Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Have you had an accident in the last five years that was not your fault?
EARLIER this afternoon, I had a cold call from a saleswoman on behalf of a legal claims company. Her accent was hard to understand with and I suspected at first it was a wrong number. I had to get her to repeat her pitch a couple of times to get understand her. I've never come across this kind of touting for trade before.
I asked her how she got my number and why she was calling me but she rang off.
I don't take calls from withheld numbers, but this call came from a network that was unable to transmit numbers – the call may have come from overseas. Which gets around (oh so easily) the Calling Preferences list.
I've seen television ads for accident claims companies. It must be profitable business indeed for the lawyers involved if they can afford to engage calling centres overseas.
An attempt to drum up this kind of business is a first for me and I wonder if anyone else has been phoned to enquire whether they've had an accident or injury?
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I asked her how she got my number and why she was calling me but she rang off.
I don't take calls from withheld numbers, but this call came from a network that was unable to transmit numbers – the call may have come from overseas. Which gets around (oh so easily) the Calling Preferences list.
I've seen television ads for accident claims companies. It must be profitable business indeed for the lawyers involved if they can afford to engage calling centres overseas.
An attempt to drum up this kind of business is a first for me and I wonder if anyone else has been phoned to enquire whether they've had an accident or injury?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by alistairj on
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Many claims (and other) companies do this. I suggest you register with TPS to avoid this sort of thing, Clive.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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Alistair, I registered for the Telephone Preference Service several years ago (I mistakenly referred to it above as the calling preferences list). And that works fine for calls that might otherwise originate domestically. I think my call this afternoon may have come from India, where the TPS remit runs not.
Next time, instead of asking where they got my name from I shall, as a friend suggested, ask them to take my name off their database – not that I expect that to happen.
They may get our names from a local supermarket who I believe may sell lists of customers contact details to other companies on the back of those little loyalty discount cards that the cashiers ask for, no matter how small the purchase.
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TPS should still apply if the overseas call is on behalf of a UK based company - as it would be for legal claims. See this FAQ item.
http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/faq/#thirteen
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Permalink Reply by Sapphireblue on
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Well, on Tuesday morning I was in casualty at the Whit with a sprained ankle. I used their freephone to call a cab home. Several hours later I received this SMS
You may be entitled to 6000 pounds compensation for the Accident you had. To claim for free reply with YES to this msg. to opt out text stop. CYGV
Huh? there was a poster up saying - call this number about compensation claims - in the waiting room..... was it the NHS or the taxi firm that gave them my mobile number??? One of them did...
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The fact you were cold-called (or should that be cold texted?) raises questions about your privacy. It sounds like you could be on some kind of database now and if I was you, I'd be curious as how they got your contact details.
The only party that benefits consistently from ambulance-chasing accident-claims are the legal fraternity. In the long run, this crude, slow, adversarial, expensive hit-and-miss arrangement has only one sure effect: it forces up the cost of all insurance premiums for all of us, to cover the inflation by the lawyers' compensation, paid out by insurers.
What is the alternative?
One country that has a wiser approach to the business of compensation for accident claims is New Zealand, with its ACC (formerly, Commission).
"The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) provides comprehensive, no-fault personal injury cover for all New Zealand residents and visitors to New Zealand."
The ACC tries to avoid apportioning blame (which is of course disputatious) and seeks to establish the extent of the injury. Accident victims tend not to face protracted delays for compensation while waiting for courts to rule. With the ACC, by and large, lawyers are cut out from their cut and they don't like it.
Which probably means it a more efficient arragnement for society as a whole.
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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That is outrageous. I'm fairly sure it contravenes data protection legislation, which emphasises the importance of people understanding and consenting to their details being passed to others. If you can be bothered, I'd complain to the Whit. Even if it isn't them passing on the info, they should be aware that the minicab company is.
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Being a suspicious sort of fellow, I wonder if the Whittington, if indeed it was them who passed on the details, are being incentivised to do this. If so, this is a doubly questionable practice or even policy. I hope the NHS is not stooping this low.
It is believed that some government departments (like the DSS) and quango's share in the income of telecoms companies, generated from the public's phoning their contact numbers when they begin with 0845 and 0870 etc.
If you're on a budget and have the time, it may be worth checking the SAYNOTO0870 site if you can dial less expensively with a geographic number, possibly using a prefix number, such as one of these.
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