Icon: enlarge
Assistance against unauthorized telephone advertising: "With emphasis against the polluters"
Photo: Oliver Berg / DPA
They are a nuisance, but are still widespread: In 2020, the Federal Network Agency received more consumer complaints than ever before about telephone advertising.
63,273 written complaints about unauthorized advertising calls had been registered, around 9,000 more than in 2019, the authority said.
And the authority also apparently followed up on the complaints: "Investigations have been initiated against numerous companies," it says.
However, the network agency only imposed fines on 17 companies - totaling almost 1.4 million euros.
However, the President of the Federal Network Agency, Jochen Homann, promised: "We will continue to take vigorous action against those responsible."
Trust on the phone is stolen
Just last week, the authorities fined the Cell it! Call center for unauthorized telephone advertising of more than 145,000 euros.
imposed, which, on behalf of Mobilcom-debitel, sold, among other things, subscriptions to audio books and magazines or third-party mobile phone insurance to the mobile operator's customers.
The company had also taken on the acquisition of new customers for the pay-TV provider Sky, but it put customers under massive pressure.
Overall, according to the Federal Network Agency, consumers in 2020 complained in particular about unwanted offers on insurance, financial and energy supply products.
Even "aggressively advertised magazine subscriptions" caused trouble.
According to the information, consumers were increasingly "slipped" contracts during the conversation or afterwards.
Some callers "intimidated their interlocutors with aggressive abuse and covered them with dozen of calls," it said.
"In other cases, the callers systematically disguised the identity of their clients or even acted as representatives of the authorities in order to gain the trust of those called."
Anyone who receives advertising calls without consent can complain here.
Icon: The mirror
apr / AFP
