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

vikingaero

I think we have to accept that one of the scourges of modern living and technology is spam calls.

We either have to accept it or we fight it. We can fight it by being disruptive. The more we pee telephone operators off in these non-jobs and waste more of these companies time and money the harder it will be for them to make a living.

If we ask telephone agents to delete our number we know they don't do it. One way I've found if a company is using a number that I can call them back with my free mobile minutes is to call them and tell them that I will call them back 10 times for every time they call me. When the same agent answers you 4-5 times in a row they know you mean business.

Tigsteroonie

OP, I share your frustration. We persuaded our provider to give us a free change of number just over a year ago, having got fed up of debt collectors calling us for the previous owners of the number (they didn't seem to grasp that the number didn't go with the house, so we didnt have a clue where the previous 'owner' might be). But debt collectors weren't the worst - it turned out that the guy used to repair pub dishwashers, so the number was pinned up behind the bar of loads of local hostelries who would think nothing of phoning us up during their opening hours (ie 10pm onwards) to request his services!

Now we have a second number, which we discovered within the first couple of hours had been 'recycled' from only 3 weeks previously. We knew that because a good friend of the previous owner phoned looking for her, and expressed surprise when I answered, so she was quite chatty! I thought about complaining again but figured it would just keep happening, our provider had obviously run out of numbers so was recycling them all.

We use caller display and if the number isn't pre-programmed & recognisable, the call gets ignored. If it's important, they'll leave a message. If it's really important, they'll call one of our mobiles.

securityguy

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

our provider had obviously run out of numbers so was recycling them all.

There simply aren't enough phone numbers to issue fresh ones each time a new line is provisioned.

unholyangel

securityguy wrote: »

There simply aren't enough phone numbers to issue fresh ones each time a new line is provisioned.

You'd think theyd have been aware of this for years and taken steps though.

Anyone else remember when they changed dialling codes years and years ago? (ie if your dialling code was 0234, it changed to 01234). Why isnt something similar possible with phone numbers? Heck old mobile numbers were 10 digits, not 11.

Personally, I dont think anyone should be using my details unless I've given them permission to - I really dont care whether its a sales call, marketing call or even the Queen herself.

Nor do I agree that anyone should be able to sell my details or pass them on. They belong only to me. Them possessing my details should not mean that they have ownership to sell/pass them on as they see fit.

dizziblonde

I had terrible problems with this when I had a Virgin landline - the number seemed to have been previously owned by someone who'd ticked the "please bombard me with spam phonecalls at all possible hours you're allowed to operate" box on every single form known to man. Asking to have records altered, saying no one of that name is known here, mentioning TPS registration - nothing worked and the phone had days it would literally start at 9am and we'd have racked up 5-6 calls by noon for the mysterious Sharon.

Switched to BT when we moved house - took the hit to lose the number (which was an inconvenience as it was one several people used to contact me on for work related stuff) and now we're down to the usual smattering of automated dialler ones.

Lou67

Dave_C wrote: »

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

I don't think some people ARE actually reading the OP's post properly at all (OR the one by stormchaser: ) including the two posters after you.

No matter how many times 'I have neither the time or patience to continually answer the phone, and it's an invasion of my privacy' is said, or 'the withheld number facility is NO GOOD because half of my friends/ family/ doctor/dentist/ school etc are withheld,' is said; people are STILL saying 'play them at their own game, put the receiver down on the table and leave it, mess about with them and act all silly.' Or 'get a number screener so you can see who is calling and it will block withheld numbers!' .............. DOH!

Why don't people read the posts properly? Number screening is NO GOOD as the OP - like many other people - WANT THE CALLS TO STOP! And answering the calls and messing them about is not an option either: they WANT THE CALLS TO STOP. Some people have better things to do than mess about annoying spam callers and checking what number is coming through.

securityguy

Lou67 wrote: »

Why don't people read the posts properly? Number screening is NO GOOD as the OP - like many other people - WANT THE CALLS TO STOP! And answering the calls and messing them about is not an option either: they WANT THE CALLS TO STOP. Some people have better things to do than mess about annoying spam callers and checking what number is coming through.

I want an end to world hunger, permanent global peace and a cure for cancer, but as I'm not six, I've learnt that wanting something doesn't mean it's possible, no matter how hard you wish. So unless you think the United Nations are going to, for the first time in recorded history, institute and enforce global legislation, along with the employment of hundreds of thousands of people to monitor every phone call in the country, you're not going to get what you want. So in the absence of the impossible happening, mitigating the problem is the best you're going to get.

Herongull

Lou67 wrote: »

I don't think some people ARE actually reading the OP's post properly at all (OR the one by stormchaser: ) including the two posters after you.

No matter how many times 'I have neither the time or patience to continually answer the phone, and it's an invasion of my privacy' is said, or 'the withheld number facility is NO GOOD because half of my friends/ family/ doctor/dentist/ school etc are withheld,' is said; people are STILL saying 'play them at their own game, put the receiver down on the table and leave it, mess about with them and act all silly.' Or 'get a number screener so you can see who is calling and it will block withheld numbers!' .............. DOH!

Why don't people read the posts properly? Number screening is NO GOOD as the OP - like many other people - WANT THE CALLS TO STOP! And answering the calls and messing them about is not an option either: they WANT THE CALLS TO STOP. Some people have better things to do than mess about annoying spam callers and checking what number is coming through.

It looks like you are not reading the posts properly:eek:

If you want all (or virtually) the nuisance calls to stop, but all the genuine calls to get through, you have to buy a call screener. The whole point of call screeners is that the phone doesn't ring when a nuisance caller is on the line because the call screener blocks them automatically (where or not the number is withheld or from abroad or whatever). With a call screener, (virtually) every time the phone rings there is a genuine caller on the line.

And yes, the call screener lets all calls from the doctor, dentist, school, family etc through. That is what you are paying for - automatic and effective distinguishing between nuisance and genuine calls.

However call screeners are expensive. So if you don't want to pay for a call screener then your only option if you don't want to encourage the nuisance callers is not to answer the phone.

So either you either pay up or put up - your choice.

SpammyTheSpammer

Again assured that my number would be put on their "exclusion list".

The caller claimed that they used the TPS lists (I am registered) but that I should contact my telephone provider to see why they had called me.

What a crock of lies...

PlutoinCapricorn

This all makes me happier than ever to have got rid of my landline a while back, which I do realise is not an option for many people.