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Firms hang up on cold-calls

 

Saturday 17 August 2013 00:36 BST
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Two of the “big six” utility companies, E.on and SSE, have hung up on cold-calling customers.

SSE said it recognised “that they are unwelcome and many people find them intrusive” and said it would now only ring those households that “have a relationship” with the company, or have agreed to a call, such as by ticking a box on an internet comparison site.

E.on also said it would only call potential customers who had consented to be contacted.

In April, SSE was hit with a record £10.5m fine by the industry watchdog Ofgem for mis-selling to householders over the phone, in its stores and on people’s doorsteps. Now it will no longer make unsolicited sales calls, having withdrawn its doorstep sales team in 2011.

About 100 call-centre staff will be affected by the change but SSE hopes to redeploy them.

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