[Gllug] Odd phone calls

[Harry Jackson]

> +6692023583 and +6617516538 (Thailand international codes)
> claiming to be in
> Beijing asking me whether I am interested in investing in
> stocks and shares.
> (Answer NO.) Is everyone getting this sort of thing?

I have had people phone me from Canada asking if I wanted to buy
lottery tickets blah blah.

What really pissed me off though was a call a couple of days ago asking
me if I would like new windows. I asked where they got my details and
they said that they had bought it as a database from a company. I
imagine I have missed the little check box on some form or other that I
have signed and will now be receiving several calls. 

I consider this stuff as harrasment but there is nothing that I can do
about it and there is also nothing I can do to stop it which really
gets my goat. I wish that there was a database that you could put your
national insurance number in that meant that even if you happened to
miss the little check box*[1] that you would never be bothered again.

I also got a text from O2 asking me to play some text game which of
course costs me money. This is now being recognised as unsolicited
messaging so I wrote them a letter which went something like this


You = O2
I   = Harold Jackson
My Phone number = xxxxxxxxxxxx.
message = text message via my mobile phone.
advertisement = text message via my mobile phone.


Up until now I have not knowingly signed or orally agreed with you any
statement agreeing the use of my phone to be used by you for any
purpose. 

I have received several text messages from you asking me to subscribe
to your services. Since I neither know you or have had any dialogue
with you that would warrant these text messages, I must conclude that
you wish to enter into some form of contract with me. Otherwise they
could be considered as a breach of my privacy in accordance with
current laws in the UK (Otherwise they would be unsolicited messages
and probably illegal).

I own the phone for my friends and family to contact me and for me to
contact them therefore your use of my phone as another advertising
medium costs me money in the time that it takes me from my normal work
and the time it takes to read them therefore to recuperate some of my
losses the following terms will apply for any further text messages
sent to my number. 

In future for each message that you would like me to read via my mobile
phone I will bill you £250 UKP. The service that I will provide to you
will be a letter to your company confirming that I received the message
and what I thought of the message. It will not be an exhaustive
dissemination of the text message if you require extra services I can
be contacted via my email address and we can renegotiate rates and
terms. An invoice for the amount specified above will accompany the
letter. 

Please feel free to enquire about services that I can provide using
this email address.

Yours Sincerely
Harry Jackson.


Well I got a reply in a word document (I should have sent another reply
saying that I do not use windows but I didnt because I do) that went
something like this:-


Mobile Telephone Number: xxxxxxxxxx 

postituk at yahoo.com 

3 August, 2002 

Dear Mr Jackson 

Thank you for your recent email regarding the promotional text messages
sent by O2 to your mobile telephone. 

Please accept this email as confirmation that I have arranged for no
further promotional text messages to be sent to your mobile from O2. 

I hope this is satisfactory but, should you have any further queries,
please do not hesitate to contact us. 


Yours sincerely 
John Moran
Correspondence Team
O2 Select



I have kept the email and am looking forward to them sending me a
message by mistake because I will bill them for the £250. 
<rant>
I have never had to deal with a company as bad in my life as BT and any
company ever spawned from it. The mere thought of them makes me cringe.
I would easily estimate that in man hours they have taken about 80 of
my life in one form or another. Unfortunately companies are protected
heavily by the government in this country or we might see a bit more
respect for the individual. 
</rant>


Harry.

1. which unless ticked means that you do not want anything.






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