An open letter to [something that sounds like 'CTS']

[Edit: I've had assurances from the orignally named law firm saying the call below is most definitely not them. Trusting their word, I've removed their full name.]

Hello,

I have never been involved in a car accident.
This is an important fact, as around 10 minutes ago I was contacted by someone from [edit: something sounding like CTS] telling me I had been involved in a car accident.

Working in marketing, I know how cold calling works and am not instantly dismissive to the person calling me. After all, I work in a connected industry.

However, the conversation went like this:

Me: "Hello?"
Caller: "Hello is that Mr Hadfield?"
Me: "Yes."
Caller: "Hi, I'm calling from [something sounding like CTS Lawyers]."
Me: "Erm, right. Is this is sales call?"
Caller: "I am not selling anything today Sir."
Me: "OK I'll rephrase that, as I know you'll have been trained to say that. I have never contacted you, no? You are instigating unsolicited contact with me?"
Caller: "I'm calling you about a file I've been given about a car accident you were recently involved in."
Me: "Really! That's interesting. I'd love to see that report, as I've NEVER been involved in a car accident."
Caller: "... erm... OK..."
Me: "Can you send me a copy of that report please? I'd love to see it. I'd love to read about a car accident I've never been involved in. Can I see it?"
Caller: "I'll make sure we take this report off our records."
Me: "I suggest you do more than that, as, just to re-iterate the fact: I have NEVER been involved in a car accident. OK? Goodbye."
Caller: "Goodbye Sir."
[I'm paraphrasing, but those words are roughly what I said.]

What I object to is not the cold-calling. True that is annoying, and one of the most wasteful forms of marketing as it hits a lot of people that are irrelevant, the wrong demographic and in the wrong frame of mind (I was just going into a meeting).
To be honest, I'm not even too concerned with the strategy of using a lie to try and talk to me.

What I am most upset with is that the lie that I had been involved in a car accident is utterly distasteful, and for anyone you successfully target that had had a 'minor scrape' you're also going to contact people that have deep emotional scars if either themselves or a loved one had been involved in a bad car accident.

I suggest you re-think this strategy as you have all of your phone numbers on your website and it would be easy for a person more annoyed than me to get them and use them. Maybe to ask you all how you are feeling after your recent lawnmower accident half way through a meeting for example.

This letter has been posted on my blog here. 

I hope more people read it, and I hope it prompts you to change your marketing strategy.

Yours,

Mark Hadfield

Comments

[gemma]

What really winds me up is while that I might see straight through this kind of cold calling - my 86 year old grandad might not...

[Mark Hadfield]

Absolutely agree. Thanks for the comment.

[Stephen Schaunt]

Ohhh...you nailed him, haha. I think you did the right thing. For them to say something like that is just, well, rude. Getting into a car accident is no joking matter, and the last thing you need is someone telling you that you had one even if you don't. Truly mind-boggling.

[Aaron]

Ha ha I just had the same call

[zak]

i just had the exact same call too, cts lawyers? when i asked him the date of the accident, i get a response of "in the last 2 years" wtf lol anyway the bloke ended up hanging up on me. twats!!

[JIll]

I just had the same call, when I said I had never been in an accident and I would like a copy of the file, she said it was an error on the system and hung up on me, something should be done about them, they are preying on the vulnerable!

[Rob Teague]

mark, i just had the same call from a malke claiming to work for CTS Lawyers. He disconnected the call when I advised him I had not been involved in a claim in the last 3 years. What is alarming is that he reffered to a make of car that I had an accident in 10 years ago and was using a monile number I did not have at that time. How can the two be linked?
I called CTS Solicitors in Birmingham after a google search. They denied any part in this and informed me they had heard of several such calls in the recent weeks. Clearly from the dates in this blog it has been occuring longer than this.
RMT

[Julian]

Just had the exact same experience, they still seem to be going strong and hanging up whenever questions are asked!

[sarah]

I've just had the same call found this after I googled them definately quited CTS lawyers

The biggest joke is I can't drive and don't own a car when I pointed this out he told me I was a passenger when I asked when this accident was as it clearly has wiped my memory he hung up

A friend of mine had an accident wasn't serious not injured but the calls kept coming about making a claim despite no injury being suffered - that would be fraud surely someone should stop this?!

[CDE]

Just happened to me too, I mistakenly contacted CTS solicitors afterwards and they informed me that many people had commented on this and that no law firm is permitted to cold call. Its also interesting that I dont even drive and have lived abroad for the last five years!!

[T Horn]

I've had one of these calls tonight and he asked if I was Mrs Horn then hung up lol

[Jules]

Omg try this one for size!! I just had a phone call from an UNKNOWN number, some woman saying she was calling from CTS Solicitors, saying its nothing to worry about but its about the road accident I had recently! Smelling a scam, I said 'oh yes that bad one I had when I died'! Then I put the phone down! Straight away she rang back, i yelled down the phone asking if she was taking the p*ss??? I told her I had never been involved in any accident be it on the road or any other and to leave me alone (not quite as politely). I hung up again! She rang back 4 more times to which i answered each and left the call running while I carried on making my breakfast! Eventually she got the message! I have never even had a speeding ticket and have no points on my licence! If this was a legitamate thing why would they call from an unknown number on a saturday morning, having had no written correspondance prior to this, and more importantly NEVER having had a road accident EVER!!
Dont be sucked in by these chancers!!!