Barclaycard fined £50,000 for “silent” calls

by Gill Montia

Story link: Barclaycard fined £50,000 for “silent” calls

Ofcom has fined Barclaycard £50,000 for making “silent” calls to its customers.

The calls emanate from automated dialling systems that generate more calls than staff can handle, with the result that when a customer answers the phone, the line is silent.

At best such calls are a nuisance and at worst they can cause alarm to people who suspect there is some malicious intent.

The telecoms watchdog said the credit card provider’s case was the worst of its type so far investigated.

According to Ofcom rules, companies using automated calls are only excused 3% of silent calls in any 24 hour period and each call must provide a recorded message identifying its source.

Ofcom has not revealed Barclaycard’s silent call rate but did state that if it had not been limited by a statutory maximum, the company’s fine would have been higher.

An investigation took place between October 2006 and May 2007, after which Barclaycard had two months to file its defence.

The company has now issued a full apology to its customers.