Advice on what I can do about nuisance phone calls, mainly wrong number calls
Hyflex_One
Posts: 16 Forum Member
Hi Guys,
I'm looking for some advice on what can be done about a few issues that we are having on our phone line.
- We get phone calls from people sometimes as early as 6am or as late as 12pm from old people trying to get hold of a home care company; as you can imagine this is not only a nuisance but also rather worrying. The number they are trying to get through to is only one number different. (In the last week alone, we've had it 3 times, all 3 being around about 7am from different people)
- We get phone calls sometimes from people at all sorts of hours, but mostly in the late evening between 8pm and 12 midnight trying to call a local pub. The reason for this is because if you switch the 4th and 5th number around in our phone number you get the pubs number.
- We get phone calls at random times, mostly between the hours of 10am and 6pm from people trying to get hold of a caravan park; We have no idea how they can get our numbers mixed up or dial incorrectly because the numbers aren't even remotely close.
What can we do to try and stop some of these calls... I don't see why we should have to pay for a service to stop these calls.
Is there a way we can get some dashboard sort of thing setup by BT (we are with Plus.net) at the moment "If you're trying to get hold of xxx press 1", "If you're trying to get hold of xxx press 2"... etc; we'd prefer it obviously so "If you're trying to get hold of xxx hold the line; otherwise you've got the wrong number."
I'm looking for some advice on what can be done about a few issues that we are having on our phone line.
- We get phone calls from people sometimes as early as 6am or as late as 12pm from old people trying to get hold of a home care company; as you can imagine this is not only a nuisance but also rather worrying. The number they are trying to get through to is only one number different. (In the last week alone, we've had it 3 times, all 3 being around about 7am from different people)
- We get phone calls sometimes from people at all sorts of hours, but mostly in the late evening between 8pm and 12 midnight trying to call a local pub. The reason for this is because if you switch the 4th and 5th number around in our phone number you get the pubs number.
- We get phone calls at random times, mostly between the hours of 10am and 6pm from people trying to get hold of a caravan park; We have no idea how they can get our numbers mixed up or dial incorrectly because the numbers aren't even remotely close.
What can we do to try and stop some of these calls... I don't see why we should have to pay for a service to stop these calls.
Is there a way we can get some dashboard sort of thing setup by BT (we are with Plus.net) at the moment "If you're trying to get hold of xxx press 1", "If you're trying to get hold of xxx press 2"... etc; we'd prefer it obviously so "If you're trying to get hold of xxx hold the line; otherwise you've got the wrong number."
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Comments
You can buy call screening devices such as
http://www.truecall.co.uk/product-p/cb1.htm
https://www.cprcallblocker.com/collections/all-call-blockers
which answer the call silently and only pass on callers if they bother to announce themselves. With some models you can also set up a "whitelist" of callers who get through straight away (eg family and close friends) and "blacklist" certain numbers who never get through.
The callers get played a greeting much like an answer phone so by wording that appropriately you should ward off the misdiallers. After all if they think they are calling "Fred Bloggs" but hear a message telling them they have called "John Higgingbottom" they might realise they've got the wrong number.
What do you think of a complaint to the council about those 3 businesses being a nuisance; maybe they can get all 3 to pay 33% each to buy a screening device or a new trio set of phones with it integrated as we get lots of incorrect calls from people trying to access their numbers.
Why should I have to pay; what stops me messing around with those who try and call until I annoy the company into fixing it?
You have three options really, 1) as already mentioned purchase a call blocker phone where you can even leave your own message to inform callers who they're calling before it starts ringing or 2) contact your telephone provider and request to be issued with a new number. 3) don't spend a penny, don't ask for a new number and just continue to get wound up by the calls.
I've got the BT 8500 call blocker phones myself, best thing we ever did as they phone hardly rings at all now. Even talked my parents into getting them too as it was stressing my father out with all the nuisance spam calls he was getting.
Why do you think it is the problem of the companies involved? They are not the ones making the calls. They cannot be held responsible for people who can't dial a phone number correctly, why should they be?
The only people responsible for the problem are the people phoning you. There is nothing anyone else can do to stop people pressing the buttons on a phone in the wrong order.
Ask the caravan callers to tell you the number they dialled.
- If they didn't dial your number, then it's possible that the park has set up one or more forms of call diversion but programmed in your number by mistake. Call the park and ask them.
- If they did dial your number, then ask them from where they obtained it.