HomeServe fined £750k for silent calls
Ofcom has today fined HomeServe £750,000 for making an excessive number of silent and abandoned sales calls.
The watchdog opened an investigation into the home emergency insurer last year only to discover that the firm exceeded its abandoned call rate on 42 separate occasions between 1st February and 21st March 2011, resulting in around 14,756 abandoned calls being made to consumers.
Ofcom rules also prohibit repeat calls within a 24 hour period where a call has been identified as having been picked up by an answer machine, and HomeServe was found to have made around 36,218 calls in breach of this particular rule.
Ofcom’s consumer group director, Claudio Pollack, says: “Our rules are there to prevent consumers suffering annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety from silent or abandoned calls.”
Adding: “We hope today’s fine will send a strong message to all companies that use call centres that they need to ensure they are fully compliant with the rules or face the consequences.”
HomeServe has established a dedicated helpline for consumers seeking compensation if they have been affected by silent or abandoned calls made by the company, and is offering a goodwill payment of £10 to those affected.
Information on how to make a claim can be found on the HomeServe website.
source: www.bbc.co.uk