Phone calls from banks using automated voices have been criticised by privacy campaigners.
Lobbyists have issued a plea for banks to stop using automated messages while calling customers.
Privacy International, a campaign group, told the BBC that these calls - known within the industry as 'interactive voice messaging' - can be abused by financial firms, unnecessarily harassing people who have missed payments. Typically, the automated calls advises customers on their payment options to pay their debts: however, the campaigners have said that their repeated use can be overbearing.
Simon Davis, director of Privacy International, said: "I wouldn't object to a single call in a 24 hour period. If it goes beyond that, I would certainly argue there's an element of harassment involved."
However, banks have moved to defend the technology. NatWest told the broadcaster that interactive voice messaging was used for a minority of customers only, and that they were always given the choice throughout the call of speaking to a member of staff rather than an automated voice. Lloyds TSB added that it would not use its own system to call customers for more than four days consecutively.
Both banks also said that they are in full compliance with industry guidelines laid down on automatic messaging through phones made by media watchdog Ofcom.
Comments (4)
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"Lloyds TSB added that it would not use its own system to call customers for more than four days consecutively" What a joke! How come then they called me 59 times, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, evenins, Sundays and Christmas eve, despite that I requested that I found this harrassing and told them to write to me instead? Lloyds TSB are bullies. I'm in court with them regarding this matter in 2 weeks time.
Gillian Gallagher
3rd Oct 2008 19:51
My husband is currently out of the country and unable to answer these calls -at no time during the call can I speak to a human to inform them of his whereabouts and I am constantly being bombarded by these calls-the latest at 19.13hrs on a Friday evening.How does one stop them? I have called them and now written to them, I guess the only answer is to ditch them altogether.
We have recently had a similar problem with Lloyds. We don't bank with them but our daughter who married and left home over two years ago does. They are trying to contact her and apparently cannot take our word that this is not her number and appear to be refusing to stop the calls until they have her authorisation of change of telephone number. I believe these calls should be made illegal - a simple phone call from a real person would have meant they could have been given her new number, as indeed we were able to do with Egg a little while ago, who rang me back to say they were removing our number from their list. A complete contrast in customer relations.
Brenda
21st Nov 2008 13:13
I have received 13 automated calls (4 yesterday) in the past week from LLoydsTSB despite my telling them in writing that the person they want has moved and changed addresses. I have the letters from Lloyds confirming said address. To say I'm frustrated is an under statement. I am going to report them for harrassment.
