Anti-cold call service opens

A NEW service which promises to stop the majority of firms from cold-calling you has launched after a delay.

You can now log on to www.pacitel.fr to list the numbers on which you do not want to receive cold marketing calls.

The service, which hit technical problems after initially being supposed to launch in July, will not however be operational in terms of stopping calls until December 1.

Five federations representing 80% of firms which market over the telephone are said to have agreed to abide by the arrangement.

This means Pacitel will “limit the vast majority” of calls, said Pacitel president Natalie Jouen Arzur, however it will not stop them completely.

It will not however stop firms you have dealings with normally from contacting you – your mobile phone company, your bank etc.

Commerce Minister Frédéric Lefebvre said: “The federations understand that cold-calling can be counterproductive; it’s pointless to bother consumers who don’t want to be disturbed.”