Speaking Clock 123

ajp8

My elderly mother has a standard BT landline account, which she normally hardly uses. However, she suffers from severe loss of memory, and recently has started constantly phoning the speaking clock number 123 - resulting in bills over £140 per quarter. BT told me that it's impossible to bar this number. Does anyone know of any networks/deals which do allow this number to be barred, or which have a charge of less than 30p a time (maybe even free) to this number. MTIA.

Heinz

Welcome to the MSE forums ajp8.

I don't know of any line providers which will bar 123 for you.

I'd suggest you buy and fit a Commtel Phone Guard for her. You could program it to allow the dialling of 100 and 151 but any other call starting with a 1 would fail.

K9ine

Or off course you could get a more advanced Orchid Dialler but this is probably over the top.

derrick

ajp8 wrote: »

My elderly mother has a standard BT landline account, which she normally hardly uses. However, she suffers from severe loss of memory, and recently has started constantly phoning the speaking clock number 123 - resulting in bills over £140 per quarter. BT told me that it's impossible to bar this number. Does anyone know of any networks/deals which do allow this number to be barred, or which have a charge of less than 30p a time (maybe even free) to this number. MTIA.

020 70431320, normal landline costs.

blossom30

ajp8 wrote: »

My elderly mother has a standard BT landline account, which she normally hardly uses. However, she suffers from severe loss of memory, and recently has started constantly phoning the speaking clock number 123 - resulting in bills over £140 per quarter. BT told me that it's impossible to bar this number. Does anyone know of any networks/deals which do allow this number to be barred, or which have a charge of less than 30p a time (maybe even free) to this number. MTIA.

Hi ajp8, I trawled this board today as I have had mysterious calls made to 123 appearing on my B.T bill and it is only my husband and myself and we did not dial this number, in fact who does these days ,with clocks everwhere including mobiles. We did not make these calls and after reading about your mother are you sure it really is her making the calls. I have my suspicions something is going on here. It would be interesting to hear from other B.T users if they have also been charged for calls they did not make to this number. shrewdal

davetrousers

Put a big clock next to the phone, or stick one to it.

Heinz

shrewdal wrote: »

I have had mysterious calls made to 123 appearing on my B.T bill

Do you have a Sky satellite receiver connected to your line?

If you do, check Services, 401, Select, 3.

You may find someone has entered a 123 dialling prefix in there so that, every time the box tries to call home, it calls TimeLine.

blossom30

Heinz wrote: »

Do you have a Sky satellite receiver connected to your line?

If you do, check Services, 401, Select, 3.

You may find someone has entered a 123 dialling prefix in there so that, every time the box tries to call home, it calls TimeLine.

Thanks for your response Heinz but we don't have a sky box, we are with virgin media. I would be interested to know if any other Mser's have been charged for calls to this number also as I don't believe it is only happening to us. shrewdal

blossom30

Hi, I have came up with a theory here. I have a B.T telephone displaying caller I.D and there is a clock displayed on this and perhaps like the sky box which is set up to phone 123 to regulate the time on the box, this phone does the same also, but it did phone 123 twice in the same night. I will keep an eye on this and if I think it is the phone I will replace it as I think B.T make enough money from me. shrewdal

Heinz

shrewdal wrote: »

Hi, I have came up with a theory here. I have a B.T telephone displaying caller I.D and there is a clock displayed on this and perhaps like the sky box which is set up to phone 123 to regulate the time on the box, this phone does the same also, but it did phone 123 twice in the same night.

That's a possibility - although, just so nobody's worried, Sky boxes don't regulate their time that way (they get their time by satellite ).

The scenario I was detailing was where someone had manually entered a prefix for the box's normal freephone phone home number.

gt94sss2

shrewdal wrote: »

Hi, I have came up with a theory here. I have a B.T telephone displaying caller I.D and there is a clock displayed on this and perhaps like the sky box which is set up to phone 123 to regulate the time on the box, this phone does the same also, but it did phone 123 twice in the same night.

It won't be your telephone checking the time.

Telephones which display the time get time information via caller display when someone calls you which is free- not by calling 123.

Regards
Sunil