AFTER ten calls, Steve Higgins' frustration boiled over.
A telesales company was repeatedly cold-calling him saying he was eligible to reclaim mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance (PPI).
Fed up with the bombardment he threatened to invoice them £10 per call for wasting his time.
But Synergy Leads Ltd continued to ring.
Mr Higgins, 38, of Wendling Gardens, of Bestwood Park, said: "I would answer calls and there would be an automated voice saying they'd looked at my records and found I was entitled to PPI.
"I'm not, because I've already claimed it back years ago. I'd go through to an operator and I asked them who the company were, and to stop calling because I've been on the Telephone Preference Service (which is supposed to block unwanted calls) since 2011.
"By the tenth phone call I decided to invoice them for my time. I thought 'I'm going to hit them where it hurts'."
Mr Higgins filed a small claims court application last month, stating Synergy Leads Ltd had called his landline 94 times in October and November last year, with the calls either being answered by him or his wife, Gemma, 27.
As a result of the repeated calls, Mr Higgins claimed £940 for potential lost earnings while answering the calls.
Mr Higgins stated they were wasting his time as he wasn't eligible for a PPI claim – he'd made a previous claim years ago.
Mr Higgins, who works as an operations manager in the renewable energy industry, has now been told the court has found in his favour.
Synergy Leads Ltd has until today to pay him £1,000 – £940 for the calls, plus £60 costs for making the court claim application.
Mr Higgins said: "I think it sends a message to telesales companies that there's a way for customers to fight back.
"I don't think I'll get the money back by today to be honest.
"I'll go down the enforcement route and send bailiffs out to the registered address."
Mr Higgins gathered evidence from his landline provider, Talk Talk, to make his claim.
Talk Talk confirmed the couple had answered 94 calls from Synergy Leads Ltd in October and November, and that they were also on the Telephone Preference Service.
The couple also received about ten calls a month from Synergy Leads Ltd in December, January and February, but have had none since he filed the claim with Northampton County Court on March 14.
The company had two weeks to acknowledge receipt or defend the claim.
The two weeks passed without acknowledgement, so Mr Higgins made a claim for judgement by default last Wednesday, because Synergy Leads Ltd had not replied.
Judgement was issued by the court last Thursday in Mr Higgins' favour, with Synergy Leads Ltd having until today to pay him £1,000.
Mr Higgins said: "I'm no stranger to small claims.
"It's a great arena for ordinary people to claim some lost money back.
"If more people did it then service in this country would improve, but the trouble is companies get away with it because they can."
Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service confirmed Mr Higgins received judgement by default in his favour on April 4 for the sum of £1,000.
The Post attempted to contact Synergy Leads Ltd for comment about the case.
A phone number for the company's registered address at New Pit Cottages, Bridge Place Road, Camerton, Somerset, was not in service when called yesterday.
A second phone number supplied by Directory Inquiries to the Post for the company had it based in Coomb End, Radstock, Somerset.
The phone number rang out when called by the Post, while searches found other businesses were registered to the same address.
Records on the website companycheck.co.uk had the company based at New Pit Cottages, but there was no telephone or website available.
Companies House confirmed to the Post that Synergy Leads Ltd was set up in July 2011 and that its records were up to date.