TPS

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New regulations come into effect on the 25th June 2004 in the UK that will allow businesses to opt out of receiving unsolicited sales calls by registering with the TPS (Telephone Preference Service).

– Registration takes 28 days to take effect. From the 25th June it will be an offence to make an unsolicited cold call to any number on the TPS list.

– In the case of sub-contracted cold calling, the legal liability for ensuring no calls are made to numbers listed lies with the client.

– Another legal requirement under the legislation is that all businesses must hold a “do not call” list of telephone numbers of people who have contacted you directly and asked that you do not cold call them, even though they may not have registered with the TPS. They are legally required to hold this list and we will need a copy of this “do not call” list.

– At present, approximately 20 per cent of the companies called do not put sales calls through, either blocking calls or routing to voicemail.

– DMA press release (Word document)

– TPS website

It is an interesting initiative, but only the honest actors will obey the rules. At the moment email is the new frontier for unwanted communications. More related posts here.