Call recording hardware

TNA

TNA

TNA

Caporegime
Joined
13 Mar 2008
Posts
31,039
Location
London
Been thinking for a while to get a call recorder for my land line after having issues with companies in the past few years where they do not want to honor what they promised during their sales pitch.

When it is time to renew my land line, internet, mobile etc, they call me up and the rep who offered me the good deal does not make the appropriate notes under the account. Then I end up having to later call back after realising more money has come out my account than it should have.

Past few years I have been taking note of time/date, name of caller and which department they calling from and what they offered etc. But it has not been enough. Had a problem with a company which I won't name, but they finally fixed the problem today. I had to however spend many 1 hour+ calls to get it sorted out over a long period of time.

I can't help but think, would a phone recording device solve this for me? To my knowledge if I tell them at the start of the call they are being recorded, it should be fine. Then I would have evidence and save myself a lot of hassle like this in the future.

What do you guys think? Maybe I am missing something. If you do think a recoding device attached directly into the land line is the way, do you know of any that record digitally onto sd card. I saw one, but it was £100+ but did look very good.

Thanks for your time.
 
I tend to just use my mobile to record calls at work, when necessary.

Don't most of these companies record your calls though? In which case you could ring up and ask them to review the call if they aren't honouring their price.
 
They are meant to. But I have been given too many excuses and feel like it is safer to just record them myself.

When you use your mobile, do you mean when receiving the call on your mobile or putting them on loud speaker on the phone and using the mobile recording software?

Damn I chose a poor title. Won't be getting too much eyeballs here. lol
 
Yeah I put them on loudspeaker and then record it.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you don't give these people enough attitude. It's worth being nice up to a point but eventually you have to put your foot down and tell them to sort it out, particularly when they come up with excuses. If there's more of a problem, insisit on being put onto the manager.

You could also email CEOs. We emailed one at work the other day and something that was said to take 8 weeks was done in 8 days!
 
Do you have to declare that you're recording calls for them to be admissible in court? I've been recording all my calls since having problems with my previous landlord and started every call by letting them know I was recording the conversation.
 
dirtychinchilla said:
Yeah I put them on loudspeaker and then record it.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you don't give these people enough attitude. It's worth being nice up to a point but eventually you have to put your foot down and tell them to sort it out, particularly when they come up with excuses. If there's more of a problem, insisit on being put onto the manager.

You could also email CEOs. We emailed one at work the other day and something that was said to take 8 weeks was done in 8 days!
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You know. That was the case until recently. Got to a point where I had enough and started giving attitude. In the previous call to the one which solved the issue, I even said I would take them to a small claims court. I am not going to back down purely on principle. I guess it worked. lol.

But still all those hours wasted.. If I had said, here is a recording, they would have just agreed there and then and saved me so much time.

Worst thing is, it is always the outsourced centers that don't resolve anything and waste my time, they keep going round in circles and don't even understand basic maths at times :(. When I speak to someone from a English speaking country, usually there are no problems. So hindsight I do think communication/poor note taking is the issue when it comes to my problems.

Thanks for that link OhEsEcks. I think it is prudent to let them know they are being recorded. This will probably stop an issue arising in the first place in some cases. Also there should not be a problem using it as evidence after, as you had consent. At least as I understand it :)
 
Consumer Advice forum (CAG) recommend the Trucall - not only can you link it to your PC to record calls, it also screens incoming calls to prevent cold-callers and blacklisted numbers.

Also, you have no legal obligation to inform people you are recording the call, in fact, you shouldn't as they will automatically be guarded in making any admissions.
I have personally used the Trucall to prove Lloyds TSB mis-sold a loan, enabling me to get the FOS to force them to drop £12k worth of debt and refund me £5k worth of bank charges, so it certainly pays for itself!
 
Dr F33lG00D said:
Consumer Advice forum (CAG) recommend the Trucall - not only can you link it to your PC to record calls, it also screens incoming calls to prevent cold-callers and blacklisted numbers.

