Telemarketing tactics make a bad impression

IN recent years there have been numerous well-publicised cases of criminal charges being brought against individuals who have harassed others with persistent abusive telephone calls.

It seems, however, that companies who engage in this behaviour are immune from prosecution.

Over the past six months my wife and I have received well over 50 sales calls from a telemarketing company.

During the first call, I politely declined their offer and requested that my contact details be removed from their database. I repeated these instructions when I continued to receive these unwanted marketing calls. On those occasions when I asked to speak to a manager, the caller either hung up or said “there is no one available”.

In February I contacted my telephone service provider to have my number included on the ‘opt-out’ listing of the National Directory Database. But the intrusive calls from this company have, if anything, increased in frequency since.

I have to concede that the company’s marketing tactics are very effective. So effective, in fact, that I have vowed that I will never, to my dying day, under any circumstances, purchase a product or service from them or their parent company.

And, in a little marketing drive of my own, I will encourage my family, friends and work colleagues to do likewise.

Ross McDonnell

14 St Mary’s Ave

Rathfarnham

Dublin 14