Phone Polling: Calls are now easier to detect thanks to forced numbers

If a number starting with 06 or 07, reserved for mobile phones, or 01 to 05 (associated with geographic location) is trying to reach you, fear no more! It won’t be a phone call to sell you a new product or service. From January 1, commercial platforms must only query you using 09 followed by 37, 38, or 39, in accordance with the new national numbering plan set by Arcep, the telecommunications regulator.

The commitment, which aims to “better protect users against abuse and fraud, with the creation of this new category of numbers in 09, the commercial nature of which can thus be clearly identified”, provides the website service-public.fr.

Prohibited Practice under CPF

“It helps identify direct sellers,” said Mathieu Robin, deputy director of research for the consumer association UFC-Que Choisir. These numbers in 09 can also be used by companies in customer relations to signal, for example, the delivery of parcels, the arrival of a VTK driver, etc.

From March, cold calls will be even more regulated. Platforms will only be able to query you from Monday to Friday, from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 20:00. The specialist will be prohibited from contacting the same consumer more than four times a month. And if in a conversation you refuse to campaign, he will not be able to try to call you back for 60 days.

Another new feature at the beginning of the year: despite numerous abuses, commercial intelligence (by phone, SMS, email or social media) within a personal training account (CPF) is now prohibited.

“These new rules are far from sufficient”

There are so many measures that should help in the fight against offensive campaigning. “There are achievements, but these new rules are far from enough,” Mathieu Robin of the UFC-Que Choisir laments. The association advocates that this practice be strictly prohibited in all sectors, unless the individual has made an explicit request to be recruited.

“Unlike other European countries such as Germany, in France we believe that the consumer is supposed to give consent,” he continues. However, this not only affects his peace of mind, but can also push him to choose an offer that does not suit his needs. It is also an attack on competition. Thus, this is an important issue that presents a real problem, although the controversy is still numerous. »