30th January 2007
by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic, 30 Jan 2007
LONDON - Ofcom has cracked down on excessive silent calls by issuing its first fines, with four companies, including Carphone Warehouse, penalised a total of £152,500.
Home of the fines skirt close to the maximum £50,000 for each case; with Space Kitchens hit for £45,000; Bracken Bay Kitchens for £40,000; Carphone Warehouse for £35,000; and telecoms company Toucan for £32,500.
Ofcom's action comes after a long period of consultation and investigation, during which time silent calls have grown as an issue for consumer groups and the media.
The companies have been fined for their conduct in the wake of Ofcom's stipulation in March 2006 that silent calls should account for no more than 3% of all outbound calls in a 24-hour period and should come with a recorded information message.
All four companies' silent or abandoned call rates regularly exceeded 3% between April and July 2006 and in some cases exceeded 20%.
In assessing the size of each fine, Ofcom said it took into account: the steps taken by each company to bring the misuse to an end; the representations made by the company; and the nature of the offence and the degree of unnecessary inconvenience, annoyance and anxiety caused to consumers.
Bracken Bay Kitchens attempted to mollify the regulator in November by installing a new automated dialling system.
Ofcom said it will publish further details of the factors determining its decision on its website shortly.
This all comes on the back of a number of telemarketing agencies, such as Ant Marketing, in the UK being investigated for persistent misuse of an electronic communications network or electronic communication services in a way that causes annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety to consumers.