Some evil nasty cold callers  who want to sell us windows and doors have been on the phone for a third time. Previously they have been cagey and haven’t given away any information that could identify them, except the name “Status”. They always claim to have made an appointment with the homeowner (that’s me) to call (which is a lie) but can never say who arranged the appointment because it’s “not on the file” (probably the only true thing in the conversation).

We’re listed at the Telephone Preference Service so this kind of call shouldn’t be arriving in the first place. However, the TPS gives very little recourse to subscribers when companies ignore it and call anyway.

Tonight I thought I’d got somewhere by feigning interest and getting a phone number out of them while I have a think about whether to replace our windows. That’s one piece of information I can access to make a start on finding out who they are. I was so surprised to get an answer straight away that I didn’t bother to gather anything else.

The number is for the regional branch of a well-known national children’s charity.