Anyone had a slightly odd phone call from Compass recently?

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dmshimself

41 posts

Geek

#87161 21-Jul-2011 17:31

I got a call this afternoon from someone at Compass saying they had upgraded my exchange and I was entitled to an automatic rebate on my phone and broadband. Hummmm ... when pressed they didn't know which supplier I was with, what my service was or even where I was, so initially I took it to be a scam. However their number wasn't blocked and it certainly was from Compass but their 'script' was almost designed to make me suspicious. Lovely scottish lady at the end of thephone, but I wonder if anyone else had one of these lately or knows what the pitch is?

(We have been flooded again recently with calls from the Microsoft Windows Centre recently, so I'm just naturally cautious!)

NonprayingMantis

6434 posts

Uber Geek

#496361 21-Jul-2011 18:35

it's pretty common. it;s a process known as slamming.
I've heard various stories such as the person claiming that the customer could now get Fibre (they purposely confused FTTH with FTTN - which the customer already had) or claiming to be from their own provider (as in your example).

pretty sneaky, and IMO should be reported to the comcom.

plenty of threads on here about it, and slngshot/callplus seem to be the worst (judging b the volume of those threads)

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skyplonk

439 posts

Ultimate Geek

#496371 21-Jul-2011 19:15

It is not slamming. Slamming is when you are switched from one provider to another without your permission or knowledge.

This sounds more like trying to sell unbundled DSL services, hence the "upgraded exchange" comment.

NonprayingMantis

6434 posts

Uber Geek

#496378 21-Jul-2011 19:28

skyplonk: It is not slamming. Slamming is when you are switched from one provider to another without your permission or knowledge.

This sounds more like trying to sell unbundled DSL services, hence the "upgraded exchange" comment.

"automatic rebate" implies that they are calling from your current provider. Clearly that was not really the case,but had the person accepted, thinking they were just getting a refund from their current provider, they would have been signing up to compass without actually giving permission. IOW, the caller is trying to confuse the person into accidentally switching providers when they don't really want to. Hence: slamming.

(unless I have misread the situation and the OP is already with compass, in which case you are correct)

dmshimself

41 posts

Geek

#496814 22-Jul-2011 16:38

I'm not with Compass and I am happy with my current supplier. My concern was/is that anyone a less suspicious attitude could easily have jumped on the rebate word and got dragged into the wrong sort of conversion. Perhaps that concern is justified. It might have been a one of off course, so at this point I'd not think of complaining to anyone, just highlighting it.

But if anyone else hears of the same thing happening, I'd be more than happy to wave a red flag where needed.