I don’t know why company keep using telemarketing and why would any consumer give out vital personal information over the phone to a complete stranger with or without listing their Caller IDs.
I have made myself very clear to most telemarketers that I do not accept any promos, any new services, or phone sex over the phone. (If you must, show up in person and I’ll stick your phone into your…)!
HGC has been calling my cellphone as well as my company phone, for the longest time I can’t remember when they’ve started, to asked me to switch my landline service provider over to their company . I have tried telling to them nicely not to call again and take me off their contact list, just hangup…. but to no avail. I am not blaming the telemarketers for it is their job but it is the company’s responsibility to comply to the basic Telecommunication Ordinance and to fulfill (potential) customer’s requests.
Last week, when HGC called again. While I tried to tell I do not want them calling me ever again, the nice lady said that I would need to call their hotline to request a form and file the form with HGC. When I told them it is not my responsibility to go through their procedures when it is clearly their violation of my privacy as well as the Telecommunication Ordinance, and that if I need to file anything I’d file a complaint to the OFTA instead, she said nicely that there is, unfortunately, nothing else she could do that would remedy the situation.
I can understand that since most of these telemarketers are not with the said companies. They are with telemarketing companies hired by the said companies to do their own dirty work.
So I filed a formal complaint to the OFTA last week stating that my intention (being a part of the standard online form that I have to fill out) is to have HGC comply with the basic Telecommunication Ordinance and to allow and accept customer requests through their telemarketing should anyone asks to have their contact info removed from their list and to never contact them again. Another part of the standard form was to ask if I want to disclosed my personal info to the said company, to which I denied, since I am not requesting anything special, just for the said company to comply with their ordinance.
Today, I received an email from the OFTA. A standard email, I believe. Saying they have accepted my case and would like permission to disclosed my personal info for the “go ahead”. I denied.
No wonder the telemarketing lady said there is nothing she could do and that many had made such complaint but also to no avail. Nobody cares they have violated the basic Telecommunication Ordinance and privacy of those they are calling!
While I have not gone as far as a friend has to never deal with any of the companies related to the Li’s family, this has reconfirmed my decade long decision to never use HGC or their affiliated companies’ services ever again.
Yes, that includes “3“.
Recently approached by 3 via my mobile number, I told them I was right at the beginning of a long contract, and everybody in my household were also on long-ish contracts. Now that calling me would be a complete waste of time I suspect that I won’t hear from them for quite some time.
Maybe next time you could try telling them that you are right at the beginning of a 24 months long contract (if this is morally acceptable to you). They won’t take your name off their list but at least you should get some peace and quiet.
What personal info apart from the phone number does OFTA wanted to disclose?
Didn’t give them much but name and phone number at least, I suppose, since the OFTA letter said they would just ask the company to call me and have us deal with it alone. Which is the dumbest thing the OFTA could do…. Had the company cared enough to listen in the first place, I wouldn’t have to file the formal complaint. I mean, how stupid would people get anyway? Pay attention, OFTA! The whole point was, I don’t want the company calling me! Ever! Yahear?!
Since you didn’t go along w/ the OFTA we would never know, but I suppose if the OFTA tells HGC to contact you to get you off their contact list this is a clear mesg to HGC that you are *really* annoyed rather than the opportunistic whiner.
Update :
OFTA called yesterday afternoon to clarify matters. I explained to them exactly the same as I wrote here that this case isn’t anything special and that the said company should accept such immediate verbal requests on demand. I also explained to them that it is not my intention to single out the said company but it is just that the company has been calling so often repeatedly ever after so many requests that they have stood themselves out like a sore thumb.
The nice lady at the OFTA explained that currently, there is something about something about the recently implemented law only takes care of recorded calls rather than live calls so they cannot force the company to (blablablabla…). I wasn’t interested in what she has to say beyond this point. I think she meant that the OFTA cannot force companies to implement any specific mean to accept such complaints in respect to live calls so long as the company already has a mean for doing so. However, she agreed that verbal or written, once I have made it clear to the company that I do not wish to receive their calls then they should stop calling. She then said that since I do not require the company to call me to let me know the status, the OFTA would call the company and tell them as per a complaint that my list of numbers are not to be called by them any longer, and that there will be no more correspondence from the OFTA to me after that either.
I understand that at this point the company would need to know which numbers they shouldn’t be calling. I have no problem with letting them know that. This isn’t about disclosing my info which the company don’t already have on their records. But if it were to be turned into some other type of chain calling then forget it. I just don’t want to blow this up into some big deal special case when it is just such a simple request the company should simply accept and comply without any complications or delay.
IMO OFTA handled this case quite swiftly. Good job.
While I have not gone as far as a friend has to never deal with any of the companies related to the Li’s family …..
^_^