Pennick Blackwell: Unprofessional practices and irritating cold calls!

High on the list of things that annoy me about Spain are the ‘I’m not trying to sell you anything’ phone calls from Pennick Blackwell (and others), or as they get referred to in our house Pennick F*****g Blackwell.

‘We’d just like to discuss your pension arrangements with you’. Why on earth an outfit like this would think I’d discuss my personal finances with a cold caller is beyond me.

Sometimes the caller is treated politely (when Elle answers), sometimes they get me. They were very lucky this last weekend that they got Elle. There we were having a rare weekend away relaxing in a hotel room and these pricks call on the mobile. To my mind it doesn’t get much more intrusive than cold calls on a mobile.

Whoever the caller was, must have heard me swearing in the background whilst Elle, once again, politely requested they never phone our numbers and explain that ALL of our numbers, landline and mobiles, are registered with Listas Robinson (the Spanish equivalent of the Telephone Preference Service in the UK), and that in itself should ensure that they never bother us.

I’ve not looked into it (YET) but I suspect that it may well actually be illegal or at least damn near close to store numbers in a database used for cold calling without cross referencing and removing any numbers registered with Listas Robinson.

The time is coming when I will start researching the rules on cold calling in Spain in more detail and as of now future calls from Pennick Blackwell, and their equally irritating rivals at deVere Financial Services, will be logged.

If the companies I’m referring to are reading this, this bit is for you….

If you don’t stop these intrusive and objectionable cold calls  I will do whatever I can to seek legal  redress and/or damage your reputations (all within the constraints of the law of course) beyond the already shabby image you have amongst expats in Spain. You will NEVER get your grubby hands on our money that’s for sure!

Don’t waste my time or yours any more please!

This is the last time I am going to be anything even remotely resembling polite with you or your employees…..

Alan Gandy

Alan, along with Elle, is the owner of Spain Buddy. He was born in the North of England (Lancashire) and travelled extensively before eventually settling in Almería. Alan has 3 sons from the first of his 18 marriages, (Sam, Joe & Ben) who are all now adults. You can read more articles by Alan on his personal blog at AlanGandy.com and see more of his photography on his photography website as well as on Instagram.