Received a phone call today asking for me by name (wife answered It) from some outfit called BDI.

I asked where they had got my number from (I don't give It to anyone) I was told from one of his colleagues file.

I asked who they were and the fella (with an Irish accent) said they are an Investment Company.

Suspicions prompted my next question which was where are you phoning from?

Catalonia Spain came the reply.

I then said I was not Interested.

I think there was a TV programme sometime ago about such outfits cold calling from abroad.

Needless to say the programme was not very flattering!

Kayak - I have been registered with the Telephone Preference Service (and the Mail Preference Service for that matter) for years now. It doesn't always work. The problem is that this service is operated on a voluntary basis. Mailing companies actually have to buy the list of phone numbers from the service (or home addresses) of people who have asked not to be bothered in this way. Of course most companies don't bother to buy this list. And it is only the companies that subscribe to this voluntary service that you can complain about.

They also have a clever get out clause. If a company has you on their mailing list prior to you joining the preference service, then that company is still allowed to bother you since you count as an existing customer.

starfrog...my brother-in-law suggested the same and he puts them on loadspeaker and intermitantly says, won't be a second etc....what a laugh!
loving the premium call idea.

Starfrog, it is illegal for companies to contact you if your number is on the exclusion list. In my experience the only people who ignore the rule are foreign companies. The registration only lasts a number of years though so it might be that yours has lapsed. You are right about companies who view you as a customer though.

You can check whether your telephone number is on the exclusion list:

http://www.numbercheck.co.uk/

(you need to register but it's free)