I get about one SMS every 3 days from Nedbank trying to get me to buy/win/participate in something or other, and fairly regular phone calls, not to mention the junk post as well.
I don’t really mind email spam that much, as the vast majority goes straight to my junk folder, if it even reaches me. There are tools for filtering it out.
However, there are no tools for filtering out junk phone calls from private numbers, nor unclogging my letterbox.
Private numbers are an idiotic idea, the equivalent of someone knocking on your door wearing a balaclava. Sure, I’d want to open up and let them in.
Unfortunately there are some people using private numbers I do want to listen to (mostly blaming their cellphone routing software), but most often it’s a junk call. Some advice to businesses – if you want people to answer the phone (and in a tone that isn’t already defensive), don’t hide behind a private number.
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- FNB’s great new site
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- FNB Internet Banking
- Crime Story 2 (don’t ask)
- Pick ‘n Pay Go Banking it is
- 20Twenty, the obituary
- 20Twenty Negotiations continue
- 20Twenty no more, take 2
- 20Twenty no more
- Icanonline shutting down
Tags: Nedbank spam private numbers
One of the advantages of living in the UK is the level of protection afforded to people who don’t want to be contacted. The Direct Marketing Association has both the Telephone and Mailing Preference services- if you are signed up and someone contacts you with an unsolicited offer, there are consequences. If you use a company, you always have the explicit right not to receive further marketing details from them or to have your details passed to anyone else. You have to be on the Electoral Roll to vote but can have your name edited from the commercially available version of the register. If you get a marketing text, you simply reply STOP. The Data Protection Act is one of the finer achievements of the nanny state.
And anything that is not targeted and just gets put through the door gets composted or recycled….since the average response to unsolicited/non-targeted marketing campaigns here is around 0.01%, it adds up to a LOT of wasted paper over which people have limited control. Royal Mail allows you to withdraw from ‘junk mail’ it is paid to deliver, but lots more comes in with the free paper and from local pizza delivery places. I’m not sufficiently dedicated to put ‘no unsolicited mail’ on my front door, but there may come a time…