[LINK] Annoying/Abusive phone calls from Westpac

[Bernard Robertson-Dunn]

I need some advice.

For the past seven months, an automated Westpac system has been ringing 
my home phone number and wants to talk with a Mr Victor somebody. The 
name seems foreign and we can't make out who they are asking for.

It would appear that this Victor person is behind in some of his 
payments and Westpac is trying to contact him. It would also seem that 
he has given them our phone number, it was his old number and got 
allocated to us when we moved in in March, or it is an error.

We have tried calling the Westpac complaints number and their story is 
that they do not know who they are trying to ring and they are unable to 
search their systems to find out why they are ringing our number.

That means they cannot stop their system from making these calls.

Their advice is that, if we can't identify who they are trying to call, 
we will just have to put up with it until it stops - which is not 
guaranteed, as there are all sorts of scenarios where it goes on for ever.

First question:

Is Westpac in breach of any laws?

Second question:
How do we deal with this?

The obvious answer to the second question is that I call the bank and 
escalate it until it gets sorted. If that is the case, then I'd like to 
be prepared, hence the first question.

-- 
 
Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Canberra Australia
brd at iimetro.com.au