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How to stop unwanted spam phone calls ?
Bob_Whinger
Posts: 1,098 Forum Member
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This used to spoil my day. Strangers phoning several times a day trying to sell something or looking for PPI or accident claims. I know many other people find this extremely annoying.
I tried asking them politely to stop phoning. This did not work.
I tried asking them rudely to stop phoning me. This did not work.
Tried swearing at the callers. This did not work.
Registered with the Telephone Preference Service. This worked a little. Around 60% fewer phone calls received. But still many annoying marketing calls spoiling my day. Some claimed they were not selling anything, just doing market research. But still annoying phone calls several times a week.
I tried changing to a new telephone company, and having a new ex-directory phone number. This has worked for the past eight months. Eight months of peace and quiet and not having my day broken up by phone calls from strangers.
Just sharing my experience and the last attempt (changing phone company to a new ex-directory phone number) worked for me. Would definitely recommend it.
I tried asking them politely to stop phoning. This did not work.
I tried asking them rudely to stop phoning me. This did not work.
Tried swearing at the callers. This did not work.
Registered with the Telephone Preference Service. This worked a little. Around 60% fewer phone calls received. But still many annoying marketing calls spoiling my day. Some claimed they were not selling anything, just doing market research. But still annoying phone calls several times a week.
I tried changing to a new telephone company, and having a new ex-directory phone number. This has worked for the past eight months. Eight months of peace and quiet and not having my day broken up by phone calls from strangers.
Just sharing my experience and the last attempt (changing phone company to a new ex-directory phone number) worked for me. Would definitely recommend it.
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Our solution? We bought the latest BT phones - BT8500. Incorporates TrueCall. Now the only calls that ring are genuine ones. Bloody brilliant phone.
Only spam I get is the odd PPI text message. Rather unintrusive.
My landline is ex-directory (has been for years) and it is TPS registered but I still get unsolicited calls on a regular basis - calls about PPI, replacement kitchens, energy savings, marketing questions, PC repairs, etc.
The only thing you can do is manage the calls you do get which can be one or a combination of the following:
1. switch the ringer off and let all calls go to an answer machine and you call people back who have left a message
2. unplug the phone completely, keep the line for broadband and use a mobile for getting in touch
3. use a call blocker to filter incoming calls
4. put up with the calls
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/1062140.htm
Can get them slightly cheaper online though
Some Panasonic cordless phones - this for example, http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004RFFPZY/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1
allow you to block numbers.
When one has called and it's on your log you have an option to block it.
This phone also enables you to set a time for the ringer to go silent and then to come on again in the morning - very handy if these unwanted calls wake you up.
BT have their TrueCall as well...but some numbers always seem to get under the radar.
Two things I did seem to work.
Registered with the TPS. This helped but, didn't stop it entirely. I then got a phone with caller display and stopped answering the calls that I didn't recognise figuring if it was important and genuine they would leave a message.
The calls eventually stopped completely. If you answer the phone to them, just once and even if it's dead when you do answer, the number flags up as 'live'. Keep letting it ring out and ignore it and the calls will stop.
Occasionally my teen will pick up without checking and true to form I'll start getting a few calls again. Let them ring out and it soon stops.
I've had the opposite experience if I don't answer, I find they just keep on ringing day after day, week after week. What I do now is answer the phone and lay it on the table and walk away. I seem to be removed from the call list by doing this as they don't bother again.
So, being ex-directory doesn't have any effect, except that your number isn't in the telephone directory.
I bought a phone with built in answer machine that worked for a while, then they started leaving automated messages. I then switched that off so callers simply get told to call again later (family and friends call my mobile / text / email or call at pre-arranged times). That was very effective til a couple of weeks ago when OH answered the phone on a Sunday night...it's now started up again but hopefully not for too long.
I did the same, and its stopped them all for me.
I have an entirely VOIP system at home, no analogue phones. Each phone is an IP phone which cost me £20 each on ebay. They all 'talk' to a Raspberry Pi device on the network which was about £30. The Pi acts as a gateway between home and the VOIP service I use, although it's easy if you have a traditional landline to just connect your landline to this system through an interface which is about £40.
Then what happens is this. The system (Asterisk) 'looks' at the incoming number then firstly checks is this number on my known list of numbers? If it is, who is it calling, then put that number through to the phone along with the name of the person calling. At the same time it sends a message through to my media centre if I am watching TV to flash up on screen who it is. If it's not a known number it looks at 'saynoto0870' database as a sort of reverse look-up to see if you can tell what business it is, and again flash the details on screen.
If it still cannot see the number it checks with telepest.co.uk which is a spam database. If it finds the number here the call automatically gets directed either to voicemail or 'Lenny'. Lenny is a computerised arguing bot that some telemarketers fall for and you can have the system record the result and listen to it later. Can be fun.
All this happens in a split second and you can even just terminate the call if you wish instead of sending it to voicemail or Lenny, the only way you'd know you have been called is by looking at the list of incoming calls when you log into the system via a web browser.
I have only ever had one call once that was unwanted and it was six months after I moved house. The buyers wanted to know how to do something with the burglar alarm which really annoyed me so I hung up and then pressed *1 which blacklisted the last caller. They then got a message saying 'I am sorry, the number you are calling is not in service'.
Can be a bit overkill for a home system but this is a professional grade phone system with all components and one phone for under £100, adding as many phones as you like above that. As close as you can guarantee to stop marketing calls as you can really without scrapping a phone.
Seconded. I am delighted with mine.