British man bills telemarketers for time

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SURREY, England, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- A British court ruled in favor of a businessman who decided to bill cold-calling telephone marketers for his time.

A telemarketing firm agreed to pony up 195 pounds ($314.57) Richard Herman said he was owed for the time he spent fielding calls from their sales reps.

"I was feeling oppressed that I was getting called by these companies," Herman told The Daily Telegraph. "Once I sent the company the invoice, I felt as though the boot was on the other foot. I wasn't the victim anymore."

Herman said cold calls had been consuming an increasing part of his time. The majority urged him to retain the services of companies that claimed they could recover refunds from the Payment Protection Insurance compensation fund.

The last straw came when Herman was trying to enjoy a quiet afternoon in his Surrey garden but couldn't because his mobile phone kept ringing.

"We're all busy rushing around all day long, so when we snatch 4 minutes by ourselves for a bit of peace and quiet, the last thing you want is to be intruded upon by these irrelevant companies," he said.