tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3092752484604128683.post6079030089932248309..comments2023-07-05T12:35:51.011+01:00Comments on Bad Reason: Cold calling and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) - another regulator who doesn'tDr Michael Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18208273325282474983noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3092752484604128683.post-11452751596185629952013-01-27T12:43:49.800+00:002013-01-27T12:43:49.800+00:00My approach to these calls is to say that we are r...My approach to these calls is to say that we are registered with the TPS and that they are breaking the law and will be prosecuted - which includes the person actually making the call. The result in 99% of cases is that they never seem to call us again.<br />Since being on TPS the rate of calls we get has dropped massively so, on balance, it does work as a prevention process.<br />geraldcambrianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3092752484604128683.post-21261507385312991412012-03-28T11:29:08.999+01:002012-03-28T11:29:08.999+01:00These calls are getting worse, we are getting arou...These calls are getting worse, we are getting around five a day now at our business address, I have learnt from them they have our phone number with the previous associated with the man who had the same number before us, whose address, name and dob several have given me asking if I was indeed Mr *****. <br /><br />These are a nuisance and a constant distraction at out place of work which are costing us time and money. <br /><br />More personally my elderly father has recently become a part of this list and is receiving daily calls from mostly the same two companies. This has distressed and agitated him to the point he no longer likes, and sometimes doesn't, answer the telephone at all which can be worrying. <br /><br />Both numbers are signed up with the TPS and I have made several complaints but it seems I have been wasting more time in this.<br /><br />Something needs to be done about this nuisance.Simonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3092752484604128683.post-47322621453538942332011-09-25T14:07:38.344+01:002011-09-25T14:07:38.344+01:00I overlooked to mention that the former Northern R...I overlooked to mention that the former Northern Rock director referred to above, and cited in the subsequent Treasury Select Committee Report as culpable, also sat on the Northern Rock's Remuneration Committee. I have trenchant views on the value of the current vogue for bonus incentivised targets. They encourage totally the wrong attitudes, devoid of prudent caveats, and merely lead to fragile short term gain. To use a building analogy, you are simply incentivising your workforce to build the tallest tower in the shortest time, without any foundations or structural integrity. Moreover, when the building inevitably collapses you still pay your workforce a bonus. Am I missing something here ?<br /><br />The American social philosopher Upton Sinclair once sagely opined 'it is difficult to get a man to do the right thing, when his salary depends upon him not doing the right thing'. Quite right Upton, if only the banks' remuneration committees agreed with you !<br /><br />So, what have we learned from Northern Rock ? The whole concatenation of events in this financial crisis all started at Northern Rock Bank. We now know that the cause of that bank's collapse was an unbridled lust for profit, blind to the risks that were being undertaken, and without making prudent provision for those risks. Furthermore, the Northern Rock executive were incentivised with obscene bonuses that drove imprudent actions. We know that those failures come back to the former Board of Northern Rock, more especially the Head of Risk and Audit, who also sat on the Remuneration Committee. <br /><br />Today, that same individual sits on a part Government funded Quango, the Board for Actuarial Standards (part of the FRC) setting prudent protocols for the pensions and insurance industry. It is like putting a fox in charge of your chickens, knowing that the fox has a history of killing chickens. Albert Einstein said 'insanity is repeating the same thing, and expecting a difficult result'. <br /><br />Quite right Albert, madness, total, madness !! <br /><br />JohnJohn Powellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3092752484604128683.post-58929612794333388552011-09-24T22:31:01.464+01:002011-09-24T22:31:01.464+01:00Read with interest about your entanglement with th...Read with interest about your entanglement with the ICO. I despair in equal measure, although, as I get older, I really do believe that Government and its offshoots are very little different from the fictional parody of 'Yes Prime Minister'. <br /><br />We hear plenty of disingenuous rhetoric, and obfuscation, cleverly spun from the lectern, although the reality is that nothing much ever changes, irrespectiveof who is in power. To assuage my fevered soul I frequently write to MP's, Ministers and Departments, with that all important 'perception' of life on my side of the ballot box. They never deign to provide so much as a one line reply, yet, come the hustings and I have to hide behind the sofas to avoid their constant obsequious attention.<br /><br />As for the TPS, I could not even get the Police to take interest over a blatant attempt at telephone fraud. My 86 year old mother received 2 calls (number withheld) over a period of 24 hours. She was advised that the caller (supposedly a firm of Solicitors) had £3000 to deposit in her bank account, and the account details were requested. Fortunately, mother was sharp enough to foil their attempt, although she informed me straight away of her concerns. I phoned the Police immediately with all the information relating to this attempted scam, and the lame response was "well what do you want us to do about it ?". Surely, I explained, BT could trace the number ? They were totally disinterested. The perception was that they (the Police) were looking for a reason to bin the complaint rather than take some incisive action. Is it any wonder that these scams and spams proliferate ? Not only are the instigators not fined, they are not even investigated !<br /><br />As for the ICO, they are simply another job creation QUANGO . Would we really notice if they were closed down ? What happened to the 'Bonfire of the QUANGO's' promise on the Government's manifesto ? <br /><br />Another pointless Quango is the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) which is part Government funded. A constituent Board of the FRC is the Board for Actuarial Standards. This Board supposedly set prudent and risk averse standards for the pensions and insurance industry. Of course, we all remember the actuarial disaster that was Northern Rock Bank. The investigating Treasury Select Committee concluded that Northern Rock were gambling on high risk strategies with no safety net. Singled out for criticism was the Board Director and Head of Risk and Audit at Northern Rock Bank. He was deemed highly culpable in the bank's collapse, and multi-billion taxpayer bail-out. The Select Committees neetings were all televised and transcripted on the Web. That Northern Rock Director, who was deemed by the Treasury Select Committee to be the very antithesis of a prudent actuary, today sits on the Board for Actuarial Standards. It is nothing short of risible cronyism, but that is politicians for you ! <br /><br />Good luck with the ICO - you will need it ! Why not give up now, and live a lttle longer ?<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgsTid97h6g<br /><br />http://www.frc.org.uk/bas/about/board.cfm<br /><br />JohnJohn Powellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3092752484604128683.post-39628428111892023792011-09-23T09:02:53.361+01:002011-09-23T09:02:53.361+01:00The Commissioner is required to issue guidance on ...The Commissioner is required to issue guidance on how he proposes to exercise his powers to impose civil monetary penalties.<br /><a href="http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/dereksmith-1150373-alternative-medicine-and-janine-zargar" rel="nofollow">Janine Zargar</a>Derekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00327659751520210833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3092752484604128683.post-85420623475054374642011-08-12T10:24:06.063+01:002011-08-12T10:24:06.063+01:00ICO got back and confirmed that our telephone numb...ICO got back and confirmed that our telephone number IS after all registered with TPS - they apparently have their own software which doesn't work very well.Dr Michael Wardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18208273325282474983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3092752484604128683.post-4068324481854357522011-07-07T10:53:16.055+01:002011-07-07T10:53:16.055+01:00This is pretty much madness - they could and shoul...This is pretty much madness - they could and should be using the possible revenue from fines to finance the ICO or other related government projects.Brian Morrisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08099283052512172151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3092752484604128683.post-16593402193052583322011-07-06T13:33:21.305+01:002011-07-06T13:33:21.305+01:00I met a couple of people yesterday who do cold cal...I met a couple of people yesterday who do cold calling for a living. They work for what, as far as I can tell, is a perfectly legitimate company.<br /><br />Neither of them had ever heard of the Telephone Preference Service.<br /><br />Doesn't that speak volumes?Adamhttp://dianthus.co.uknoreply@blogger.com