Call blocker phones

ripplyuk

I'm getting silent/sales calls throughout the day now and really want to find a way to block them. I'm mainly thinking of getting a handset with a call blocker built in, rather than one of the call blocker boxes because I don't have any spare plugs and I've read that some people found the boxes affected their broadband. Mine is 0.3mb so I don't want it affected at all.

I've seen a BT8500 phone on Amazon. one thing I'm unsure of is if it will work properly with my TalkTalk line. One reviewer with a Virgin line said his didn't. It also has a built in answerphone. Does that mean my TalkTalk voicemail won't work?

Any advice/recommendations would be appreciated.

macman

The CPR call blocker doesn't need mains power, it just fits between the master socket and your handset and is powered from the phone line.. It should have no impact whatsoever on your broadband, as it's on the voice side of the ADSL filter.
Your TT voicemail will still work, and you can turn of the answerphone on the handset if you wish.

ripplyuk

I've looked at the CPR call blocker but I've been put off a bit because of some of the reviews. They say it just stops the phone from ringing instead of blocking the call completely. I also need it to allow calls from withheld numbers since my doctor uses one and some people were saying it still kept blocking them.

The phone I've looked at seems to be on offer on Amazon and it does everything I'm looking for. I'm just confused since it says 'BT' on it and so I was thinking it might only be for BT customers.

Ian011

The only ones that do what needs to be done are those based on the trueCall technology.

You can fit a separate box or you can have it built into a phone such as the BT8500.

macman

ripplyuk wrote: »

I've looked at the CPR call blocker but I've been put off a bit because of some of the reviews. They say it just stops the phone from ringing instead of blocking the call completely. I also need it to allow calls from withheld numbers since my doctor uses one and some people were saying it still kept blocking them.

The phone I've looked at seems to be on offer on Amazon and it does everything I'm looking for. I'm just confused since it says 'BT' on it and so I was thinking it might only be for BT customers.

No, it blocks the calls you ask it to block, or the call categories you ask it to block. Each category can be switched on or off as you wish. You can set it to allow 'number withheld' calls if you wish, and then manually block such calls that come though one by one. You can't authorise specific numbers.
To get through on a 'number withheld' number as you describe, the caller has to dial 1470 in front of the number in order to release it. Whether you can persuade your doctor to note this and do it is another matter-if dialling numbers recalled from a database then it should be easy to amend their database..
A phone branded BT' will work on any BT-based line-your provider can be anyone. The only requirement of call blockers is that you must have Caller Display enabled on your line. Which, amazingly, is free with TT. You just activate in Privacy Features via your online account.

Quentin

macman wrote: »

... You can set it to allow 'number withheld' calls if you wish, and then manually block such calls that come though one by one......

It's not that clever.


You cannot "manually" block any calls from a withheld number.


You either stop all withheld number calls from getting through or allow all of them to come through.

ripplyuk

I think it might be worth getting the BT8500 phone. My current phone (Panasonic) got great reviews on Which? but it's been terrible from day one. Callers voices are very muffled and I struggle to hear them even with the volume at max. It also randomly shows 'missed' calls from people who didn't ring at all. So, I don't mind getting rid of it!

Having said that, BT phones seem to have a reputation for being faulty. I'll have to try something. I thought these scammers would get bored eventually since I don't answer, but they don't seem to.