How to stop cold calls?

edited August 2009 in Chit chat
This is getting annoying now...recently we have been several getting cold calls a day on our land line - recorded messages from companies selling loans, etc.

So far today we've had over half a dozen, from withheld/0800/international numbers. Is there a way to opt out of these and get my number removed? I thought I did something like that a couple of years ago, but it didn't work. I'm ex-directory (of course).
Post edited by Daren on

Comments

  • edited August 2009
    Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

    http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/tps/

    But it can take a month just to kick in...

    ...and not all these bastard cold calling companies actually screen their lists against the TPS list.
  • edited August 2009
    I'm also getting plagued by these calls. I can tell you right now that the TPS won't solve your problem as I'm on it and I get loads of those calls. Yes, I know I could tell them it's illegal to call me if I'm on it but that doesn't really alter the fact that they've already called me; the damage is done, and it won't stop the next lot either!

    I had a nefarious plan a while back: I would connect an old dialup modem to the line and write a prog to read the number via caller ID. If it started with 0845, 0870, 0800 or an international code, I would have the program "answer" the call, play the out-of-service beeps (apparently those beeps signal remote autodiallers to remove your number from their lists) and drop the call again. After some googling around for modem AT codes, I came up with the sequence to answer the call, play the beeps over the phone line, and end the call.

    And I would've gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for those meddling kids at BT! They decided to adopt a slightly different system for caller ID than the US networks, and of course, all the modems support the US standard, with practically no modems offering BT caller ID support. Despite me having umpteen modems lying around, none of them can detect caller ID on my line (but my phone can). So... a colossal waste of time really! It was a nice idea though...
  • edited August 2009
    I got so sick of them that i leave the phone permanently off the hook. All my family and friends know to text me if they want a chat so i then put the phone on just for the call.
  • edited August 2009
    i just use a mobile these days. never had one cold caller.
  • edited August 2009
    mile wrote: »
    i just use a mobile these days. never had one cold caller.

    I heard that's gonna change :-(

    Apparently the government is gonna publish/flog mobile phone lists to companies soon...
  • edited August 2009
    Blow a whistle down the phone.
  • edited August 2009
    Get an answering machine.
    Record onto it the official "This number is disconnected..." blah-blah.
    Just remember to tell your friends your number is NOT disconnected.
  • edited August 2009
    Marko wrote: »
    And I would've gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for those meddling kids at BT! They decided to adopt a slightly different system for caller ID than the US networks, and of course, all the modems support the US standard, with practically no modems offering BT caller ID support. Despite me having umpteen modems lying around, none of them can detect caller ID on my line (but my phone can). So... a colossal waste of time really! It was a nice idea though...

    rather than using the modem's internal decoder, set it up to monitor the audio on the line (I'm assuming a voicemodem here) and decode the callerID in software on the computer.
  • edited August 2009
    Just got a cold call off of "Talk Talk", whom have taken over Tiscali, and they had all my details - and said that I had recently entered a compertion to win an iPhone.

    Erm, no.

    They were suprised to here that the Tiscali account is NOT registered to me, and that I wouldn't give them any information reguarding it, or why I have various email addresses under it and am using their webspace.

    I love all my names! It really knackers information up! Banks go ape!

    EDIT - strangely enough, I was cut off last night. And now I get a call. I'm guessing they don't like me having unlimited interet access on the cheap - and use it all they time! But those contracts can work both ways!
  • edited August 2009
    torot wrote: »
    I heard that's gonna change :-(

    Apparently the government is gonna publish/flog mobile phone lists to companies soon...

    that will be interesting on trains, everyones phone going off every five mins.

    i reckon it won't be worth their time, as loads of numbers sims aren't used, and kids have them.
  • edited August 2009
    Never buy ink cartridges on the internet, them buggers keep ringing you up offering great deals, that bare no resemblance to the invoice that comes through the door. And maybe one day I will miss that Indian voice..."Hello can I speak to Mrs.Mitchell please". Whoever she is, I keep getting her calls.

