Rise in complaints about unsolicited marketing calls
Year of issue 2025
Date of issue 2025.01.20
In 2024, the Bundesnetzagentur received a total of 37,561 written complaints about unsolicited marketing calls. This is an increase of around 8% compared with 34,714 complaints in 2023.
"Following a pattern of decline in the number of complaints, we are unfortunately now seeing a rise in numbers when compared with 2023,"
said Klaus Müller, President of the Bundesnetzagentur. "Therefore, we will again take strong action this year against undertakings that make nuisance calls to consumers."
Prize draws, energy supply and home improvement products were the most common reasons for the cold calls. Complaints about prize draw calls totalled 7,487, which reflects an increase to 20% from 16% in 2023.
In contrast, complaints received about unsolicited marketing calls for energy supply fell from between 20 and 30% in recent years to 14%, corresponding to 5,095 complaints. The Bundesnetzagentur attributes one of the reasons for this decrease to the very many large-scale proceedings that it launched in the last few years against unsolicited marketing calls in the energy sector.
As regards the home improvements sector, complaints received about unsolicited marketing calls have increased to 6,315, whereas in 2023 there were only 5,320 complaints. The Bundesnetzagentur presumes that this increase is owed in part to greater demand for photovoltaic installations. Some disreputable suppliers have obviously taken advantage of this for unsolicited marketing calls.
Bundesnetzagentur imposes large fines again in 2024
In 2024 the Bundesnetzagentur imposed heavy fines in 11 proceedings. In each of the administrative fine proceedings the Bundesnetzagentur followed up on several hundred complaints or even up to more than 2,000 complaints. Overall the Bundesnetzagentur imposed fines totalling €1.373 million for unsolicited marketing calls and withholding the caller telephone number when making such calls. This figure was €1.435 million in 2023.
In its proceedings the Bundesnetzagentur examined several advertising campaigns in which the callers deliberately misled consumers. Obvious cases were those in which the advertisers were deliberately vague about the reason for the call and the company’s name. In one case the Bundesnetzagentur launched proceedings against a company that first requested the called party to take part in a health survey before then leading into the marketing call. The caller would identify themselves, for example, as an association of pharmacists. The company would use an aggressive style of call to push the called party into buying very expensive food supplements. It particularly targeted older consumers. Many times after the call it would even send the products unrequested to the called party together with high invoices. The company would insinuate that the called party had concluded a delivery agreement on the telephone. This is just one example of the many cases of dubious contracts and contract options that the Bundesnetzagentur received in complaints last year.
The Bundesnetzagentur provides information (in German) on all proceedings that resulted in a fine at www.bundesnetzagentur.de/massnahmen-telefonwerbung.
Reporting unsolicited marketing calls
Written complaints from consumers about unsolicited marketing calls are extremely important for the Bundesnetzagentur in pursuing its investigations. In order to take action against those responsible, the information provided should be as precise and detailed as possible. Consumers can easily report marketing calls they have not consented to, or to which they have already stated their objection, to the Bundesnetzagentur online at (form only available in German): www.bundesnetzagentur.de/telefonwerbung-beschwerde.