Comments on: Mobile Scam?

By: Rick

Rick — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:41:06 +0000

Hi everybody - I am closing comments on this post now because it is getting a bit out of date and out of control. I suggest that you contact OFCOM if you have any problems of this sort. [Update: 16 May 2007. Rick Clark has taken up this topic and is inviting comments on his blog.]

By: MNS

MNS — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 09:00:39 +0000

Blue Bamboo are cowboys! DO NOT GET INVOLVED!!

I ordered a phone through them, they sent it out via courier the next day to my home address rather than the specified delivery office address. The courier do not accept changes of address unless the origin company changes them. Blue Bamboo have said twice that they will call and change the address but having called the couriers, they have not.
This was 5 days ago- Last night they cut my Sim Card off- I now have no new phone and no mobile phone capabilities. Fantastic.

I will be reporting these idiots to the regulators.

By: Natalie

Natalie — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 18:03:58 +0000

I recently upgraded my phone when blue bamboo called me. They said that they were Orange, not calling ON BEHALF of orange, everything was delivered without a glitch.
I then found out that they should have offered me various different tarriffs which they did not. I rang Ornage today to be told to take it up with blue bamboo who told me that Orange had said i was not eligible for a different tarriff… Orange said that this was not the cas eand said i was eligible for any tarriff even the new ones. I then rang blue bamboo back who said that they would listen to the recorded conversation bewteen me and the sales guy and ring me back. They didnt ring. They also said that i was entitled top 10% off my BILL…but they meant off my LINE RENTAL.
tHEY ALSO SAY THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO TO CHANGE MY TARRIFF AS ITS PAST THE 7 DAYS TO CANCEL MY CONTRACT.
Does any one know of any other ways around this?? Is it illegal to cancel my direct debit??

By: Nigel

Nigel — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 13:56:08 +0000

I’ve had numerous ‘missed call’ messages, plus the data calls.

These people are scum; my numbers are registered with TPS, and fools like these simply ignore them. Frankly, it’s becoming one of the worst things about being with Orange; outfits like these and numerous others, calling up being disingenuous about who they really are.

I’ve tried reasoning with cold callers, I’ve tried asking them if they’d break other laws if their boss asked them to, I’ve tried swearing at them. They just believe that the laws don’t apply to them.

They’re despicable, sleazy people and the sooner Blue Bamboo go out of business, the better.

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 16:29:46 +0000

Very interesting. Just found this forum while waiting to be transferred to a manager after receiving a missed call, two weeks after being taken off their database. To cut a very long story short, they confirmed that the 0161 number is a fake CLS they use which diverts to their Preston office. They also confirmed that they use AMCAT to dial out. They adamantly deny making deliberate missed calls but having called them four times this afternoon (from landlines and withheld numbers), they have on each occassion answered the phone by introducing themselves in such a way that they clearly believed I had had a missed call – often apologising for it! And of course they are using every opportunity to blame this mystery person who is apparently blackening their good name by making missed calls pretending to be them. Oh, nearly forgot, apparently its just me

By: Marie

Marie — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:38:35 +0000

i have also had about ten calls recently of this company trying to sell me a upgrade i have been asked to be taken off the system bout 5 of the times they have called but they still havent done this also i have found out were the company is based as it is not to far away frm my home it is about 7miles away which was a good thing as i have been in and sed about what has been happeneing i have spoken to the boss ian and he has said that he will sort it out and take me off the system but he hasnt as i had a call today at 3:37 pm someone called sam now this girl has rung be about 3 of the tens times but she just doesnt get the picture so dont get your upgrades from blue bamboo also i think that we should start a potintion of some sort to shut down the company as they are becoming very annoying to alot of people all over england and they are very rude and crap at there job!

By: ANON

ANON — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:29:41 +0000

BlueBamboo are a waste of space and the manager ian is just feeding you all lies..

By: Anon

Anon — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:20:26 +0000

I would like to add that all the comments written by the owner of blue bamboo are lies. Hi uses a system called AMCAT. This is an automated dialing system that uses an interface to import numbers and then the system does the rest. He also uses a system called pinging. This sends a signal down the line and will ring you once, this will tell him that your number is live and then his staff will wait for the amcat to dial your number again and try to persuade you to take something you dont want. I no this bacause a company i once worked for used a similar system and we visited Blue Bamboo with AMCAT for a demonstration because they were trying to sell us one. They even told us that we can spoof numbers using this system so that people dont actually no where we are calling from.

If you read previous comments made you will see that someone put the 0161 number down as being a number that is spoofing theirs.RING THIS NUMBER AS I DID. IT IS THE SAME COMPANY. You will even get the same nugget on the automated voice message telling you that all the operators are busy and please hold.

By: Simon

Simon — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 15:26:32 +0000

Hi just to let you all know that the number 0161 4440098 and 01772 208600 are from blue bamboo and apparently our mobile numbers are put into an automatic dialer which when a call is not answered (even if you cannot answer – data call) get put back into the system and continued to be called. If you call them up and ask to have you number taken off their lists the problem should be solved.

lets hope! .. although i have made a complaint to orange and ofcom as this practice i find very irratating and very unprofessional.

Hope you all get this solved!

By: Rick

Rick — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 15:07:23 +0000

Thanks Julian, I wasn’t aware there there were two numbers on these phones – I wonder what my data number was, I have removed it now. I suggest to Meg and anyone else with this problem to ring 150 and get this number removed. If enough people do it they may put it in their training script and will immediately know what we are talking about. If you have a company phone with a large contract then you may have a better “priority” help line which will be even easier.