A London solar company has paid a £105,000 (around $140,000) fine after placing close to 200,000 unsolicited sales calls to people on a do-not-call list.
Here's what to know
For some recipients, the "free survey" pitch came with aggressive sales tactics and disregard for their privacy.
The solar company placed 194,379 unwanted marketing calls to Telephone Preference Service registrants from April 2024 through April 2025, according to Cambridge News.
According to the Information Commissioner's Office, that amounted to almost 500 calls a day, prompting 61 complaints to the TPS and the ICO.
The company also operated under at least three business names. The ICO found that consent went unchecked when the company bought leads from outside data providers.
One recipient was wrongly told their TPS registration "didn't count," while another was told the ICO "could not do anything to [the company]." Complaints described callers as "aggressive and pushy."
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The ICO's head of investigations, Andy Curry, confirmed the penalty payment.
More background
People who depend on their phones for urgent news can find unwanted sales calls distressing.
Cambridge News reported that in a complaint shared by the ICO, one recipient explained that their home phone was reserved for calls from their mother's care home.
"They wanted to survey my house for solar panels," they said. "My elderly mother is frail and when I get a phone call on the home phone, I always feel sick in case she has collapsed, as I only get calls from her care home on this number."
The enforcement action comes amid a rise in complaints about automated nuisance marketing calls. According to the ICO, those complaints hit a peak not seen since 2021, with reports nearly tripling between July and September. The regulator received 4,734 complaints in October.
Other green-energy and home-improvement businesses have also faced penalties for nuisance marketing calls.
What can be done?
The ICO and TPS recommend avoiding calls from unfamiliar numbers and registering landline or mobile numbers with the Telephone Preference Service. Registration is free, and the ICO and TPS say people should wait 28 days for it to take effect.
Anyone who continues receiving nuisance calls after registering can report them through the ICO's online reporting tool. The TPS also accepts complaints and shares information with the regulator to help identify businesses breaking the rules.
The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 prohibit live marketing calls to TPS-registered people unless those individuals have told the specific organization they do not object, according to the ICO.
To help businesses follow those rules, the ICO provides direct marketing guidance and an advice generator.
Russell Roach, director of Preference Services at the TPS, urged people to report unwanted calls, saying that the TPS and ICO collaborate closely to share information and identify the businesses in violation.
"Enforcement action such as this relies on consumers taking the time to report the nuisance calls they receive – and, in return, having confidence that those making the calls will be dealt with appropriately," Roach said, according to Cambridge News.
"We understand it can sometimes feel as though making a complaint about a nuisance call will not make a difference, but penalty actions like this shows that it can be incredibly valuable.
"In summary, our advice is simple: please keep reporting nuisance calls to the TPS. Every complaint represents another piece of evidence and helps us, alongside the ICO, protect people from organisations that disregard their privacy."
Where can I learn more?
Other consumers have also faced unwanted sales calls, pushy solar pitches, and unexpected costs.
• A U.K. call-blocker seller was fined £190,000 after making more than 758,000 cold calls.
• A widow faced debt from door-to-door solar sales after her husband's death, and the company wouldn't talk.
• A Texas homeowner said promised solar savings became just $32 while payments reached $417.
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