Nuisance Calls

We’ve all had them at one time or another and understandably people are at the end of their tether with them...the nuisance call that is.  I know that some of my constituents have given up answering the calls and others say they feel intimidated. It’s a story that resounds around the country. My Labour colleague James Kelly MSP recently sponsored a Parliamentary debate highlighting the extent of the problem after consumer advice expert magazine Which released new research revealing that nine in ten Scots received a nuisance call in the last month. As a result, three quarters have been discouraged from picking up their phone and four in ten find these calls mainly about PPI or energy efficiency schemes intimidating.  Which have set up a petition calling on the Scottish Government to publish an action plan setting out how it will work with businesses and regulators to tackle these unwelcome calls. I would urge anyone affected to visit www.which.co.uk/scotcalls to sign the petition, which attracted 10,000 signatures in its first week. You can also use this website to report nuisance calls by filling in a short form with the name of the company, the number used, the date and time of call. Your action could lead to the company paying a £500,000 fine – the most expensive phone call they are likely to ever make!