TPS signs up 60 per cent of UK phone users

Over 60 per cent of UK households and more than 55 per cent of businesses have registered telephone numbers with the Telephone Preference Service in order to block unwanted sales calls.

This means that around three out of five unchecked sales or marketing phone calls to consumers or businesses will now be to a TPS or CTPS registered number.

Businesses using the telemarketing without checking numbers against the TPS and CTPS registers first are now more likely to call registered numbers than unregistered phone numbers.

If reported, the caller could face legal action and even a GBP5,000 fine, so businesses are being urged to check phone numbers first before they make a call.

To help, the TPS offers 1check, a low-cost online checking service for individual numbers, and free Easycheck software to help businesses check whole lists against the Corporate and Telephone Preference Services from their PC.

The UK Telephone Preference Service is a central register of consumers who have chosen not to receive unsolicited sales and marketing phone calls, or cold calls.

Consumers can register with the TPS free of charge.

Businesses can also register their telephone numbers with the Corporate Telephone Preference Service.

If you call a TPS registered number on an unsolicited basis, you'll be in breach of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, which states it is unlawful to make unsolicited direct marketing calls to individuals who have indicated that they do not want to receive such calls.

If found to be in breach of these regulations, your business could face legal action and even a GBP5,000 fine.

The 1check service enables you to check for TPS and CTPS registered phone numbers online, before you call.

You can check as many numbers as you like, for the same fixed monthly subscription fee of just GBP10 plus VAT.

You can subscribe online now, and once registered start checking numbers today.

If you have a larger list of numbers you'd like to check against the TPS register, use the unique Easycheck list cleaning service.

Just download the free Easycheck software and you can check your lists against the TPS, CTPS, and MPS registers, check for gone aways and bereavements, and even dedupe multiple lists.

Both 1check and Easycheck are provided by www.selectabase.co.uk, leading UK independent data cleaning and marketing list providers, and members of the Direct Marketing Association.

Back to top