Telesales: Telephone operators sign up to AGCOM’s new code of conduct

Rome, Italy – To ensure maximum transparency for customers signing contracts over the phone and combat illegal and aggressive telesales practices. With these purposes in mind, telephone operators Fastweb, TIM, Vodafone and WindTre have today signed up to the Code of Conduct approved by the Italian Communications Authority (AGCOM) in August, which introduces important innovations starting from the strengthening of the duty to ensure that call centres can receive return calls from customers, in order to distinguish them from anyone fraudulently using non-contactable numbers to make sales-related offers.

In particular, the new code is inspired by principles of contract transparency and sets hiring rules for call centres, so that they fulfil quality and reliability requirements and comply with labour regulations. Furthermore, clear rules and verification tools are introduced for the management of contracts with customers.

In essence, the Code establishes the principles that must form the basis of contractual relationships between TLC operators and commercial partners involved in telesales activities and is an additional and effective consumer protection tool.

The process of drafting the Code of Conduct - launched as part of the initiative undertaken by the Authority - involved operators in the telecommunications sector and the main associations representing call centres.

The final text is the result of an intense and constructive discussion activity between operators, the Authority and trade associations, to protect consumers.

The AGCOM code is therefore an additional fraud prevention tool and complements existing ones, confirming the need to continue updating the response of institutions and operators.

By signing up to the Code, operators undertake to discuss, within a technical committee, the issues concerning any new risks of violation, to identify and define common strategies and initiatives to strengthen cooperation between operators and trade associations and other authorities involved. Furthermore, operators will provide the Authority with regular reports on the progress of spot checks on the correct implementation of the principles established by the code.