The TAPA Opt Out Scheme

The Service

The TAPA Opt Out Scheme is an initiative that was introduced by TAPA in 2007. TAPA is an independent practice that acts as a conduit when necessary to channel bulk volumes of complaints to regulatory bodies and the Police when there is overwhelming concern in the interest of public safety.

TAPA provides advice, representation and legal assistance where required to businesses that are involved in contractual disputes with support publishing firms. We administer ‘The TAPA Opt Out Ledger’ where businesses list their preference to not receive unsolicited sales calls for sponsorship charity advertising publications from support publishing firms.

As part of our service, TAPA will:

ultimately guarantee the cessation of unsolicited advertising sales approaches being made verbally and in writing to our clients from support publishing firms for the duration of their instruction
make all future representation on behalf of our clients with support publishing firms from the point of instruction
ensure that payments will not have to be made to support publishing firms regarding any existing invoices or payment demands our clients are in dispute with from the point of instruction
indemnify our clients by way of written guarantee that at no time will any payment, part or in full, have to be made to any support publishing firms where evidence of a False request is established
make payment to a support publishing firm on behalf of our clients if we fail to get a payment demand withdrawn
enter in to litigation with support publishing firms where necessary on behalf of our clients
provide unlimited legal representation where necessary for our clients until all contractual disputes with support publishing firms are brought to a close
provide 24 hour, 365 days per year client support
provide our clients with a dedicated appointed representative to deal with all their contractual disputes for the duration of their instruction
register our clients details on to The TAPA Opt Out Ledger and broadcast their details online 24 hours per day, seven days per week
register our clients telephone number(s) with the Telephone Preference Service at the time of instruction and each year thereafter for the duration of their instruction

The TAPA Opt Out Scheme was introduced in 2007 to help prevent unlawful unsolicited sponsorship advertising sales calls from support publishing firms (also known as ‘charity advertising firms’) being made to UK businesses that did not wish to receive these types of sales calls.

At the time, government agencies were not aware of the extent of the problem and were only just beginning to realise their was a major fraud in operation across the UK and there were no other practices in England and Wales that solely provided assistance to English and Welsh businesses that were involved in legal disputes with support publishing firms.

Millions of businesses across the UK have found themselves inundated with bogus charity sponsorship advertising sales calls scams and payment demands for advertising that offers no commercial benefit to them. Businesses find themselves legally bound to uncompromising terms and conditions of contract that was not highlighted to them when they were initially approached resulting in pressurised demands for payment.

TAPA’s secondary function is to monitor the trading practices of support publishing firms that our practice receives complaints against. When the tally of complaints that TAPA receives against a support publishing firm achieves a level of major concern in the interest of public safety, TAPA will present a report to regulators detailing our findings accompanied with copies of the complaints we have received from businesses that have registered with us. In more serious cases, TAPA will present a report to the Police.

TAPA investigates any unsolicited charity advertising sales approaches made verbally or in writing to these businesses to ensure they do not become victims of a sponsorship advertising scam. TAPA will help to achieve this objective by subsidising the cost of legal representation where necessary. TAPA is the only practice in the UK that provides this type of service to businesses and it is a much needed and vital service in the market place.

Millions of businesses every year find themselves on the receiving end of nuisance sales calls that they have not invited or requested. These calls are often received at very inconvenient times of the day causing stress to recipients. Individuals often find themselves with strangers on their telephone lines that know their name, address and other confidential personal details about them leaving them worried and alarmed.

These callers can be very pressurising and persuasive and more often than not are looking to take money from the recipients. As a result, many people are frightened to answer their telephone if they are not expecting any calls at certain times of the day that can often result in individuals missing important telephone calls.

TAPA ensures that unwanted charity advertising sales calls are not made to businesses that do not want to receive these calls. TAPA also provides free advice, information and counselling to businesses and welcomes businesses to contact us at any time on our helpline number that can be found in the top right hand section of this website. If you would like to stop nuisance advertising sales calls being made to your telephone number, you can instruct TAPA by selecting the ‘Stop Sponsorship Advertising Sales Calls’ link on the homepage of this website. Please see our terms and conditions for further details regarding this service.

If you own, represent a business or are self employed and are involved in a contractual dispute(s) with a support publishing firm(s) or are experiencing large numbers of unwanted charity advertising sales calls that you wish to be stopped and would like more information about The TAPA Opt Out Scheme and how our practice can assist your business, please call TAPA today on 0800 773 4894 and one of our representatives will assist you accordingly.

Please see our terms and conditions for further details regarding this service. If you have any further enquiries regarding instructing TAPA, please contact us on 0800 773 4894 and one of our representatives will assist you further.