    As the earlier person mentioned, keep a whistle by the phone, that bloody hurts your ears, I can vouch for that.
  • edited August 2009
    Scrap the house phone & get skype instead. Its loads cheaper too, and the quality has greatly improved over the last couple of years - I use mine on a wireless laptop!
    My test signature
  • edited August 2009
    A whislte for me would be useless, as all the cold calls I get are from automated machines - no humans involved.
  • edited August 2009
    Never buy ink cartridges on the internet

    I have bought ink cartridges on the net and never got any spam... how the hell would they get my telephone number anyway?

    I think the real tip here is, never put your telephone number down on an order form, if they have your email and postal address then there is absolutely no reason to demand a phone number.

    if the form won't submit without one, you can use one of these http://www.ofcom.org.uk/telecoms/ioi/numbers/num_drama
  • edited August 2009
    I have no idea why they asked for/and I gave them my number, but I learned my bloody lesson didn't I :D
  • edited August 2009
    torot wrote: »
    Apparently the government is gonna publish/flog mobile phone lists to companies soon...

    Not quite. But they are trying to setup a service whereby you can ring a directory enquiries number and ask to be put through to such and such's mobile. The number is never given out - you just get connected to whomever. For a fee.

    Still not good though.
  • edited August 2009
    You can't stop them all, but you can stop them being so much of a nuisance. Presuming that you have a BT line ...

    1. By all means register with TPS, but do it through BT's "Privacy At Home" service; this enables your line for Caller Display for free. Reputable companies will comply with the TPS register.
    2. Buy a telephone that supports Caller Display. I bought a BT Decor 1200 for ?20. This has several other handy features such as call history & recall & auto-dial, plus useful buttons ... and! ... flashing lights!!.
    3. Subscribe to BT's "Call Minder" service (?7.50 per quarter).

    You can now avoid answering:
    a) calls from numbers you don't recognise or don't want to talk to (displays number);
    b) UK calls withholding number (displays "withheld");
    c) overseas calls (displays "unavailable");
    d) company switchboard calls (displays something else which I can't remember, but may record a number anyway depending on their system);
    just by checking the display.

    Genuine callers who happen to inadvertently fall into one of the "avoid" categories will call back or leave a message (there's a green flashing 1571 button on the Decor 1200 for recalling messages ... and! ... a red flashing light for missed calls!!). Anyone else can be comfortably ignored with a clear conscience, without the hassle or speaking to someone either trying to sell you something you don't want or swindle you, getting cut off by some auto-dialler, or even picking up the telephone at all. Bliss!

    PS.
    I don't work for BT.

    PS.
    Some auto-diallers transmit a bogus telephone number which makes it appear as if it were a local or otherwise innocuous call. There's a site called WhoCallsMe? which records comments on some of these and other common cold callers, which can give you some ideas on what to look out for.
  • edited August 2009
    torot wrote: »
    I heard that's gonna change :-(

    Apparently the government is gonna publish/flog mobile phone lists to companies soon...

    The bastards already did I think, I got cold called the day I activated my mobile phone a few years back, by an oriental lady offering me a new phone! Insanity! I kept her on the line so long she got pissed off and hung up on me though.

    I keep getting people here calling me and asking for Mike, I dunno who Mike is but he's a pretty popular guy, every number that calls asking for him is a different person. Mike must be happy to know he has so many friends, now I wish the git would just change his phone number so they stop calling me :mad:
    Every night is curry night!
  • edited August 2009
    I think this thread has cursed me!

    I've been getting calls all day now - about one an hour. When I pick up it just goes dead, then a long beep tone. Number withheld.

    And last week I got two calls when I was out (unconscious) and messages left. One was from ASDA tellling me that the plant I ordered had arrived and would be kept behind the information desk for me to collect (????), and the other was from some guy asking me to ring him back to book his wife, Dorothy, in for a 'glass test', whatever that is! I might ring him back and see how much he's offering.
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