On 16th of May a new law was enforced requiring direct marketing companies to display their telephone numbers when carrying out unsolicited phone calls.
This follows changes made back in 2015, which made it easier for nuisance callers to be reported and fined by removing the need for consumers to prove that persistent rogue operators were causing distress.
The decision to take further and more drastic action follows reports from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which is said to have issued a large number of fines totalling up to £895,000. Both UK based companies as well as those stationed abroad will be required to abide by the new regulation, which will allow home owners and other businesses being contacted to take note of the callers numbers and report them to the relevant regulatory body.
Any cold calling companies that continue to withhold their details will be at risk of being fined up to £2 million by Ofcom as well as an additional £500,000 from the ICO if they do not comply with the latest regulations.
The government has high hopes that the new ruling will not only help do more to protect consumers, but also make it easier for them to refuse and report unwanted phone calls. In addition, it will enable the ICO to investigate and take action against companies who continue to withhold their details.
These new changes have been well received by the public as well as been a welcomed change by many industry and consumer groups in what many hope will be a step towards putting a stop to nuisance callers for good whilst still allowing legitimate companies to engage in direct marketing activity.
Ison Harrison commented on the new legislation expressing that the changes will now make it easier for consumers to identify the nuisance callers from the genuine companies and to seek compliance advice if necessary. Ison Harrison went on to say, “It will now be the responsibility of the companies in the direct marketing industry to take the necessary steps to ensure they comply with the rules to avoid being reported or fined.”
