Unwanted Phone Calls

i looked into getting a blocker, but simply keeping the phone next to me in the evenings seems to be working. I no longer have to struggle up to answer it (DH never does as he says it's ways for me). And I no longer rush up the garden to answer it either. I can always ring back.

It's helped that I no longer have a mum frequently ringing with various disasters that need to be delt with Now!

The only calls that get through are all from India for Mrs Potter who had this number 25 years ago and died over 10 years ago! I have always replied that she has died, but these people continue to use this very old list of numbers! It's a bore more than anything else and the callers all KNOW that I'm busy doing something important

Back to withheld calls - the hospital (with whom I have quite a few dealings and appointments at the moment) telephone number always comes up as "withheld". I would hate to miss a call from them!

I said elsewhere on this forum, quite recently, that, since we moved down here and have a whole Dky package, we rarely get thses phone calls - have no idea why!

I can't find the unwanted charity give-aways thread so I am posting on here instead. I have just used the free posting envelopes in two lots of unsolicited cards/labels/tags/ coasters that arrived in my letterbox.

I included this message (and wrote it on the outside of the envelopes too, so that everyone can read it):-

"I do not like being manipulated into donating, or made to feel guilty if I do not.

I am returning this as I did not ask for it to be sent to me. If I had been named on the envelope, i would have asked to be removed from your mailing list, but as there was no name on it, I am anonymous.

I don't like adding to your mail bill, but if you can afford to send out unsolicited mailshots and gifts indiscriminately, you can afford to have them returned to you as well."

NFK I mixed my personal pronouns in my first sentence but I think my meaning was OK?

feetlebaum Do you never get calls from people who quite legitimately withhold their number, but need to phone you? When DH was very ill, we would be phoned by medical people - busy doctors and nurses and carers - who did not want their personal numbers to be buzzing with calls from patients who could phone the surgery.

i could not have ignored calls then because there was no number shown.

NFK - If I tell people with withheld numbers a certain number to dial before yours, they get through my call-blocker. I have not tried that, so I don't know whether it works, but that is what they say in the answers to questions on the Amazon page where I bought it.

On the other call-blocker, Truecall, you can make exceptions for withheld numbers you want to allow through, but that is nearly three times the price!

I never answer withheld number calls - any more than I read anonymous letters...

Ana

I have missed a couple of important calls because I don't answer number withheld. Also International calls may be DD2 in Australia.

I've had a few fairly abusive calls from my exSiL (who withholds her number) so I changed the message to say that we don't answer withheld numbers or numbers we don't recognise but that we will call people back if they leave a message. I'm now very frustrated as I don't know whether she is still ringing! We too have a number of people we would like to speak to who withhold their number.

Elegran, does your call blocker block out all withheld calls? I ask because our youngest son, and one of my sisters are withheld, so then it wouldn`t be any use to me.

Ana, I have never given my mobile number to anyone other than friends, and I get about four calls a day. On the house phone we get at least seven calls a day which are all taken by the answer machine. Penalties for pestering consumers will soon be stepped up and I think companies are trying to get in as many calls as possible before this happens. These morons have rendered my telephone a useless ornament because I can never answer it. Family and friends text me and tell me that they will ring at a certain time.

The number, I mean!

I don't get unsolicited calls or texts on my mobile - probably because I very rarely give it out to anyone other than family.

The trouble is our doctor and a couple of now single friends use Number Withheld so I don't know if a number blocker would work?

Do you get unwanted calls on your mobiles too?
I find that even more annoying as I have to dig in my bag for it'sthinking it's family only to find its a call centre.

I find that with the TPS you have to re-register every so often or you start to get the nuisance calls again.

The TPS certainly doesn't weed those out for me!

I get calls marked Out of Area, Private Caller since I changed phone provider.Out of area is usually an International call and Private Caller comes up as Unobtainable on the call minder window provided years ago by BT. I ignore these.
I signed up to the Telephone Preference Service some time ago, and that weeds out the callers who are doing surveys, and advertising, or trying to con you in to buying things you don't need.
If they actually need to speak to you they will leave a message.

A few weeks ago I bought a callblocker, and have not had an international or withheld call since. It is a "CPR 1200 Number Capacity Nuisance Call Blocker, £39.99" a lot less than the Truecall which is over £90.

It has 200 numbers already blocked (they must be the notorious ones) and you can manually block another 1000, and you can block international calls generally, withheld numbers generally, and a couple of other categories. That suits me as I don't get any calls from relatives overseas, but if you wanted to exempt certain numbers overseas you would have to get the Truecall.

Five.

I never answer them. But still they keep coming.

I was getting at least one 'international' call a day for quite a while but not had any for a couple of weeks now.
They must have taken the hint since I never answered them.

I've had two today. I have number recognition and if they call too often I put them in my banned list. They never leave a message though.

Four!

Grrrr