Trading standards officers from Pembrokeshire County Council are warning consumers about the activities of a telephone sales business operating from their area.
The Phone Protection Agency based in Haverfordwest cold calls consumers throughout the UK offering to stop unsolicited marketing calls - for a fee!
However, what they don't say is that the regulators the Telephone Preference Service already provides the same service free of charge.
Despite previous warnings about breaching consumer legislation, trading standards officers had to resort to obtaining a Court Order under the Enterprise Act 2002. The order prohibits further breaches of the consumer protection legislation and the owners of the business face contempt of court charges if they fail to stop unfair trading practices.
To date the council has received nearly 60 complaints. Many claim they were assured the fee was for a single payment of £10 when in fact a £30 quarterly fee was taken from their accounts. In some instances complainants state that the agency has claimed to represent the Telephone Preference Service.
The agency has also failed to provide information about cancellation rights or refunds to customers exercising these rights.
Officers are concerned as the agency are targeting people who they already know are interested in stopping unsolicited calls having obtained a list of these people already registered with the Telephone Preference Service.
Anyone who has concerns about the Phone Protection Agency should contact the trading standards team on 01437 764551 or by email at [email protected]">[email protected]