Cycling UK Forum

Like many others I get numerous junk phone calls, on average about 4 or 5 per day. Anything with international,withheld,not available or numbers I do not recognise are ignored.These are intercepted by the answering machine on the basis that genuine callers will leave a message or pick up my mobile number from the answer message.The pattern has been that they started about mid morning and continued until late afternoon. The phone never gets answered by me unless I recognise the caller from the handset display. Latterly the pattern has changed and there are few daytime calls but they now start often about 0815 and then stop until evening sometimes as late as 9.00 PM. It looks as if " they" are trying to catch me unawares by ringing at odd times when personal calls are more likely. I wonder what would happen if I just turned the answering m/c off? I could of course subscribe to an interception service but being mean I cannot bring myself to pay for a service which may or may not work.

The telephone preference service is free. You can register both landlines and mobiles. http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/mobile/index.html. We only get about two calls a month - Windows! and accident claim lines. If I feel like it I can string 'Windows' along for about 20 minutes or so which I find entertaining. Claim line gets immediate click.

Al

it depends who your 'they' are. we're on the opt out lists but we get the odd bunch of calls off scammers (pity they don't keep a low profile by heeding TPS). nothing for months then three or four a day. in those situations i just pick up the phone and once they realise i'm no use to them they move on, fast. then a few months later another bunch comes along.

some useful links
http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/index.html
http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/ ... hone-calls

you're probably already on the TPS, because lifes too short, but there's a bunch of handy info on those pages.

EDIT ninjad, and if i bothered to read the pre-submit window, i'd have known. i just kept clicking like a crazed child though.

Possibly, depending on which server your with, you can "block" numbers. Check with your supplier or their web site. At the moment we have a list of 9 blocked but are only allowed 10 so space is getting low.
Like you we let any unknown number go to answering machine but the problem with that is they then know it's a current number.
I have considered turning the answering machine off.
We went ex-directory which I think helped some but obviously don't know for sure.
I think it is now law that all business callers display a number and again it seems that we don't get blank numbers any more, so that helps to identify suspect ones.
We still get 'private caller' but that is usually from places like the doctors or police. Why do they have be private ?
Our system can be set up to block private calls but that is obviously a problem when hospitals/doctors want to contact you.

We haven't been answering the landline for some years since we bought an answerphone. The ringer volume is turned right down as low as it will go, and unless you are near it, you can't hear it.

We were - and probably still are - getting three or four per DAY at all times from 0800 to 2100.
Some spam calls leave an automated message, but most just hang up.

Every time we order anything over the internet, we give our landline number, but NEVER our mobile numbers.

We've had the same landline number for over 30years. The best way to get rid of the spam calls, is to change the number, but an answerphone is good enough. If anyone wants to get in touch with us, they leave a message, and if we hear the message coming through, we can interrupt and pick up ............... but only if we recognise the person or the subject.

We've been on TPS for twenty years maybe. I'm not sure that it makes any difference whatsoever.

I don't think TPS is much use in practice. May try blocking numbers but usually there is no number available. The point about the answering m/c indicating it is a live number is valid but some calls from medical services etc need attention if they are identified.

We bought phones with 'call guardian' last year. BEST thing we ever did. It's been peace and quiet ever since.
The opposite to Mick I always give my mobile as a contact number when buying things. It's so easy to block numbers on the mobile but to be fair it rarely receives spam.

ambodach wrote:I don't think TPS is much use in practice. May try blocking numbers but usually there is no number available. The point about the answering m/c indicating it is a live number is valid but some calls from medical services etc need attention if they are identified.

But… you are getting all those calls, we are registered and get only two calls a month… TPS does work. You have probably unwittingly registered with people making the calls somehow. Answer each one and insist firmly to have your number removed from their database.

You will never stop the Windows calls from India. The accident claim ones you can halt

Al

My problem is I am expecting a phone call for the hospital about my dickey ticker. So I have to answer the phone to with held numbers.
TPS does not block a lot of computer checking type calls.

Any .unknown number do not speak until they do.

Answerphone.

If it's important, they'll leave a message.
You can hear the message whilst they are speaking.
If you recognise the person or the subject, pick the phone up.

Simple.

yes answermachine the best soln - but many telephone services wil do that any way for you.

I used to get calls from accident lawyers ( strange I have never had an accident ) Used to long time ago get FAXES of all things? any one had them?

For many elderly frail people the phone is their lifeline. My elderly aunt used to receive numerous calls every day from these disgusting scumbags. She had dementia and was unsteady on her feet so answering the phone put her in danger of falling and she had no idea what the calls were about. I bought her a phone that blocked calls and I also registered her with the telephone preference service. The new phone had a recording button on it and she had without knowing pressed this and recorded herself trying to have a conversation with a voice message that was very persuasively trying to get her to buy a boiler.
I regularly checked the phone and took down any numbers that were logged and I reported every one of them to the Infomation Commissioners Office. It took me ages to do because every one was reported individually. One of the companies was eventually prosecuted.

Mick F wrote:Answerphone.

If it's important, they'll leave a message.
You can hear the message whilst they are speaking.
If you recognise the person or the subject, pick the phone up.

Simple.

+1 if it's important we call them back