Calls for other people - a problem at BT?

ikkle87

Hi guys?

Just a quick query really.

We took out phone/broadband/tv with BT in July, however no sooner had we had the phone line connected then we started receiving phone calls for other people who we had never heard of. My OH was quite patient with the callers and explained they had the wrong number and could they take our number off the system please.

We've just moved (on the 9th) to a different area and so have got a completely new phone number and again within half hour of plugging the phone in we have started receiving calls for people we have never heard of. The worst one is BarclayCard and it's an automated system so we can't even explain the situation to them and get them to remove our number.

We are on the TPS and Ex-directory. The thing is I suffer with depression and anxiety and on bad days I struggle to answer the door and phone to people unless I know who it is. Which is why we only gave the new phone number to my grandparents and my mum so that we knew they would be the only one who could ring me. Seen as that's now failed it's making it excessively hard for me and they are having to ring/text me on my mobile first so I know it's ok to answer.

BT don't seem to care and just fob us off with excuses. Is there anything we can do? A higher body to complain to?

These BarclayCard calls are constant and start at 8am and go through until late at night. It seems easier to just unplug the house phone!

iniltous

You could try 'chose to refuse' or 'anonymous caller rejection' two paid for services that can stop unwanted calls, you could ask BT for a renumber, but there is no guarantee that a new number would be any less likely to get these calls, numbers are recycled and as you are finding, people are still calling the number looking for the previous 'owner' of that number....BT will renumber a line, but I dont think its a free anymore, unless you have reported the nuisance to the police etc..

HappyMJ

Or get a truecall. Pay once (bit expensive though) and your useless calls are filtered out forever and you can take it with you. Zap (block) callers with the # key and Star (keep) callers with the * key. When callers ring they will be asked to leave their name then your phone rings introducing the caller to you if you know them you * them and next time they'll come straight through without the introduction and if you don't know them you # them and they will never be let through again. Sales people rarely leave a message as they know you filter your calls and won't waste their time. You never hear the phone ring.

Heinz

Yes, sounds like getting a Truecall would be an investment for you ikkle87.