Is there ever going to be a time when 'spam' calls are stopped?!!! WARNING; LONG RANT

HPsauce63

I find these kind of calls mind-numbingly annoying too, and I don't actually WANT to be picking them up and messing about with them. I work, I have a family, I don't have the time OR the patience to do this, and IMO, they are a menace. Intruding into my home, in my family time, bothering me for something I am NOT interested in. It is about time something was done.

I don't get why numbers are recycled either. Have they run out?

robatwork

Very annoying, but you just have to change your attitude about when the phone rings. Assume it's someone you don't want to talk to unless you know otherwise.

I only answer to numbers I recognise on caller ID. Everyone else goes through to answerphone. Occasionally there will be a genuine one who will leave a message. 9/10 there is silence or an odd hello hello, then nothing.

I've never missed an "important" call and don't stress about this any more. Anyone who really needs me will also have my mobile number.

vikingaero

HPsauce63 wrote: »

I find these kind of calls mind-numbingly annoying too, and I don't actually WANT to be picking them up and messing about with them. I work, I have a family, I don't have the time OR the patience to do this, and IMO, they are a menace. Intruding into my home, in my family time, bothering me for something I am NOT interested in. It is about time something was done.

Then pick up the phone, answer it, say hold on, carry on with your washing up and replace the receiver when you'e finished.

I don't get why numbers are recycled either. Have they run out?

There are only a finite amount of numbers for each area code 01234 000000 to 01234 999999. In urban areas there may be huge demands from businesses for phone lines and the only way to give people new numbers is to reuse old numbers.

meer53

robatwork wrote: »

Very annoying, but you just have to change your attitude about when the phone rings. Assume it's someone you don't want to talk to unless you know otherwise.

I only answer to numbers I recognise on caller ID. Everyone else goes through to answerphone. Occasionally there will be a genuine one who will leave a message. 9/10 there is silence or an odd hello hello, then nothing.

I've never missed an "important" call and don't stress about this any more. Anyone who really needs me will also have my mobile number.

Exactly. People who need to speak to me will leave a message, or call my mobile.

Answering the spam calls just gives them ammo as they know the number is live.

shamrock_girl

Sorry about this as haven't really used this site much since joining an d have just had hassle as it wouldn't recognise my password, which was correct as I have them all in a notebook(too many passwords etc., and have memory problems)

I have been realising that this kind of spam phone call seems to be impossible to get rid of, it's outrageous, where are they getting the no's? Yes, I too have been on the TPS for many years, with many different no's and locations as I've moved a lot. But this spam automated calls thing obviously runs roughshod over this, I wonder if they try to get round it by saying they're not actually selling you anything!!

Can I ask if anyone knows why companies use the 0844 no's and though they say they are a local rate call, other paperwork I've seen says there's also a 13 pence start up call price? What really bugs me is that you can't use the over-ride if you're using another provider for your phone calls, which I do. It won't work for the 0844's yet it will work for 0845 and some 0870's, why is this? Drives me nuts and if you have a start up charge of 13 pence as well as the call price, not that cheap or local is it?! Thanks in advance for any answers.

redpete

HPS wrote: »

I think that my provider is a bit useless and gives me recycled numbers that have been with someone else quite recently. and have been sold to marketing companies.

Unlikely that the numbers have been sold to anyone. Lists of valid number ranges are freely available. These mass calling companies will have systems that dial through a range of numbers - they effectively get to your number in sequence, not because they know that someone actually has the number active.

TPS does cut down the number of calls but will have no effect on those from overseas.

Stormchaser_2

I am also massively irritated by these calls, and am baffled as to the 'flippant' attitudes of some people saying 'just pick up the receiver and if it's a spam call, just put the receiver on the side and get on with your washing up or whatever.'

I think people are missing the point: the OP has had enough of the calls, and wants to know if anything is ever going to be done about them, as it's a gross invasion of privacy: every day in your home. Moreover, he/she has had to take the drastic measure of constantly having the phone switched off as it's getting unbearable now.

He/she doesn't need to change their 'attitude,' they came on here for advice and support and queried if anything was ever going to be done about this constant invasion into peoples' privacy. And let's face it, many of us have better things to do than answer dozens of random calls from nobody! And the idea of just placing the receiver on the phone table and leaving it, seems somewhat impracticable. Many people - me included - actually have better things to do than waste time fannying around, answering spam phone calls. I work, and have a family, and a home, and have no time or tolerance for these pests.

And how long are you supposed to keep leaving the receiver on the phone table for? And what if someone else is trying to get through - someone you actually KNOW, who needs to speak to you?

Call-screeners are pretty useless, as many people - and companies - withold the number. What's more, why the hell should anyone have to keep getting up to these calls to see if it's 'a number they recognise?!' It's an invasion of your privacy and a bloody nuisance.

Up to 10 years ago, these spam calls were virtually unheard of, especially if you were ex-directory. Yet the numbers are sold on by the providers, for marketing and sales, and are freely available for anyone to obtain, and nobody ever has any peace.

And the TPS are bleeding useless. I have been registered with them for a few years, and with each passing month, I get more and more spam calls; often from witheld numbers, and if the number 'is' there; they are often 'non-existent' when I ring them back, so the TPS cannot trace them.

And even if you DO tell these people to take you off their database; they DON'T. And the anonymous caller reject is no good, as not only does it not work on calls from outside the UK, (because they do get through from outside the UK, even if it is a witheld number,) but also, anyone else with a withheld number who you know, cannot get through either!

It comes to something though, when someone is having to switch their phone off and only use it for outgoing calls. It's about time something was done about them!

peter_the_piper

Simple answer. If you want to waste their time put the phone aside. If you don't want to waste their time end the call. Their is no way, apart from special phone, to stop the calls. They are a nuisance that's all.

Dave_C_2

peter_the_piper wrote: »

Simple answer. If you want to waste their time put the phone aside. If you don't want to waste their time end the call. Their is no way, apart from special phone, to stop the calls. They are a nuisance that's all.

You did read the post above yours, or maybe even the OP. Some of us on here consider these calls to be more than a mere nuisance, more along the lines of an invasion of privacy.

If you think they are just a nuisance, why not post your phone number, as you obviously won't mind a few nuisance marketing calls.

Dave

Herongull

The reality is that nuisance calls are here to stay and will probably just keep getting worse.

If you don't want the constant harassment either

buy an expensive call screener - they really work! They stop virtually all nuisance calls including number withheld and calls from abroad. I wouldn't be without mine now.

or

pull all calls though to the answerphone.

Answering the phone for nuisance callers just encourages them.