When they keep contacting you anyway.

1. Tell the organisation, and keep a record

Start with the organisation itself. Ofcom says a company making a live marketing call must tell you who they are and give you a contact number, and must stop calling if you ask them to. The ICO says organisations cannot refuse if you object to them using your personal information for direct marketing.

You can make that request verbally or in writing. The ICO recommends following up a verbal request in writing, so you can prove what you asked for. There is a letter you can adapt in the data removal guide.

Then keep a short note each time the contact happens again:

• the organisation’s name, if you know it
• the number that called or sent the text
• the date and time
• how often it has happened
• the date you asked them to stop

TPS and Ofcom both ask for details like these.

2. Report marketing calls, texts and emails to the ICO

The ICO has two online reports. One covers spam texts and cold calls, whether the call played a recorded voice or came from a real person. The other covers spam emails.

The ICO says the calls and texts report takes about 5 minutes. You do not have to answer every question, but it asks for as much information as you can give. Ofcom’s guidance says you can also call the ICO on 0303 123 1113, and that for a spam text you should forward the message to 7726 first, then report it to the ICO. The phone calls guide covers 7726.

What happens next: the ICO says it will use what you send to investigate and take action against those responsible, and you should not expect a personal reply. For spam emails it says it is unlikely to contact you again, unless it needs further information to help with its investigations.

3. Complain to TPS about sales calls after you registered

The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and CTPS offer a free complaint service. TPS says all of the following must apply:

• your number has already been registered with TPS or CTPS for 28 days or more
• the call was a live unsolicited direct marketing call, in which you had a live conversation with a caller who tried to sell or market a product or service
• you have the organisation’s name or telephone number, or both, and the date and time of the call
• you consent to TPS giving some information, your name and telephone number, to the company you are complaining about

If any of these does not apply, TPS says it may be unable to accept or investigate the complaint. A recorded-message call does not fit this route, so report it to the ICO instead.

What happens next: TPS says it acts on every complaint it receives. It contacts the company and asks why they phoned you, reminds them of their legal obligations and asks them to add your number to their own ‘Do Not Call’ list. TPS reports all complaint information to the ICO, which is the body that takes enforcement action. Registering in the first place is covered in the phone calls guide.

4. Report silent and abandoned calls to Ofcom

Ofcom describes an abandoned call as one where the phone rings but the call ends when you pick up, or you hear an information message instead of a person. A silent call is one where you hear nothing and cannot tell whether anyone is there. Ofcom says most are caused by automated dialling systems in call centres, not deliberate targeting.

1. Try to identify the caller

   Ofcom says companies using diallers must display a number. On a landline you can try dialling 1471 after the call.

2. Note the details

   Write down the number, the time and how often you are called.

3. If you cannot tell who it is

   Call your phone company, who will tell you what to do next.

4. Report persistent calls

   Use the online route on Ofcom’s page or call 0300 123 3333. Ofcom asks for as much as you can give: the name and number of the caller, how many times they have called and how long the calls have been going on.

What happens next: Ofcom says it monitors complaints about abandoned and silent calls and can launch an investigation if it believes a caller is not following the law. Where an organisation repeatedly makes these calls, Ofcom may take enforcement action, including fining them up to £2 million.

5. When it is a data protection complaint

If you objected to an organisation using your personal information for direct marketing and the marketing carried on, the route is different. The ICO’s guidance on the right to object says you should first make a data protection complaint to the organisation and give it the opportunity to resolve the matter.

• Say clearly that it is a data protection complaint, and follow the organisation’s own complaints process if it has one.
• The organisation has 30 days to acknowledge your complaint, starting the day after it receives it. That is an acknowledgement, not a resolution.
• It must keep you informed and give you an outcome without an unjustifiable or excessive delay. The ICO says the law does not set a specific time limit for the outcome.

If you remain dissatisfied, you can complain to the ICO. It says you can do so at any point, but recommends letting the organisation finish its complaints process first. Before you start, the ICO says you will need:

• an email address for the organisation
• a copy of the complaint you made to the organisation
• a copy of your request, if you made one
• any supporting information about the harm you experienced

If it feels like more than marketing

A call or message asking for money, codes or personal details is a different problem from persistent marketing. Use our scam help page instead of the routes above.

Related guides

• Get off the lists behind the lists. Use official privacy routes to reduce how widely your contact details are shared.
• Ask where they got your details. How to ask an organisation what it holds about you and where it came from, how long it has to answer and what to do with the reply.
• Make your phone yours again. Register your number, screen unwanted calls and keep the people you want to hear from within reach.
• Fewer texts you never asked for. Know when replying STOP is the right move, when to forward a text to 7726 instead, and how to filter unknown senders on your phone.