Letters: Cold-callers are out of control in France

To the Editor,

As a consequence of receiving innumerable telemarketing calls, I have resorted to the following:


• I no longer use a landline so that I can benefit from the facilities available on a smartphone. 
• I have anti-spam software to try to identify potential spam and telemarketing calls.
• I do not answer calls from numbers that are not already in my address book.
• My answer phone message states the latter and that it is imperative to leave a message.
• I block all numbers that I identify or strongly suspect as being telemarketing.
• I report all numbers that I believe to be suspect.

I have resorted to these measures through frustration of the sheer quantity of nuisance calls and have had to accept the unfortunate potential consequence that I may miss a significantly important genuine call.

Name withheld, by email

Read more: Explainer: When and by whom can you be cold-called in France?

To the Editor,

I was really surprised to read in your November online article on the subject that Nadia Ziane of Familles Rurales Association says ‘the existing systems put in place to reduce and limit marketing calls - including the Bloctel list and strict rules and hours on phone calls - had “not really” changed anything.’ 

Tips to limit cold calls to your home in France

For me, the introduction of compulsory telephone prefixes for cold-calling has changed everything. I still receive two or three such calls each day, but keep the list of prefixes by the phone so that I can safely ignore them.

Apart from occasionally getting caught out by unscrupulous companies using Belgian phone numbers, I consider this to be one of the best actions the French government ever took.

Catherine Dekker, by email

Read more: France’s anti-nuisance calls service Bloctel breaks down 

To the Editor,

We are on the Bloctel list to ban all cold calls, but it just does not work.

We get on average six or seven calls a day during the times allowed.

The way we deal with them is using an answer machine which displays the caller ID.

All our friends’ and family’s telephone numbers are entered into the memory using the name and not the number. Plus possible call numbers such as doctor, hospital and other specialist numbers.

If a call is displayed with a number then we just ignore it and it goes to the answer phone after four rings. 99% of the time the caller then breaks the call and does not leave a message.

If it is someone ringing us that has our number and it is not yet programmed into the telephone they have been told to leave an answer phone message the first time they ring and we will call them back. No message, no call back.

The list of numbers used by the marketing companies is pinned next to the telephone and is helpful.

However, if the law is changed to presumed opt out, instead of opt in, then that would probably solve the problem. 

But one will then have to be very vigilant for hidden or minuscule tick boxes opting you in when buying anything online or signing orders

Malcolm Hicks, by email

Read more: ‘Just speak English’: readers’ tips on tackling cold calls in France 

To the Editor,

Regarding cold callers, I used to get around three or four per day, sometimes more.

I became so fed up with them that I bought a set of (Panasonic) cordless phones from the UK that can block callers simply by inputting the first 2 numbers, i.e; 03, 04, 05 etc. 

You can also block callers by using the first 3 or 4 numbers, it's very flexible and really does work.

The numbers still show in the caller history, but they don't get through. Wonderful.

As for my French mobile number, that's another story.

Les Windeler, by email

What is your experience of cold calling in France? Share your experience at letters@connexionfrance.com