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Old 10-11-2005, 20:15
jagger2k
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Recently we have started to get lots off phone calls to which you answer to no reply, pressing 1471 tells me the number is withheld, how can i stop getting these? also Who else is getting calls to your landline and getting some recording of a man with an american accent telling you how you have won a holiday. will this call cost anything? i know they ring my phone but does it have some sort of reverse charge?
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Old 10-11-2005, 20:25
feelsolucky
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The silent calls can be stopped with a quick call to your service provider. I was bombarded for weeks until I contacted BT. Apparently they are caused by an auto dialler that systematically calls hundreds of numbers at once but only responds to the first person to pick up.

The annoying american should also be stopped by this. ignore them and put the phone down as soon as you hear it. I doubt you will win any prize, and i'm pretty sure theres no reverse cost.

Alternatively sign up for a service with your service provider that bans unsolicited calls i.e. calls that witheld their number. I think it costs nothing, but you would need to check with them.

Hope this helps!
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Old 10-11-2005, 20:42
starlight_xx
 
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Originally Posted by feelsolucky

Alternatively sign up for a service with your service provider that bans unsolicited calls i.e. calls that witheld their number. I think it costs nothing, but you would need to check with them.
With BT the choose to refuse facility costs £10 a quarter but personally ive found it worth the money
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Old 10-11-2005, 20:43
jagger2k
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i might give ntl a call tomorrow.
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Old 11-11-2005, 10:13
dawson
 
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Originally Posted by starlight_xx
With BT the choose to refuse facility costs £10 a quarter but personally ive found it worth the money
It's actually £3.35 per month (incl. VAT), billed quarterly, but you can obtain an initial month free.
You can cancel at any time.

This allows you to assess the service, and is often long enough to prevent nuisance calls that are made manually as the unwanted caller usually gets the message after this time.

Not sure it would prevent auto-diallers though.
Also it cannot prevent calls where no CID is available (e.g calls from abroad) but it will prevent calls where a caller withholds their ID, providing you know their number to set the service up.

Originally Posted by jagger2k
....i know they ring my phone but does it have some sort of reverse charge?
Rest assured you cannot be billed for receiving a call in this country, unless that call is a traditional reverse charge call - in this case you will always be advised this before the call is connected and you obviously are given the choice as to whether or not to accept such call.

Last edited by dawson : 11-11-2005 at 10:57.
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Old 13-11-2005, 21:16
ney
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We have joined The Telephone Preference Service and have been on that for almost a year now and find that has stoped 98% of all sales and silent calls.
http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps
We have also joined The Mailing Preference Service and that has stoped 99% of all junk mail that comes in the post.
http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr

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Old 16-11-2005, 11:18
dawson
 
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Silent phone calls are generally because of computer generated autodialling. If when you answer, there is no operator at the other end to take the call, (they dial more numbers than they have operators) you are left with a silent call. However, by answering the call your number is often recorded as being genuine so the company will continue to dial it.

The TPS also offer an additional service, Silent Callgard Service (sic), whereby you can register to deny such calls. Registration is free and valid for 12 months whereupon you can re-register, again for free. Registration takes upto 48 hours to take effect.

To register, call 0870 4443969, or better still Freefone 0800 0831138
(Thanks to saynoto0870 for supplying the freefone number).

There is also a website you could register at, but I am unsure of its authenticity.

http://www.ukdatait.co.uk/cgi-bin/sgAddNumber.cgi

As I say, I am unsure about the website, so use this at your own risk!
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Old 19-11-2005, 23:59
blueblade
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Silent calls are a bloody nuisance and, I believe, a form of harassment and an invasion of privacy. They should be banned outright.
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Old 20-11-2005, 12:34
m691
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Just use silent call guard.

However, Silent Call guard will not stop sales and marketing calls from abroad. silent call guard is not compulsary, so sales and marketing companies can ignore silent call guard, so there is a 30% chance of still recieveing silent calls.

TPS is compulsary and companies have to abide by their rules and again, TPS cannot stop international calls.

