Telecoms regulator Comreg and the Data Protection Commissioner have formally censured telephone company TalkTalk for serious breaches of conduct in relation to cold calling.
The regulator has recently received a number of complaints from consumers who have received cold-calls from TalkTalk despite those consumers having recorded their preference not to receive such unsolicited direct-marketing calls.
ComReg and the Data Protection Commissioner instructed TalkTalk to immediately cease all direct marketing sales activities until it had audited and rectified all procedural defects.
TalkTalk has apologised for contacting consumers who had chosen not to receive sales calls.
Under the 2003 Data Protection and Privacy Regulations, it is an offence for a person to make an unsolicited telephone call for the purpose of direct marketing where the line subscriber has notified the operator or undertaking that it does not consent to the receipt of such a call.
If consumers have experienced persistent unsolicited calls, when there has been a request that no further contact be made by telephone, an offence has been committed and consumers should immediately report such behaviour to the Data Protection Commissioner's office.