Call me, maybe, or how about never - survey finds 66.5% of Brits hang up on cold callers!

IF there's 1 job that's tougher than being made to call random people to try and sell them something they didn't want in the first place, we've yet to hear about it. But cold callers are generally unwelcome, with these beleaguered souls always having to sound bright and breezy to the irate resident who answers the phone. Because there's never a good time to talk to a cold caller, is there? Somehow they either manage to ring halfway through EastEnders, or when we're doing something tricky like feeding a baby/doing some intricate DIY task/playing Minecraft (delete as appropriate). But while these guys are just trying to make a living, many of us don't see it that way, and resent this telephonic intrusion of our homes. Wired and wireless telephone headset provider Headsets4Business.co.uk carried out a survey of 1,500 people, asking what really gets our goat when it comes to cold calls. But firstly, they asked if we ever just hang up on cold callers, and the results were most interesting!   On average, 66.5% of the UK puts the phone down on someone trying to sell them something. But the people with the least patience in the UK & Ireland are the Irish; a whopping 77% of them will immediately hang up on a conversation about double glazing or insurance. As for England, it's the East Midlanders who are least tolerant: almost 70% of them leave their cold callers listening to the sweet sound of the dial tone… However, happily for them, cold callers are guaranteed the warmest reception in the South East! Over a third of South Easterners (37%) say they wouldn't hang up on a stranger who called them out of the blue to discuss something like mobile phone tariffs (at least those who don't slam the phone down are decent enough to give an excuse; 36.3% are just really honest, saying they're not interested; 10.8% of us say we're too busy, and 5% of us pretend we're just about to sit down to a meal).  Actually, when it comes to the topic of conversation, phone deals are apparently one of the least irritating; only 7.3% of people said that was the type of call they had the least patience for. The biggest bugbear, for over a third of us (38.9%) is people trying to help you recover PPI refunds, which is surely the dullest thing in the world. Perhaps surprisingly, or perhaps because it jogs people's memory to actually do something about it, pensions is the least irritating topic, with only 1.9% of us finding them excruciating. And while the majority of us don't actually feel sorry for cold callers, just over a quarter of us (25.8%) do actually understand that it's just a job, and they're only doing what they've been asked to. After all, if we're the ones irritated by an unwanted call, just imagine how the cold callers feel, facing rejection after rejection during an eight hour shift! "It's a tough job, being a cold caller, but someone's got to do it. They're almost like unsung heroes, really! So give these guys a break next time you get a call and you never know; you might get a really good deal on your next mobile phone tariff." says David Whitehead from Headsets4Business.co.uk.

North West drivers urged to get on track with regular eye tests this summer

VISION Express is urging motorists in the North West to ensure their sight is road worthy; as new research by the national optical retailer reveals there will be increased pressure on the nation's roads, with 50% of all Brits choosing to have their main holiday in the UK in 2017.  In the North West, new driver research commissioned by the national optical retailer, reveals 29% of drivers are overdue an eye test. Worse still, 6% of them have never had one. And, when it comes to planning a long journey, drivers from the region are more likely to spend time stocking their vehicles with drinks and snacks (34%) and making sure they have music for their journey (13%), than checking their vision is road worthy by having a recent eye test (4%). 67% of drivers in the North West are, however, prioritising having enough fuel before driving to their UK holiday destination, followed by making sure tyres are checked. The research also reveals 28% of local drivers are remaining in their own region for their staycations, followed by Wales (26%) and the South West (23%). On average, they will be driving for almost 3 hours to reach their holiday destination with 3 people in the vehicle, including 1 child. Jonathan Lawson, Vision Express CEO explains:- "We passionately believe it is critical to educate drivers about sight, particularly when we anticipate so many more people to be on the roads this summer.  Our research shows that over half of drivers in the North West don't know what the legal eyesight requirement for driving is and almost a third of them are overdue a vision test. That's why our latest initiative, part of our award winning 'Eye Tests Save Lives' campaign, includes a free downloadable eye test offer, that can be re-deemed in any of our 390 stores." Since 2012, the DVLA has revoked or refused 42,519 car and motorcycle and 6,739 bus and lorry licenses because of poor vision. The number of UK drivers whose vision has prevented them from driving has also increased; rising 30% between 2012 and 2016. Around 50% of sight loss is preventable and a regular eye tests can not only safeguard your sight, but your driving licence too. Jason Wakeford, spokesman for Brake, concludes:- "Shockingly, on average 5 people are killed on UK roads each day, in largely preventable crashes. We hope by combining our efforts with Vision Express' we can make drivers consider their vision and general health before getting behind the wheel this summer." A free eye test voucher can be downloaded from the Vision Express website and is redeemable, until 31 August 2017.