Could I Speak to...

Those four words are all I need to hear down the phone to know that it's a sales call. The perverse enjoyment of just putting the phone down on these bastards has started to wear off so I've signed up for the Telephone Preference Service.

The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) helps you to make sure your telephone number is no longer available to organisations, including charities and voluntary organisations who may telephone you with offers and information you do not wish to receive.

It's free and after 28 days of registration any company that phones you with an unsolicited sales call without checking for your telephone number on the TPS database first is breaking the law.