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Posted By: lincle unwanted calls - 28th Jan 2019 9:18am
Anyone got a good solution to stopping unwanted calls. Already this morning Ive had 3 ,the first at 7.30 when I was asleep after a very sleepless night. If I hear that stupid "shirley" call one more time Im going to scream. My phone can only block 30 calls so Ive had to start deleting the older ones to add more.My provider cant help so maybe someone on Wiki can.Unplugging phone at night isnt an option.
Posted By: Greenwood Re: unwanted calls - 28th Jan 2019 9:41am
3 is a bit excessive! Telephone Preference Service can only block live calls, not pre-recorded, from within the UK I think, so has limited effect but is worth doing if you haven't already. I had a call at 8am the other day and when the person said 'how are you today?' I said, 'half asleep, you've woken me up!' and they put the phone down. I don't have as many nuisance calls as I used to, but still a few and they are indeed a nuisance, especially if you're on edge expecting a phone call to be bad news or something. Good luck with that.
Posted By: lincle Re: unwanted calls - 28th Jan 2019 10:35am
Thanks Greenwood.The TPS say Im already using their service .The calls even come to my mobile but theyre easy to block & I dont get as many.I was getting upwards of 11 calls a day.Ive tried being polite ,Ive tried just hanging up as they do but theyre like a plague.
Posted By: JDMc777 Re: unwanted calls - 28th Jan 2019 12:24pm
I'm with Talk Talk and used to get up to five nuisance calls a day. About a month ago I started using their new CallSafe service which you have to activate from your account preferences online.

It works by screening every call to see if it's on your approved list. If so you get the call. If it isn't on your list the caller has to record a short introduction. (Most nuisance callers hang up at this stage.) Your phone then rings and you listen to this introduction. From here you can either block them or accept the call. If you accept it it goes on your approved list. If not it goes on your blocked list and you never get bothered by them again.

Since using this i've had no bother at all. I'm not sure whether other providers have something like this but it definitely did the trick for me.
Posted By: lincle Re: unwanted calls - 28th Jan 2019 1:00pm
JDMc ,That sounds a bit confusing .So you dont get any nuisance calls but you get calls from TalkTalk to see if you want to accept the call or block it? Not a lot of difference then.Even blocking calls is a waste of time really as they only use a different number to call you from.We cant win.
Posted By: Salmon Re: unwanted calls - 28th Jan 2019 2:16pm
We got BT8500 phones a few years back to stop those calls, brilliant ! Only accepts numbers that you have put in your address book. It then filters all the rubbish straight out and for any that you may want to accept it gets the person to say who they are. You then either accept the call or reject it. I am sure there are others on the market that do a similar job.
Posted By: lincle Re: unwanted calls - 28th Jan 2019 2:26pm
Thanks Salmon,Ive not had my phones long but didnt realise I could only block 30 calls I can get more than that in less than a fortnight. Will look at alternatives.
Posted By: Tatey Re: unwanted calls - 28th Jan 2019 2:31pm
If you are with BT you can block these numbers but as they are computer derived that's not much help!
Posted By: diggingdeeper Re: unwanted calls - 28th Jan 2019 2:33pm
Originally Posted by lincle
JDMc ,That sounds a bit confusing .So you dont get any nuisance calls but you get calls from TalkTalk to see if you want to accept the call or block it? Not a lot of difference then.Even blocking calls is a waste of time really as they only use a different number to call you from.We cant win.



There is a bit more to it.

Callsafe maintains its own block list of known scam numbers so these never ring you at all.
You also can build up your personal block list so once you rejected a call you can make it permanent until you choose otherwise.
Posted By: JDMc777 Re: unwanted calls - 28th Jan 2019 3:22pm
Originally Posted by lincle
JDMc ,That sounds a bit confusing .So you dont get any nuisance calls but you get calls from TalkTalk to see if you want to accept the call or block it? Not a lot of difference then.Even blocking calls is a waste of time really as they only use a different number to call you from.We cant win.


Hi lincle, as i said most nuisance callers give up when they are asked to make a recording introducing themselves and if they do that the call doesn't come through to you at all. Presumably they have to do something to complete the process at their end.

