for inclusion in the current Ofcom investigation as a result of the number of Silent Calls traced. When the investigation is completed Ofcom may publish the actual numbers.

 

Many in the call centre industry fear that if the number of people registering with the TPS continues to grow at the present rate then a lot of jobs will be lost because outbound calling will not have sufficient legitimate targets.

 

I believe that one way of helping to slow this down is for all call centres to stop making Silent Calls. ANT is in the dock at present and Ofcom could choose to make an example of it. I hope that ANT will take this opportunity to step forward as an example of good practise by adopting the Informative Message where it uses diallers.

 

140,000 people are said to complain to BT about Silent Calls every month, that is why it is spending money on TV advertising to get people to register with the TPS. I am just one of those people. I have some time and energy to try and do something about it. I do not wish to see the compliant UK industry killed off so that all the work goes to rogue operators and overseas companies.

 

If anyone believes that jobs at ANT are not under threat, or has a better suggestion for how to stop the growth of the TPS it would be great to hear it. I hope this is relevant to the topic.

 

David