 Telemarketing companies are responsible for many silent calls |
In the first case of its kind, the telecommunications watchdog Ofcom has ruled that silent calls have caused consumers "annoyance and anxiety". And it's given the company involved a final warning
This morning, Breakfast's Graham Satchell looked at the detail of the case and we discussed the implications for consumers and telemarketing companies.
Graham first began looking into telemarketing back in November 2003, when we had a story on Breakfast about the victims of silent calls.
The calls are generated when a telemarketing company tries to cold call a household using a computer that dials 100 numbers.
The first 20 who answer speak to a human being somewhere in a call-centre, but that leaves the computer dialling the other 80 who will hear nothing but silence.
This is because the nominal 20 operators are now talking to people.
If you want help with stopping cold calls, contact the Telephone Preference Service, via the link on the right hand side of this page.
Now, in the first case of its kind, the telecommunications watchdog Ofcom has investigated one company's cold calling and found them guilty of causing "annoyance and anxiety" to consumers.
We spoke to Vincent Wayne-Mitchell, from the Cass Business School. He suggested three ways in which viewers can prevent unwanted calls.
Contact your telephone service provider and ask them to provide an anonymous call rejection service.
Contact the Telephone Preference Service and ask for their Silent Call Guard
From next month, you will be able to use 1471 to find out the phone number of where the silent call has come from - then you can phone them and ask them to take you off of their list.
On Breakfast we also spoke to John Price, from the Direct Marketing Association which represents some telemarketing companies.
Mr Price agreed that consumers need more protection. He said that much of the problem would be helped if consumers knew who was calling them.
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Graham Satchell's report on silent calls 