The canadian 'You've won a holiday' can be chargeable if you respond. It says 'Dial 9 for more information' If you do this, then you'll be charged a lot of money.

Unfortunetly, landline companies do not have any facilities to bar incomming international calls yet and would advise that everyone reading this should contact your service provider to introduce such service.
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Old 20-11-2005, 12:40
White Monk
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There is also a website you could register at, but I am unsure of its authenticity.

http://www.ukdatait.co.uk/cgi-bin/sgAddNumber.cgi

As I say, I am unsure about the website, so use this at your own risk![/quote]

I've registered, so we'll see what happens - watch this space!
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Old 21-11-2005, 21:05
OllieOnline
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Originally Posted by dawson
It's actually £3.35 per month (incl. VAT), billed quarterly, but you can obtain an initial month free.
You can cancel at any time.

This allows you to assess the service, and is often long enough to prevent nuisance calls that are made manually as the unwanted caller usually gets the message after this time.

Not sure it would prevent auto-diallers though.
Also it cannot prevent calls where no CID is available (e.g calls from abroad) but it will prevent calls where a caller withholds their ID, providing you know their number to set the service up.
In relation to Choose to Refuse the statement, provided you know their number to set it up, is only partly true.

You can bar calls from callers who withhold their number, as long as you answered the call, you then hang up and dial 14258 and press **, this also has to be done before any other calls are made to your phone. Calls from that withheld number (not all withheld numbers) will be bared. (BT still know the number even if it has been withheld.)

Oh, also you don't get to find out what number you have bared if you do it this way.
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Old 24-11-2005, 20:57
Thanhuk
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OR, if you are on BT you could have the FREE Call ID service. Its very usefull and yo can choose to see whos calling and miss there call if you want! Its also cut down on the number of witheld calss we get as we dont answer them.
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Old 04-12-2005, 20:13
pad_ehh
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When you cant get through on the telephone number, the recorded message says "Thanks for calling UK Data IT", the same as the website, so maybe it is genuine.

I'm going to register my number and see what happens.

Paddy
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Old 04-12-2005, 20:36
paul-white
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Originally Posted by ney
We have joined The Telephone Preference Service and have been on that for almost a year now and find that has stoped 98% of all sales and silent calls.
http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps
I think the success rate for me is 100%.

Originally Posted by ney
We have also joined The Mailing Preference Service and that has stoped 99% of all junk mail that comes in the post.
http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr
Thanks, I didn't know about this one. I've just registered, let's see for how much longer all the Telewest junk continues to arrive.
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Old 05-12-2005, 21:15
Trajet
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Originally Posted by m691
The canadian 'You've won a holiday' can be chargeable if you respond. It says 'Dial 9 for more information' If you do this, then you'll be charged a lot of money.
No you are not. Press 9, Make a fool of the operator tell them you live in them in the hills and don't have banks, credit cards and the solar powered telephone is about to run out as it is getting dark!!!!!

I do this all the time now, makes me laugh.

I checked my BT bill the day after on the internet - no charges on my phone - therefore doopy sods in the scam company pay to give me a laugh.
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Old 06-12-2005, 13:33
brundles
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Does the TPS still apply to companies that originate their calls from outside the OK? I thought some companies saw that as a 'legitimate' way around the TPS?

jagger2k - Are you sure it's not just that Glenda has rumbled you and now she's stalking you?
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Old 06-12-2005, 14:45
dawson
 
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Any company subject to UK legislation must comply with the TPS

So any company based in the UK must comply, no matter where they originate their calls from.

However, foreign companies do not need to comply.
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Old 06-12-2005, 14:49
stud u like
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I get rogue faxes on my NTL line sometimes and I don't have a fax machine.
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Old 07-12-2005, 01:33
jagger2k
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Originally Posted by brundles
jagger2k - Are you sure it's not just that Glenda has rumbled you and now she's stalking you?
hm.....seeing she dont have our number, but then again her bf is a ntl enginner. damn lol.
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