MSE News: Watchdogs put Telephone Preference Service under nuisance calls spotlight

MothballsWallet

There should also be an investigation into the chocolate teapot called Ofcom as well as TPS. Ofcom, as evidenced on these boards, care more about the industry providers than us consumers.

forgotmyname

Well no calls as yet from any spammers or cold callers.

Blocked Witheld numbers, International ones and unknown numbers. Also the option to block numbers.

Im bored now the phone never rings, Nobody likes me

After so many complaints for a certain number or caller the lines should be instantly cut off.
The provider should be fined also if its repeated.

If they wanted then could trace the MS virus people in under an hour and have them cut off.

Yorkie1

pixwix wrote: »

I can't even ignore withheld numbers, as - for god knows what reason - both my local NHS and Council now withhold their numbers.

My understanding is that if you call from a switchboard system, the number shows as 'withheld' for the recipient without the company necessarily needing to do anything to make it withheld.

Froggitt

No. It shows as the "main" number, not the extension. They can ask for that main number to be withheld.

ValHaller

Yorkie1 wrote: »

My understanding is that if you call from a switchboard system, the number shows as 'withheld' for the recipient without the company necessarily needing to do anything to make it withheld.

As Froggitt says, it is the number of the outgoing line which displays by default - but the outgoing line on a big system does not necessarily take incoming calls. The business then takes the option for the number to be given as 'withheld'. I believe that they do have an option to display a different 'presentation number' which will accept incoming calls.

lemontart

tps reduced number but I still get calls from uk and abroad - I only have a mobile so block numbers which helps reduce further for a few weeks then they seem to use a different one.

Ian01

minislim wrote: »

it seems its overseas calls that slip through the net though. and this is beyond their scope.

The UK companies that supply the lists of telephone numbers and/or make use of the leads generated by these calls should be targeted for compliance.

Le73Uq86Uv wrote: »

They should make BT release the CLID for international calls, how hard can that be?

I understand that BT is currently upgrading their 5600 exchanges to show International Caller ID and that it will be available very soon.

This commitment was given by BT in the third section of the first of the two sessions listed below:
http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=13746&player=windowsmedia
http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=13792&player=windowsmedia

MothballsWallet

Ian, are these 5600 exchanges all System X digital ones?

From my days working in computer telephony, practically all of the telephone system protocols support carrying the caller, called and presentation (caller display) numbers when making a phone call - they have to do that for billing purposes.

ValHaller

Ian01 wrote: »

I understand that BT is currently upgrading their 5600 exchanges to show International Caller ID and that it will be available very soon.

Pure spin. They have always had the capability to display and there is no need to upgrade exchanges.

It is purely a matter of capturing the calling number at the point of landing the call into the BT system and forwarding it according to UK data protocols.

They did this from the outset - as soon as the CLID was available from abroad, they forwarded it and we used to see it from non UK based relatives. Then they had a brainfart and decided to protect the ID of foreign callers on the basis that those callers might not have wanted their number displayed, s0d the privacy of UK based receivers of those calls.

So it is purely a matter of lifting the block on International CLID at all those exchanges, not a matter of enabling them to do anything they could not do anyway.

I do hold BT responsible - but more than BT, I hold responsible the pathetic people in the UK who opposed CLID for 'compromising their privacy' when they made calls. The answer was simple - don't make calls if you don't want your number revealed.

Anyway, the price of making a totally wrong call on CLID and protection of privacy has been the installation of an open gateway into the UK for the tsunami of international spam calls.

Graham1

What BT said in their written evidence http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmcumeds/writev/636-i/ntc008.htm

19. From autumn 2013 customers will, if required, in addition to the wording INTL, start to see the CLI of calls from abroad. Our plan is, as exchanges are upgraded, to roll out this facility to all customers by autumn 2014. This network development will allow customers to screen their calls more easily and recognise the numbers of friends and family calling from abroad. It will also readily provide CLI /data to help customers report their calls to the regulators.

So, just in time for their selling a new phone handset that can screen based on caller-id and just as they start charging extra for caller-id.