Ways to stop overseas sales calls discussion

pukkamum

kaya64 wrote: »

I am new to this site and can't work out how to post a new thread so i will have to post mine here sorry.
I keep getting calls from payment protection insurance advisors, asking me if i was wrongly sold ppi, i have never given my phone number to anyone or ever enquired about ppi so i don't know how they are getting my number.

I would take the phone off and do without it but i my dad has Parkinson's and mum has just got over cancer they are both nearly 80 and i need the phone on , but everytime it rings its those idiots telling 'don't hang up blah blah blah '

is ther anyway to stop them other than changing my number which i dont see why i should have to ?

I have had loads of these and i ask them what it is they do, they obviously give their spiel, i act interested, i then ask them why i cannot claim it myself with a simple letter, and what it is exactly i need their services for and do they not think it immoral to take fees for a service easliy performed by an individual themselves, they cannot answer of course.
I have done this a few times and now no longer get any, i think i am now on a do not call list!

mulligan

My tactic is to turn the tables on them. That is, they have my name & no. So they know more of me than I of them. I counter by asking for details. For instance, they usually give a first name. So I ask for a 2nd. Often just that freaks 'em out, & they hang up. But, if they do give a 2nd name, I ask for a phone no., etc. If they refuse to give basic info, I say 'In that case, I'm not going on with this call.', then hang up.

It's true that it takes half a dozen calls like this before they get the message, but then it seems to work. (I assume most of the callers are casual staff: maybe the co. gives my no. to rookies.)

johnogate

We are registered with the TPS Telephone Preference Service but we still get unwanted calls from UK companies who either ignore it or find a weasel way around the rules. Overseas companies simply take no notice of it. However, provided you have an answer phone with a caller ID display the following system works very well with no stress because you don't have to speak to anyone.

• Have the phone set on the answering service permanently night and day but set for 8 rings or something like that before your message starts. This gives you plenty of time to get to the phone when it rings. It also means you don't have to remember to turn it on whenever you go out which is a small benefit.
• Look at the number on the caller display; if it’s a Withheld Number or an International Number or you are in anyway unsure of its origin let the answer service take it first. If it’s a legitimate caller leaving a message just pick up and answer with a sweet apology for being cautious.
• If it’s a sales call they hardly ever leave a message and just ring off but sometimes now they use a proper traceable landline number rather than a withheld number just to fool you into thinking it’s legitimate so you do pick up. If it’s not a local number or it’s a number from outside the area you don’t recognise then let the answer service take the call first.

That’s it really but other things worth a mention are:

People who know you or have a valid reason for calling you will nearly always leave a message so don’t be afraid of missing the calls you want; you could have been out anyway! If it’s a sales call you will often hear general office noise and talking in the background. That’s because they use automatic dialling systems and there’s often no one immediately available to talk to you when your answer service cuts in.

Not all Withheld numbers are sales calls; friends or relations calling you from their place of work will often come up as number withheld or they set their own phone up like this for personal reasons. Most 0845 and 0870 or similar numbers are sales calls but not always, sometimes it could be your gas or electricity company or your bank etc calling you.

If someone keeps calling you from a proper landline number without leaving a message then it’s most likely a sales call. If you are curious as to who the company is just key the whole number into Google and see what comes up. You will probably find here a popular website which is ‘Who Calls Me’. Have a look at the comments; some people get absolutely furious! For example, 01293735648 is a company from Crawley, West Sussex called Niagara Healthcare who are real telepests and cause great irritation to a lot of people.

If your phone has the Caller ID and answering functions then it most likely has a Call Barring function as well. Just select the nuisance number and press the button. This is so satisfying; next time they call, your phone doesn’t ring (it might just give a beep), they get a brief engaged tone and are then automatically cut off. Lovely!

Scucca

When I get a call that either says withheld or international I just let the answerphone take it. But wouldn't it be nice if the phone ring differently when either of these came through so I wouldn't have to get up and see that it was a spam call.

sue.b_2

Scucca wrote: »

When I get a call that either says withheld or international I just let the answerphone take it. But wouldn't it be nice if the phone ring differently when either of these came through so I wouldn't have to get up and see that it was a spam call.

My phone has a facility to set different ring tones for different callers in my contacts list and another tone for numbers not on the list. I am sure this applies to most cordless phones. Mine is quite old so you should be able to get one easily.
It is so good knowing who is calling before I even get to the phone to see the caller id. I can choose to ignore some people if I have something better to do.:)

Butterfly_Brain

Last time I had a call from an Asian who said that they were doing a survey and wanted me to hand over control of my computer for some scam I just told them that I was putting them through to the police station because they were interested in talking to them .....Not had a call since

mum67

Lifestyle Market Research who I know have been mentioned in past posts is making my life hell at the moment. 45 calls since the beginning of May. They come through as either international, unavailable or 01592642600. They will not take no for an answer and despite saying we will never answer their questions and to remove us they still ring!! Taken to just hanging up but such a pain. Unfortunately not in a position to ignore as my Dad lives abroad and his number comes up as international or if he skype's as unavailable so unless I know it's too late for him to ring I have to answer. How long before they get the message. Have just followed another threads advice and have now got a VoIP number which I will use when filling in any forms that insist you put a phone number.

dark_lady

Ive got exactly the same problem with UK Today as mentioned on page 2 of this thread. We are with TPS too and it makes no difference. BT have refused to do anything about it.

ston27

I had a call,he said he was from windows,he told me my computer had contracted a virus from opening emails I just hung up, about two minutes later he rung up again,I then told him I havn't got time and hung up he had a Asian accent

cheeswright

Hi I was just skimming through this post when I realised -
nobody was mentioning that you can get your imformation removed from the publicly visable / buyable electoral register
which is where these folks get your numbers from
all you have to do is check the box on your next voting form from the council....
its near the bottom and says it will do just this.....

hope that helps someone