How to report ‘unusually high call volumes’ messages, according to Martin Lewis

6 Feb 2024

Martin Lewis has accused companies of being deceitful regarding their claim of having too many calls to handle.

Martin Lewis - Figure 1 — Photo Yahoo Finance UK

Martin Lewis, a consumer advocate, has initiated a movement against banks and utility companies' "sorry for unusually high call volumes" automated recordings, accusing them of deceiving their clients.

Lewis is interested in investigating the possibility of certain companies excessively using the excuse of experiencing high call volumes in order to discourage customers from staying on the line. To conduct this investigation, Lewis has organized a system for customers to report instances when they have received this message, as he suspects that this behavior may be in violation of consumer protection laws.

Lewis expressed doubts on BBC's Today programme, stating that he believes the message has become automatic and is not truthful. However, Lewis clarifies that this is only a suspicion and needs further investigation to confirm.

He stated that if banks and companies providing broadband, mobile, credit card, energy, water, and sewerage services, consistently present this statement to their customers, it demonstrates that there aren't many phone calls being made. "As a result, these companies are not telling the truth to their customers."

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Lewis stated that financial companies would most likely be violating the rules of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regarding consumer responsibility.

More than 3,500 customers who were displeased with receiving pre-recorded messages joined the effort to collect evidence. The campaign particularly focused on banks and utility companies, although there have also been reports of comparable issues with HM Revenue and Customs. At present, Lewis is only concentrating on these sectors.

Hey guys, there's a new task at hand. Let's try to gather information on the firms that always have the "sorry we are experiencing unusually high call volumes" message. So, if you happen to make a call to any bank, broadband, mobile, credit card, energy, water, or sewerage firm and receive this message, kindly spare 30 seconds to report it through https://t.co/uE7a5jWx9C. Let's get on it!

"He stated that it really annoys people and if companies are being dishonest, they should put an end to it."

The advocate for customers acknowledged that they too experience annoyance with the message of "unusually high call volumes" especially when it is played and shortly after, the call is connected. This is a common frustration among people.

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Before I start criticizing this campaign like an overly aggressive consumer, I wanted to verify the accuracy of the information to determine if this is a genuine issue or simply my own biased viewpoint (even though the feedback I received on social media suggests that if it is biased, it is commonly shared).

According to regulations set by FCA, financial organizations must behave honestly towards their clients and provide them with assistance. The guidelines set by the regulatory authority place great significance on consumer comprehension and support.

The campaign has received negative feedback from some individuals. Martin Lewis utilized X to clarify that the intention is not to harm call center employees, but rather to target the high-level managers in charge of these corporations.

I choose to disregard the offensive remark. My intention is not to criticize call centre employees, but rather to address the nonsensical behavior of executives.

If a company consistently claims that they are encountering "abnormally high call traffic", then it is not only untrue but is also frequently occurring call traffic.

Organizations that provide services to the general public... https://t.co/Vpkiqn7M7t

The tweet from Martin Lewis on February 6th, 2024 was regarding the importance of understanding our credit scores and how they can impact our financial choices and opportunities. He emphasized the need to check our credit reports regularly and make sure they are accurate, as any errors could potentially harm our credit scores. Lewis also advised against making unnecessary credit applications, as these can bring down our scores. He concluded by encouraging everyone to educate themselves about credit scores and use this knowledge to make informed financial decisions.

If you encounter messages indicating an abnormally large amount of calls on the MoneySavingExpert website, you can make a report about it.