Also, you have no legal obligation to inform people you are recording the call, in fact, you shouldn't as they will automatically be guarded in making any admissions.
I have personally used the Trucall to prove Lloyds TSB mis-sold a loan, enabling me to get the FOS to force them to drop £12k worth of debt and refund me £5k worth of bank charges, so it certainly pays for itself!
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Thanks for sharing that with us bro. Is there just one version of that device? Is it the one from the popular rain forest store called TrueCall - The Nuisance Call Blocker that is listed for currently for £94.95?

Thanks again. If that is the one, may pick it up in the near future. I can see it easily paying for itself by the amount of time it will save me. Also it seems it can block some annoying calls I sometimes get too :)
 
Dr F33lG00D said:
I have personally used the Trucall to prove Lloyds TSB mis-sold a loan, enabling me to get the FOS to force them to drop £12k worth of debt and refund me £5k worth of bank charges, so it certainly pays for itself!
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You are correct that you have no legal obligation to notify anyone that you are recording their calls as an individual, but if you wish to use it in evidence then you will need their consent to share it with any third party.
 
Housey said:
You are correct that you have no legal obligation to notify anyone that you are recording their calls as an individual, but if you wish to use it in evidence then you will need their consent to share it with any third party.
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If I inform them at the start and they agree to continue with the call. Will I still need consent to use as evidence?

It is pointless recording them if you cannot use it as evidence later.
 
Again, it's about context. You can use it as evidence without their consent, as you are a private individual and thus have no obligation under DPA / other law to inform a business that you are recording them. If you wanted to publicise the call, (outwith a court/ombudsman), then the matter is somewhat grey, but there is very little to stop you using said recordings as a matter of proof.
This comes from personal experience.
 
You can not provide any call recordings to a court or a 3rd party as evidence without the 3rd parties permission, even if the 3rd party is a company rather than an individual.

However, you could provide a transcript of said call presented as your interpretation of it and you could mention in court that you have the call recorded to support your interpretation. Any legal brief or judge would then find it fairly easy to make this evidence admissible via consent as it it wasn't it would be detrimental to the withholders case.
 
TNA said:
If I inform them at the start and they agree to continue with the call. Will I still need consent to use as evidence?

It is pointless recording them if you cannot use it as evidence later.
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If you confirm clearly you are recording at the start of the call then no.
 
Most calling companies record their calls for training services and of course when needed for situations like these.. It's to protect both themselves and you, as they would have a lot to loose if they not honour what they promise to do.

Just bear in mind that it's against the law to record a call without stating this at the beggining so the other party is aware of this, and usually once you have let the bomb out then they become very careful with their words anyway.

I wouldnt bother with getting the calls recorded if I were you, just be very careful and read through all the fine print (that is always where the catch is) and if they take more money or don't honour the contract and the terms and conditions, then you have a bigger case all together.

Just think very carefully before signing and giving your card details for anything!
 
OCem said:
Just bear in mind that it's against the law to record a call without stating this at the beggining so the other party is aware of this, and usually once you have let the bomb out then they become very careful with their words anyway.
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Let me be clear....

It is NOT against the law to record ANY call as an individual without ANY notification to the 3rd party. It IS against the law to then disclose that recording to ANY 3rd party without prior consent. The laws for Corporations and People are different and I speak for substantial experience...
 
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/oftel/consumer/advice/faqs/prvfaq3.htm

Can I record telephone conversations on my home phone?

Yes. The relevant law, RIPA, does not prohibit individuals from recording their own communications provided that the recording is for their own use. Recording or monitoring are only prohibited where some of the contents of the communication - which can be a phone conversation or an e-mail - are made available to a third party, ie someone who was neither the caller or sender nor the intended recipient of the original communication. For further information see the Home Office website where RIPA is posted.

Do I have to let people know that I intend to record their telephone conversations with me?

No, provided you are not intending to make the contents of the communication available to a third party. If you are you will need the consent of the person you are recording.
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