LBM Direct Marketing Complaints and Correspondence:
August 2006
This page represent some of the emails we've received
about LBM Direct
Marketing, almost all of which are complaints. You
can read the full story here.
1/8/06
- "C" wrote: Just had my first
call from LBM... I said I was at work and didn't
wish to take her call, and to her credit she was
polite but as she was saying goodbye... I had already
hung up. I am getting to the stage now, whether
on my landline or mobile, I don't answer the phone
when it rings. So these shallow specimens of products
from an agar dish are actually affecting my family
and friends.
Goodness knows how I will feel
if I actually do get an urgent/emergency call from
a loved one, and miss it, due to being fed up with
being harassed in my home/work through my telephone...
3/8/06
- "P" reported: I have just
started getting calls from the 08000 641 081 number.
The nuisance calls coincide with me buying a new
phone on the 02 network 3 weeks ago. I bought the
phone from e2save.com who i believe are somthing
to do with The Carphone Warehouse.
- "K" pointed out: On their
website LBM boast they work for the Daily Telegraph.
Corrct me if I am wrong but aren't the DT champions
of exposés of Rogue Traders. Has anyone contacted
them for their reaction?
4/8/06
- "T" gets called by "O2":
Received a number of missed calls. Finally managed
to grab the fone and the chap said he was Chris
from O2. Wanted to run through my details. I said
that your not actually O2 to which he said yes I
am. I mentioned that I found information on the
internet suggesting otherwise to which he got angry
and said "your clever and 1 step ahead of the
game". Then he just hung up. LBM seem such
pleasant people.
- "L" persuades LBM to stop calling..
only for others to try instead: I was being
bothered by LBM Direct Marketing continuously over
a 2 wk period then I followed advice on your site.
I mailed them and told them to take me off their
list etc etc. Now since then I've been getting
calls from different numbers: 08007831574. I don't
answer but out of curiosity as its free phone, I
ring back and my call goes straight away to the
only option which is to leave a voice message, which
I don't. The other number is 08000130051.
[Note: this last number belongs to a market
research company called "Consumer Lifestyles",
08007831574 seems to be Autobytel.. not LBM.]
7/8/06
- "N"'s story echoes that of many
others: I've been rung so far 3 times from
08000136662 and once from 08000510660, with 2 calls
being on the same day. I haven't answered in time
yet which is usual for me (the phones always on
silent at work). I googled the number to see who
I kept missing. Thank you for this site. I now know
what to expect and will be following your advice
on complaining.
8/8/06
- "J" vents her feelings: Nice
to see the internet works :) spent a while trying
to find the source of these calls from 08000136662.
been phoned a couple of times and havent phoned
back with all the scams going around, glad I didn't.
They phone me when I'm at work and then I get rapped
by the boss for using my phone. We need to put an
end to these as*holes for good. thanks for the help
i am now going to blast off at them.
9/8/06
- "Miss H" has a background in this
industry and shares her point of view: I
have been pestered regularly over the past week
by calls from this number.. 08000136662 on my mobile.
And as all other posts have described, the line
is closed as soon as I answer the call. This spate
of calls is definitely outside of the legal allowance
set by OFCOM. I have registered a complaint with
OFCOM on this matter and also have e-mailed the
LBM address (I do not wish to pay in order to cancel
marketing calls I never requested in the first place!)
My landline is already registered with TPS and I
have NEVER had 0800 numbers call my mobile in the
past at all and have never given my number out on
the internet to any marketing sources either. However,
I have now also registered my mobile with TPS.
- "J" tells us that LBM has a new
client: This lot are now using Endowment Compensation or ECA from 0800 641 081 and 0161 217 8400. I have reported them to Ofcom and gave your page a mention. Thanks for the information.
10/8/06
- "C" shares his experience of these
nuisance calls: For the last year I've been
receiving phone calls from the infamous LBM. Albeit,
I only started checking online recently to see who
these calls were coming from. Because I have
caller ID I've just been ignoring any number I don't
know but this is now becoming a joke. They
call me several times a day, morning, noon and night
up to 8pm.
- "K" shares her frustration:
I have had several calls from the "08000
641081" number and would like some help in
stopping this number from calling as it is a nuisance
when i am at work and my phone keeps going off.
11/8/06
- "L"'s experiences echo those of
many others: Its very very annoying to be
honest. They keep ringing nearly every 2 hours and
i'm getting sick of it!
- In response to a Manchester
Evening News Article, David Hickson comments:
Great for jobs. Unfortunately I have had
to report both Sky and LBM to Ofcom as being amongst
the many companies responsible for the Silent Calls
that we receive at home. Silent Calls occur when
more automatically dialled calls are answered than
there are agents available to handle them. I hope
that sufficient people will be employed to fulfil
this contract so that no Silent Calls are made.
I also hope that Ofcom will shortly take action
to require LBM to cease its practice of hanging
up in silence when it wrongly believes that a call
has been answered by a machine.
16/8/06
- "J" also says that she's TPS registered,
but gets LBM calls in any case: I have just
read your article about LBM whilst looking up one
of their telephone numbers; and yes, I have been
pestered many times in one day, every day, for the
past 9 months or so despite registering with TPS.
As I work nights this is really, very, very infuriating.
One of the numbers is 08000 641 081 but there are
others.
- "N" was concerned about banking
security: Today I received a call from someone
who said she was doing a survey on behalf of LloydsTSB.
She knew my name - not surprising, as I do
have an account with LloydsTSB. I agreed to
do the survey. She started by asking for my
postcode and date of birth, "for security purposes".
I refused to tell her, and pointed out that
I had no evidence that she was really from LloydsTSB.
She put the phone down.
