Forum Topic

Spam call re washing machine warranty cover

I just had a call from the following number: 0121 790 0266 It was a VERY convincing call claiming to be from Whirlpool offering a really good price for washing machine cover and promising to be out within 24 hours if I needed a repair. Far better than domestic and general!I looked up whirlpool's website and only when I tried to clarify part of the policy did they admit to being a third party company. I said that was fine, but could they give me details of their company so I could check the details. At that point, they hung up. Beware......I am normally really aware of this type of scam, but this totally caught me out.

M Patience ● 2088d16 Comments

Wow- what scumbags these people are-

Helen Bamberger ● 2088d

I had a similar one from a company called Clear Drains who wanted me to renew my insurance cover with them. Once they started asking for bank details I told them that I didn't give information like that out over the phone and could they please send me the information in the post. Nothing has arrived in three weeks.

Chris Blackwell ● 2088d

Yes, we've had these many times and the person on the 'phone goes banging on about insurance for a manufacture of machine we haven't even got!

Vanessa Smith ● 2088d

With unsolicited calls it is always worth just putting the number into Google and seeing what that shows. The number that this post was called from comes up as negative/dangerous on several sites. The best thing to do is then just block it.

Bruce Hammal ● 2088d

Block it Blocking service Answer machine

Julian Pavey ● 2088d

I like the calls that tell me the warranty on my fridge freezer is about to expire. When I tell them I bought it second hand without a warranty they usually put the phone down.

Richard Greenhough ● 2087d

I had a scam call a couple of years ago claiming to be from my washing machine cover provider arranging to renew my contract.  I don't have any cover, so I told him that the washing machine had broken and the scrap man had taken it.  He rudely laughed and replied "well how do you wash your clothes then!".  My reply was "at the launderette".  He then gave up.  Possibly the only time I didn't swear at these scumbags.

Fran Queen ● 2087d

Had a few calls recently about a government boiler deal. They seemed to think I lived in Scotland or KT postcode area. Don’t know how people get such lists.

Vivienne Cox ● 2087d

A common feature of these calls, at least the ones I get, is that after you say 'Hello', there is a long pause before a voice launches into its lying gabble. I no longer engage with them, but simply put the phone down and bar the number.

Colin Jordan ● 2087d

Luckily its extremely rare I get these scam calls on my company mobile but when I receive them on my personal one or home number I just leave them hanging on until they give up as this wastes their time and hopefully really annoys them as well

Paul Fisher ● 2087d

Best one last week was a robot voice telling me that HMRC had a warrant out for my arrest due to fraud and that unless I pressed 1 to speak to an advisor immediately I would "Get arrested".Always listen out for a robot voice with bad grammar or an extended silence at the beginning of a call as this is a sure sign it is not legit.

Chris Blackwell ● 2087d

If you blow a cheap whistle down the line at them, their ears will ring for quite some time.If you give them a blast with a dog-whisle, you will hear a satisfyingg shriek of pain, some foul language and the sound of a headset being torn off. (The problem with a dog whistle, though, is it gets your dog wondering why you're calling it off the sofa).

Roger Talbot ● 2087d

I am second to none in my loathing of these spam calls but I think blaming the callers is easy but wrong.  Nobody with options would chose to work in a call centre and get sworn at, blasted with dog whistles etc.  My guess is that these people must be in desperate situations to do such work with probably very little pay.  I blame their bosses and an absence of regulation that allows this scamming to persist.

Alastair Banton ● 2086d

Yes, I once got into a conversation with a caller. I said it must be disheartening to do what he did and have the phone put down all the time. He ended up by asking me how, how, how could he get a job in England, but I couldn’t help there.

Vivienne Cox ● 2086d

I’m signed up for the telephone preference scheme , but I’m suddenly getting lots of calls. When they’re a robotic voice you can’t even respond.

Maggie Dodge ● 2086d

Just to mention that both the Telephone Preference Service and Mailing Preference Service will not hold your registrations indefinitely. You should receive a notice when your registration needs to be renewed, but if you are getting a sudden influx of calls or direct mail it is worth checking online that your details are up to date.Also both of these services work by passing your details to reputable companies who then are bound legally to ensure they do not contact you. (They have paid to be able to do this and they are regularly checked for compliance which has hefty penalties if they are in breach). Companies who do not sign up to this scheme however can use your data and contact you. This especially applies to organisations not based in the UK/EU or covered by UK/EU law.Finally, always take a moment to check what preferences you are signing up to when they pop up on websites. The law is that you now have to actively opt in to receive marketing information, but you should always choose to check what the settings are first. I've seen quite a few sites where the easy option is to accept all possible marketing options and if you're in a hurry to access a website you can end up signing up for promotions from third party companies without realising it.Hope that helps a bit!

Carolyn Valder ● 2086d