Phone Call Blocker

[Deleted User]

Does anyone have one of these? Do they work ok?

I've seen the Truecall and CPR devices, but this one has a display and you don't have to wait for the offending number to call before you can press the button to block it.

Are there any other recommendations?

chrisw

I've got the CPR one and it's great. You have to have Caller ID and I've got mine set to block international, witheld and unavailable numbers. This cuts out the majority of rubbish but ones calling from a standard number can still get through. The unit is programmed with 200 of known ones, but if one gets through you can just block that particular number. You can also block calls from a particular area code but this might stop genuine callers from that area getting through.

Lots of good reviews on Amazon:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/CPR-Global-CPR104-All-in-One-Blocker/dp/B004BTVQ5E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1361301225&sr=8-4

I bought mine for the same price from the cpr call blocker website.

JJ_Egan

CPR i have used it does help even with it no longer connected get fewer calls .
One problem can be blocking international numbers if you have international friends .


jje

[Deleted User]

They had the man from CPR on Radio 4 just after I posted this thread. Apparently, when legitimate callers get through, the CPR momentarily blanks the audio a few seconds after you pick up, so your callers keep hanging up because they think you've put the phone down on them. That sounds really irritating!

Is there any way to program a number into the CPR without waiting for it to call you first? Does it always block withheld numbers or can you choose? NHS numbers are usually withheld, and I need to receive those at the moment.

sillygoose

I have the CPR device and its superb. I don't block Withheld as the TPS should cover most of those and I have friends who are withheld.

I also find that the spammers are catching on that many people won't pick up a withheld so are calling with a visible number.

I block International because I get maybe 1 call a year I want but about 5 a day from Indian scam centres - well not anymore! Anyone I want to talk to abroad knows my mobile, happy to call them back.

You can enter specific phone numbers to block using the phone keyboard. Alternatively, as soon as you pick up and hear rubbish you just press the button on the CPR and it instantly cuts the call and remembers the number. SO SATISFYING!!!!!!

The way it works is simply this, it suppresses the ringer circuit until the caller id signal has been read, if the number is in the block list it silently hangs the call up. Otherwise it allows the ringer to ring and the call goes through as normal. The only effect is a couple of seconds delay before ringing for a normal call.

Edit: had a look at the device on Ebay... looks pretty good.

Edit although the ebay device doesn't seem to have the ability to block overseas calls so no good for me ;(

chrisw

jack_pott wrote: »

They had the man from CPR on Radio 4 just after I posted this thread. Apparently, when legitimate callers get through, the CPR momentarily blanks the audio a few seconds after you pick up, so your callers keep hanging up because they think you've put the phone down on them. That sounds really irritating!

Is there any way to program a number into the CPR without waiting for it to call you first? Does it always block withheld numbers or can you choose? NHS numbers are usually withheld, and I need to receive those at the moment.

I've never noticed any delay when I've phoned my home number and nobody has ever mentioned it to me.

If you know a number you want to block you can enter it with your phone as mentioned above. But I agree, pressing the 'block now' button during a call is a great feeling, particularly if, like my wife, you are too polite to hang up on them yourself.

Any of the features can be turned on or off so you can choose whether or not to block withheld calls, etc. although it will obviously be less effective as a lot of the sales calls are withheld numbers, but there's no way round that.

If you buy from the CPR website you get a 30 day moneyback guarantee so you could always try it and see if it suits you.

[Deleted User]

I've just found out from the Plusnet website that there's a difference between a "withheld" number and an "unavailable" number, but it doesn't explain what so I sent them an email.

It occurred that a call blocker might not actually be much help. My usual method of dealing with calls is to ignore the phone ringing, and then dial 1471 and call back, but my recent problems have arisen because the NHS don't reveal their numbers. I keep answering the phone in anticipation that it might be the hospital, only to get another PPI etc. So I was wondering whether "withheld/unavailable" might be a means of distinguishing NHS from PPI.

Just for a change, I had a different one a few minutes ago:
"We hear that you have been involved in a recent car crash."
"Really? I haven't driven a car for 8 years..."

Am I right in thinking that the CPR uses the RJ11 telephone connector and not the BS6312 wall connector?

chrisw

jack_pott wrote: »

Am I right in thinking that the CPR uses the RJ11 telephone connector and not the BS6312 wall connector?

Yes, it comes with a short cable so you unplug the wire going into the phone and put it in the blocker and then connect up with the small cable. Instructions are here which might help:-

http://cprcallblocker.com/CPR-Call-Blocker-105-User-Guide.pdf

I think the NHS do come up as withheld.

Yorkie1

I think many phones dialled out through a switchboard come up as unavailable or withheld.

[Deleted User]

chrisw wrote: »

Yes, it comes with a short cable so you unplug the wire going into the phone and put it in the blocker and then connect up with the small cable. Instructions are here which might help:-

http://cprcallblocker.com/CPR-Call-Blocker-105-User-Guide.pdf

I have a one piece phone with a curly cord which goes straight from the handset to the wall, so if I fitted the unit the way they describe it would be dangling from the phone rather than remaining on the coffee table. After my last post I had a quick shufty on Amazon, and I see that the adapters they sell are criticised for being wired incorrectly, so I tried the online help at CPR to see if they sell adapters. I spent half an hour banging my head against the wall trying to get him to understand what I was getting at and then gave up. It's no real bother to make some, just a bit more untidy, that's all.

If I switch the withheld block off when I'm expecting the NHS to call at least I'll get the benefit the rest of the time, and from the other functions.