I have only had one nuisance caller since going on CallSafe who bothered to leave a recorded message and i just pressed the block button to not accept the live call that would have followed if i had accepted it. Haven't heard from him since.

I'm not sure entirely how it works at the Talk Talk end, but I know in 5 weeks since I started using it I have had no nuisance calls. Anyway, hope this helps and I hope you find a solution. Nothing worse than having these idiots intruding on your time like this.
Posted By: lincle Re: unwanted calls - 28th Jan 2019 3:39pm
Your right JDMc it is a nuisance especially early in the morning. Im not with Talk Talk or BT but Ive been looking on line for help & theres 1572 which you ring after a nuisance call . Dont know if its BT but will try it next time.Thanks everyone for helping
Posted By: JDMc777 Re: unwanted calls - 28th Jan 2019 5:08pm
Originally Posted by diggingdeeper
Originally Posted by lincle
JDMc ,That sounds a bit confusing .So you dont get any nuisance calls but you get calls from TalkTalk to see if you want to accept the call or block it? Not a lot of difference then.Even blocking calls is a waste of time really as they only use a different number to call you from.We cant win.



There is a bit more to it.

Callsafe maintains its own block list of known scam numbers so these never ring you at all.
You also can build up your personal block list so once you rejected a call you can make it permanent until you choose otherwise.


Hi diggingdeeper, thanks for the extra info. I haven't looked into exactly how it works, but this helps explain why my phone has been a lot quieter lately.
Posted By: eggandchips Re: unwanted calls - 28th Jan 2019 5:57pm
i stopped answering my landline a couple of years ago. ran out of swear words. i don't answer mobile unless i know the person
but then again i'm a miserable old git
Posted By: Dilly Re: unwanted calls - 28th Jan 2019 7:15pm
i stopped answering my landline a couple of years ago. ran out of swear words. i don't answer mobile unless i know the person
but then again i'm a miserable old git


Come off it Egg, even a nuisance wouldn't ring you laffin
Posted By: lincle Re: unwanted calls - 28th Jan 2019 7:34pm
Hahaha thats what I love about Wiki great advice & greater sense of humour 😂
Posted By: granny Re: unwanted calls - 29th Jan 2019 12:19am


If they are live calls , just keep saying 'I don't understand' or bark like a dog, until they ring off. Saves you having to listen to there rubbish, and keeps you amused at the same time. Most of those have taken me off their list I think, plus the ones I told to get lost as I'm getting very few atm... but that probably means all will change again soon.
Posted By: casper Re: unwanted calls - 29th Jan 2019 9:25am
I do the same granny, but had one unfortunate incident, after getting a number of calls from Asian callers I began to get annoyed, so the last one I got I told the sender to F--- off and to my embarrassment it turned out to be someone with an Indian accent asking if I had taken delivery of the Wirral Globe. blush
Posted By: Gibbo Re: unwanted calls - 29th Jan 2019 10:28am
I whisper and hold the phone away from my mouth.

They then ramp up the volume on their headsets to hear you.

And then out comes a whistle! It won't stop the calls but it does make you feel better.

I'd love to know where they get their information from though, I've not had an accident in the last three years like they say.
Posted By: lincle Re: unwanted calls - 29th Jan 2019 6:12pm
I'd love to know where they get the info from as well Gibbo. Most of mine are from life insurance companies.I'm getting worried that they know something that I dont.
Posted By: casper Re: unwanted calls - 29th Jan 2019 7:25pm
Originally Posted by Gibbo
I whisper and hold the phone away from my mouth.

They then ramp up the volume on their headsets to hear you.

And then out comes a whistle! It won't stop the calls but it does make you feel better.

I'd love to know where they get their information from though, I've not had an accident in the last three years like they say.


I have noticed that after doing searches on the internet for various things including insurances,and after being quiet for a while the calls seem to start up, maybe just a coincidence, or are the numbers being sold on?
Posted By: Madge Re: unwanted calls - 30th Jan 2019 7:17am
As soon as they have finished their scripts about how i had a accident i tell them yes it was awful and i died, but i had a fab send off, and then i rattle on about how lovley the flowers were etc etc and they hang up,
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