Brighton firm fined £200k for making 1.7 million nuisance calls

It's OK Ltd made 1,752,149 unlawful nuisance calls

A white goods company in Brighton has been fined £200,000 for a "sustained and exploitative campaign" of nuisance calls.

It's OK Ltd made 1,752,149 calls to people registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said.

The offences took place between 1 July 2019 and 1 June 2020.

Evidence suggests elderly people were deliberately targeted, the ICO said.

It is against the law to make marketing calls to anyone who is registered with the TPS, unless they have told the specific organisation that they do not object to receiving calls from them, the ICO added.

Complaints received by the ICO suggested It's OK Ltd attempted to mislead individuals by telling them their white good warranties had expired and encouraged them to pay for services they may not have needed.

'Shameful behaviour'

Across the 11-month period, the firm averaged more than three unlawful calls every minute.

Andy Curry, ICO head of investigations, said: "The actions of this company represented a sustained and exploitative campaign potentially targeting the most vulnerable.

"Pressure tactics, misleading statements and contacting individuals who are registered on the TPS is shameful behaviour."

In one complaint, a customer said his 82-year-old mother was "bamboozled" into paying £194 for an extended warranty on her 10-year-old washing machine.

It's OK Ltd has been approached for comment.

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