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Broadband Canvasses

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UncleUB:
Hi,
This might be in the wrong section so please move it if so.  :)

Last night about 5.30 Sue answered the front door while I was finishing my dinner.It was a young man and woman who looked African in origin.
Have you heard of digital Britain they asked,Sue said yes.
We are checking to see if you qualify for free broadband and free landline calls.
What is your landline and postcode code?
Sue gave it to them. :o >:(
They then asked if they could come in and use our phone to check to see if we qualify. :no:
She refused to let them in so they went.
She then told me who it was and what they wanted.Did they show any ID I asked.NO she said,I went ballistic.I then phoned the police who said they would send a car to check them out.
I didn't wait,I told Sue to get the car out and we would find them.
A couple of streets away we saw a couple with clipboards(not the two who visited our home)We stopped and I called them over.Who are you/what are you doing..........We are from TALKTALK (I might have guessed) >:(
Have you got other people in the area tonight(a lady with a bright pink coat on)Not sure they said(M'mmm)They did give me their ID numbers and a Talktalk contact number.Their ID's were underneath their coats,but they did show them to me.
I said the other couple DID NOT say they were from Talktalk and DID NOT display their ID's.
Anyway we drove on and I thought if I found them and they did not have ID's I would make a citizens arrest and call 999.
We found them in the next street,I shouted them over and they came.They recognised Sue and when I said I had already called the police they apologised  and showed me their ID's
I gave them a piece of my mind,we then went home and I phoned the number they had given me.I spoke to a supervisor who said the should have from the start made themselves known and had their ID's outside their coats.
Later that night the police phoned to say they had attended,and said they were indeed form TalkTalk and were genuine canvasses.
I tell you what,the old adrenaline was pumping.
Sue was really upset,but she will not make the same mistake again.......

waltergmw:
Well done Uncle and tut tut Sue !

Like you I suspect, cold calling for the sale of anything is I believe highly undesirable.
Whilst we have a lot more petty regulation than is good for us, I would like to see anybody claiming to provide free services stopped immediately.
On the presumption that the individuals concerned are being rewarded in some way, their "help" cannot possibly be "free" so you would be paying for it eventually.

Given the mountain of dreaded T clients CPW have just acquired, together with the separation of their two business ventures, I'm a bit surprised that they want pour more fat on the broadband integration fire quite so soon.

Kind regards,
Walter

roseway:
I agree with what Walter said. This sort of cold calling is an unpleasant practice at best, and if they asked for private information without even identifying themselves they were really out of line. I suppose they didn't break the law, but you were right to give them an ear bashing and to report their bad practice.

BritBrat:
I would keep an eye on who you use for line rental.

Sounds like you may get changed without your knowledge “slammed”.

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/landline/company/slamming/

UncleUB:
That was so unlike Sue,I always try and make her aware of this kind of things.She doesn't use the internet,but I make her aware of all the scams/phishing etc that goes on.
If we get dodgy phone calls she puts the phone down straight away.

Getting back to the canvasses,why should they need to use your landline(whats wrong with their mobiles)I know it would be to get your details inputted into TT's ADSL line checker and then try and sell ypu their product,but do other people?

Why hide their TT ID's and not mention Talktalk at first.........to stop getting the door slammed in their face straight away?

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