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Consumers: ban cold calling

Aug 31 2010

Many would like to see cold calling banned

Cold calling is regarded as an interruption to daily life that should be banned, according to a survey.

Three quarters of respondents to a study by consumer group Which? would like to see the practice outlawed, with a quarter feeling intimidated by the process.

Two thirds of the 2,092 people surveyed say they have received at least one cold call over the previous three months, with a fifth of people reporting that callers had pressured them into buying something.

British Gas, BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Homeserve, EDF and Eon were among the firms that called most often.

A spokesperson for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, which is responsible for cold calling regulation, says: ‘Policy in this area is about striking a balance between allowing legitimate businesses to continue to operate and the needs of customers.’

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