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TV
Company asks to Dine with you!
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BON APPETIT
Unreasonable
to comply with Ofcom plans on silent calls, say Debt Collectors
ON 25 January
2006 AGA Public Relations sent out a press release that highlited
what debt collectors say are "Unreasonable Proposals from
telecoms watchdog Ofcom" The proposals are to crack down on
so-called “silent calls” from automated power diallers in call
centres, may leave Debt Collectors in breach of the law, according
to The Credit Services Association (CSA), which represents the UK
debt collection industry.
“Silent calls” arise when a call is automatically generated
by predictive dialling equipment but, when answered by the
recipient, there is no operator available at the time of connection,
and the line is silent. The proposed legislation, which presupposes
that the sources of silent calls are direct marketing companies,
number scanning and financial services (especially debt recovery)
will oblige these companies to allow people to call 1471 to identify
who has called them and play a recorded message explaining the
nature of their inquiry.
Although this aims to appease consumers who are left answering a
dead line when there are insufficient call centre operatives to man
the thousands of outbound calls generated by automated dialling, it
leaves some companies, and debt collectors in particular, in a
quandary, as Kurt Obermaier, executive director of the CSA,
explains:- “According to the Data Protection Act and the
Office of Fair Trading guidelines on Debt Collection, we are not
permitted to disclose to people who live with a debtor, via a
recorded message, that he or she is being chased for payment. Most
often, collection companies already have a relationship with a
debtor they are managing and it is therefore ludicrous that they
should be treated in the same way as marketing companies, who have
an entirely different scattergun approach and sales-focused aim. We
are not cold calling.”
The CSA issued guidelines to its members in June 2005, which clearly
set out the way in which predictive dialling systems should be used
in the industry in order to minimise the number of abandoned calls.
Mr Obermaier continues:- “We are very happy for Ofcom to give
sensible guidance to the debt collection industry, but we cannot
support the introduction of laws that get used and abused. The
industry can work within a self-regulatory framework, but following
the guidance of Ofcom, the regulator."
What do you our readers think? |
Merseyside and Lancashire pubs are set to benefit from a £4 million
sparkle
THE UK’s
largest pub company, Punch Taverns, has committed to invest in up to
40 pubs across the region during its financial year which ends this
August.
In the first quarter the company has spent hundreds of thousands of
pounds on 31 schemes, which includes £323,000 at the Fox & Goose,
Southport.
Not only has the focus been on improving facilities and customer
choice but in many cases developing the food offer, as increasing
numbers of consumers look to their local not only to enjoy a quality
pint but a meal too.
Regional operations director, Mark Chapman, said:- "We are
committed to ensuring our estate is second to none when it comes to
the quality of amenities for customers and increasingly this
includes providing a first class food offer.
“Working closely with our retailers in the area, the North West will
continue to be an important focal point for investment in our pubs.”
The Fox & Goose now boasts a brighter new look and is Southport’s
premier venue specialising in live entertainment.
Other completed
developments in Southport include the Rabbit Inn on Manchester Road
which has had a £107,000 transformation.
According to Mark, there are lots more pubs like these just waiting
for the right person to take the helm.
He added:- “In addition to investing in our pubs, we are
always on the look out for new talent to run them and would be
delighted to hear from local entrepreneurs with lots of enthusiasm
and a flair for running their own business.”
Punch Taverns operates around 500 pubs in the region, which includes
Liverpool, Preston, Blackpool, Wigan, Kendal and the south lakes and
has 9,600 nationwide.
Anyone who would like further information about running their own
pub business should visit
www.punchtaverns.com
and click on ‘apply for a pub’.
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