recorded message

[Lisa2009]

I dont know if anybody else gets these but in the last 2 weeks we have had around 4-5 telephone calls. When you answer its a recorded message about getting out of debt. I didnt actually listen to all of it. Where do these people get our phone numbers from? ours isnt even in the book.

[carlmcmullen]

You could simply of filled in an online questionairre for a free sample or somthing along these lines and the companies sell the data on to other companies.

The data that is sold could be as old as three years old and sold from company to another time and time again. You would have probally ticked or not ticked a box to consent to this data being used.

I think there is someway of getting your number removed, somthing called the TPS database i think but not sure.

[Lisa2009]

Thanks Carl

[james.c]

I junk mail offering me loans, i throw them away, but if applied for a loan, it would not get accepted anyway, so why dont companies do their homework first, if they offer me a loan its a waste of money sending it to me, the cost of printing, waste material when i throw it away, and a waste of the c02 carbon print everyone goes on about.

Best thing i did regarding the phone, i am ex-deirectory, and when sales people call, i tell them i am ex-directory they apologise straight way and say good bye. If you are ex-directory and they call you for a sales call they are breaking the law.

With post, if you know its junk mail, dont open it, write on the envolope not requested and put it in the post box, it will be returned to the company who sent it and they will be charged by royal mail and cross you of their mailing address.

I only know these things, cause i am a salesman and when i stay in hotels your on your own like most people in hotels in middles of weeks and you get talking to other sales men from other companies and you find out amazing facts like these

[Lisa2009]

James i dont know if you have read the message i sent you on other post earlier but i have bought a little something for the twins and will be posting to you tomorrow.

[james.c]

Yes I just read and I am really looking forward to getting it, just because i think that is so really nice of you.

I enjoy reading your posts becuase you always come over as such a nice person, and thats must be your nature.

I hope one day we meet, i would have loved to gone to the next meeting in manchester, but with the twins can not make it , but hopefully if the next one is north of england i will go and maybe you might be their.

I have told Bev that you were sending a little something through for the twins and she though it was so sweet of you

[Lisa2009]

Just give them beautiful girls a kiss for us.
Shame you cant be there but family must come first. Like you say, hopefully next time.
Hope Bev is feeling ok

[james.c]

Bev is sort of fine

She's being feeling brilliant, she as another daughter who is 16, and after her birth she was bad for 6 weeks, and this time 16 years on she can not belive how good she feels but last night she cam down with sickness, and been feeling bad to day, get my fingers crossed its 24 hour bug.

Babies are feeding better now so i am hoping they all come out of hospitial by Monday.

That reminds me i must work out, how the baby seats fit in the car.

[Lisa2009]

Awww i hope she feels better tomorrow. Glad the girls are doing well. Get your sleep in while you can LOL

[Reviva UK]

Hi

I understand that these messages are on an automated telephone dialing system and they dial numerically in sequence. The numbers are initially called via VOIP from USA. If the call is answered then it plays the message and then if you are interested in what they have to say you press * or 1 etc. At the point you press the button I understand that in some cases you start paying for the call as you are authorising the call and are put through to a "telesales person". I know of companies in the UK.

They will ask you the following:-
1. are you in debt
2. do you owe more than £15,000
3. are you in regular employment
4. would you like to speak to someone about it.

If the answer is yes the call is HOT KEYED ( directly transferred to an IVA company ) These companies are charges about £130 for the lead and have to but the leads i batche of 50 at a time.

Interesting that the questions don't ask whether the debt is manageable or a problem?

They have similar scripts to find leads for
mortgages, second charges, unsecured loans, IVA's, declined finance applications etc.

You would be surprised but there is a whole industry out there tying to dvelop leads to sell on, and on and on.

Hope this provides an interesting insight.

Incidentally Reviva UK don't use this method of finding people to help.

[Lisa2009]

Ahhhhhh i see. I didnt hang on the line to listen to the rest of it.

As for junk mail, i give it to the parrot to play with LOL she has great fun. It does have some uses.

[CoverItAll]

Paul, you are absolutely right, but as an interesting development I had an e-mail this week from India offering debt leads at £90.00 each.

[Reviva UK]

Hi

There are a number of Indian companies doing this as well - they have had call centres set up and paid for by large UK companies who have now moved back to the UK, so there is plenty of capacity.

Again outbound calls via India - if remotely interested they get hot key'd to UK company ( I only know of one in Brighton) and they second sift the leads to get the right ones for each client.

Adverse Mortgage leads
Second Charges
IVAs
Debt management
rejected Mortgage applications
rejected Second Charges

you can almost get anything if you would like to pay the piper.
Doesn't seem very personal.

[Andrew Graveson]

Simple avoidance of FSA regulation.

It's not allowed to cold-call call financial products (those covered by the FSA) from within the UK.

Company A that sells regulated financial products in the UK sets up Company B overseas (without the same legal or regulatory structure) who then cold-call for financial leads.

Leads are sold to Company A or the market in general.

In terms of where the data on phone numbers came from I think it's fair to assume Company A had something to do with it with a purchased list of contacts in the UK or a database obtained by other means.