Telephone Preference Service
What's the point of that then?

I used to be plagued by cold callers at my last address, think somehow I'd managed to get myself on the list of biggest mugs or somesuch. I signed up to the TPS and it made absolutely fuck all difference. Turns out there are about 20 companies who agree not to call people on the TPS list and about 20 million who couldn't give a fuck if you're on the list or not.

I don't get any cold callers at my present address, lived here three years now, well, apart from BT, Sky and Barclays Bank but then I am a customer. My advice is never to give out your details by sending off for any free offers/competitions in magazines, packaging or on the net, you'll end up on the biggest mugs list if you do.
( stopmeandslapme Cometh the hour, cometh your mum, Thu 3 Sep 2009, 18:56, 9 replies)

Really?
We did TPS and they all stopped. If they carry on they're breaking the law.
( Peej, Thu 3 Sep 2009, 19:05, closed)

Really
Didn't notice any significant reduction.
( stopmeandslapme Cometh the hour, cometh your mum, Thu 3 Sep 2009, 19:23, closed)

It worked for me
BT gets a bad press and often rightly so, but the TPS is one of the best things about them in my experience. Until a few years ago I'd come back from a weekend away to find my answerphone full of silent messages, and when I was home I'd get at least three calls a day from Bangalore or wherever. It reached breaking point at the start of 2005 when a company called Direct Kitchens started calling every hour, from their call centre somewhere in the subcontinent. I was going through a very bad patch at the time and finally I snapped, yelling

FUCK OFF! FUCK OFF AND DIE!

before slamming the phone down. I got on to BT, who told me about their Preference Service, and within a month 99% of unwanted calls stopped. With the remaining 1% all I have to do is mention TPS and I never hear from them again.

Yes, I know people who work in sales call centres are human too, but if your job involves intruding into people's privacy, in a way that often almost amounts to harassment, you can't expect to receive a very enthusiastic welcome. Nobody is forced to do it.
(eesnahk, Thu 3 Sep 2009, 21:58, closed)

TPS
TPS worked for me too. Before that I'd answer all 'house improvement' calls with 'this is a rental' and they'd just click off - works with doorstep callers too.
(enile, Wed 9 Sep 2009, 12:10, closed)

I think it's fine in theory
But most of the cold calls get show up as an "International" number so I don't think it extends outside the UK.
( thistle, Thu 3 Sep 2009, 22:24, closed)

From what I know...
...this is roughly how it works.

To begin with, there are only a handful of companies that actually collate people's information, most call centres purchase their databases from one or other of these companies.

When you sign up to the TPS, they contact these collation companies who remove your details from their database.
This then filters down to the companies that purchase information from them next time they update/renew their databases, this process alone can take up to about 28 days.

Once that's done, you should be off the majority of cold calling lists (though some companies produce their own, which is a different matter).

However, once this is done, because the collation companies are legally required to completely remove your details from their system, if you then do something that causes them to acquire your details again (ie sign up to some sort of online competition), you will be re-added to the database as they have no list of previously-removed details to compare you to (the Data Protection Act or some such thing prevents it).
Obviously, from there, your details can then filter back down to the companies that cold call you.

So, the best form of defence is offence - you basically need to contact the TPS about once every 3 months or so, so that they will continually remind the collation companies that you do not want to be called, and that should be the most effective way of avoiding cold calls.
Of course, any that you do receive, instead of just hanging up you should inform them that you are signed up to the TPS and it avoids them calling you back.
(Pope Jamiroquai III, Thu 3 Sep 2009, 21:57, closed)

Not quite right
They're required to screen their DBs against TPS regularly, so once on TPS, that should be it.

As above, as soon as you mention TPS to any outbound call centre, they'll shit themselves and drop the call instantly. It's always fun to capture their data 1st mind, particularly the outsourced ones, as being on the Information Commissioner Shitlist is very, very bad for their business.
(MartinB9999, Mon 7 Sep 2009, 11:40, closed)

I registered with the TPS once - about 5 years ago
...and I hardly ever get any calls now. I used to get maybe a dozen a week.

I occasionally still get a call, and when I mention the TPS they say something like "but we're not trying to sell you anything - we are just doing market research (lie!) so we're not covered by the TPS"

I just say "look, I'm registered with the TPS because I don't want to be pestered in my own home by cold callers. Thank you and goodbye."
(Reverend Fister "a disciplined fuckwit", Fri 4 Sep 2009, 10:20, closed)

TPS
The TPS worked for me. It stopped about 90% of the cold calls that i was getting. I found that setting my phone line to not receive calls from people who withheld their numbers stopped most of the remainder.
(andythepieman Is surfing the waves of indifference on, Tue 8 Sep 2009, 15:52, closed)