I dialled 1471,
and was surprised to find that the number was not
withheld, it was 08000641081. I reported the
incident to the real LLoydsTSB, who sounded genuinely
interested, and promised to investigate.
Note
that Lloyds TSB do actually appear to be a client
of LBM, but isn't this the sort of thing they warn
you about?
- "S" gets charged for receiving
these calls (presumably roaming charges): I
have been called by this number 08000510660
three times altogether now in the past couple
of weeks. The first time i answered and was cut
off i was charged £1 the second time
i inadvertantly answered and again was charged £1,
the third time recieved today but the call went
to voice mail, not sure if i was charged this time.
All the calls have been to my pays a you go mobile
phone.
17/8/06
- "M" suggests: I have
been receiving these phone calls for quite a while
but never answered, and thanks to your website I
now know who they are from and that I have not missed
anything. Whilst reading all these articles I have
had a thought,,,, Does it not cost LBM money when
people phone the 0800 numbers back? Maybe encouraging
people to phone the 0800 numbers from a pay phone
would cost LBM so much money that they would change
their ways.
18/8/06
- "C" is another person who has suffered
from the "silent call with laughter":
Hi, thought I'd email you just
to let you know that I, too, have received an annoying
"Silent Call" from your good friends LBM
Direct. You could call it an "Abandoned Call"
call actually, as I will detail.
I recieved
the phone call on my landline phone (on August 18th),
I picked up the reciever, said hello three times,
and after the third time I heard a girl's voice
laugh and hang up. I called 1471, and the number
of the caller was:
08000641081
I thought
this was odd as it was an 08000 number, so rather
than call them back, I looked it up on the internet.
This is how I found your site (by typing their number
into Google) - and, boy, am I glad I did. Turns
out, as you will know, many people have recieved
such calls from this and other numbers, but I was
amazed at how often people get the sound of someone
laughing and hanging up. That's not only a scam
(to get you to call back), it's harrassment if you
ask me. Thankfully, I didn't call the number back
Honestly,
I'm fuming. I'm currently logging my complaint with
Offcom, and if I hear from them again, I shall be
emailing enquiries@lbm.co.uk and contacting
TPS. Mainly it angers me as these people aren't
just scamming you, they are taking great delight
in the fact that you are standing there saying "hello"
multiple times. It's cruel.
I would really
like to thank you for the information provided on
your site, and for keeping it updated with other
people's stories and with ways to combat it. It's
a real comfort knowing I'm not the only one who
has been bothered by these people.
- "N" had a rather sinister experience
with someone claiming to be from O2, but actually
working from an LBM call centre:
I can
now include myself in your merry band of phantom
call receivers.
Having been home sick today
I have received 7 calls today, 6 from the silent
and deadly phantom (0800 0130051) and 1 from a lady
claiming to be calling from O2. (LBM in sheep's
clothing)
I'm sorry but if someone is claiming
to be from the company that you only just recently
cancelled a contract with, you expect them to already
have your details on file.
Name: Correct Tel:
Correct (Land line only) No clue on old mobile
cancelled 2 days ago Address: No clue Previous
Contract details: No clue My O2 customer
No. : No clue (but asked me, I stated
that if she was from O2, she would have that) Password:
Asked for it, informed her that O2 state on
their website that they would never ask for that
21/8/06
- "R" voices her frustration: Ever
since I got my new mobile, I keep getting
spam calls from a 020 number on your list saying
'Hello, can Mr. smith please check in and collect
your contacts' it was a womans voice. At first I thought
it was a wrong number, but they left me 10 voicemails
a day and they only rang for 2 beeps. It had to
be a computer, nobody could speak that fast.
Also,
our house phone keeps getting calls from a 08000
number from your list. Our family are at the end
of our tether. They ring 3 times in 2 hours and
when I do answer, it goes dead. Once a man
answered saying he works for NTL, which I know
he didn't because whenever NTL contact us they
are friendly and call us by our family name.
This man seemed lousy and annoyed, and offered an
upgrade.. but this upgrade didn't not exist because we
called NTL.
23/8/06
- "J" is another TPS registered recipient
of LBM's calls: I have received a number
of silent calls from LBM on their 08000641081 number
and to-day received a call from Danielle at Sky
on their 01612178400 number. I told her she
was ringing from LBM and she asked what that firm
did and who they were and again said she was from
Sky. At this point I put the phone down and
have sent a complaint to the Information Commissioners
as I have been registered with the TPS for quite
a few years. Thanks very much for your extremely
helpful website.
24/8/06
- "S" gets his revenge: Thanks
for your website. I've been getting silent calls
from LBM several times a day for the last fortnight,
on the home landline. I find that it's theraputic
to sit and repeatedly dial the 0800 number back
if you have a bit of time on your hands.
25/8/06
- "L" says: I have been receiving
telephone calls from 08000641081 for the past couple
of weeks. Everytime I answer ( or my daughter answers
) there is no-one there and after a few seconds
the line goes dead. This happens several times a
day and I have never actually spoken to anyone.
My daughter get quite concerned everytime it happens
when she answers.
- "D" has taken action against LBM:
I’m receiving calls on the following number:
08000136662.I have registered a complaint with all
those you recommmend on your dedicated website.
- "K" is brief and to the point:
I've just received a call from 08000 641081.
They hung up before I could answer.
29/8/06
- "M" says: I have been receiving
these 'silent' calls for weeks and was loathed to
dial a 'local' rate number and therefore earn LBM
some money, am TPS Registered and have now e-mailed
the enquiries e-mail you have most thoughtfully
supplied. Lets see what happens, eh!
- "B" reports: Just emailing
to say I've had 3 calls from 08000641081 in the
past two weeks all of which have been silent and
ended when I've answered, very annoying!
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