Irritating USA cold calls
Discussion
Anyone else plagued by these incessant marketing / scam calls from the USA.
Starts off " Congratulations you have won..... bla bla"
How in the name of Jesus do you get rid off them?
I'm registered with tellingbone preference service on both landline and mobile. It appears these sods cannot be dealt with due to them operating offshore.
Initially took to leaving phone off hook when they rang so the call cost them the max amount, but its getting worse. Saturday am it got so bad that finally on one call I just shouted feck off and slammed the phone back down. (Bad mood initially caused by Severn Trent Water muppets, long story.)
BT as much use as chocolate teapot. Reluctant to call the premium rate number to tell them to go forth and multiply.
Any suggestions appeciated.
Starts off " Congratulations you have won..... bla bla"
How in the name of Jesus do you get rid off them?
I'm registered with tellingbone preference service on both landline and mobile. It appears these sods cannot be dealt with due to them operating offshore.
Initially took to leaving phone off hook when they rang so the call cost them the max amount, but its getting worse. Saturday am it got so bad that finally on one call I just shouted feck off and slammed the phone back down. (Bad mood initially caused by Severn Trent Water muppets, long story.)
BT as much use as chocolate teapot. Reluctant to call the premium rate number to tell them to go forth and multiply.
Any suggestions appeciated.
esselte said:
On a similar topic has anyone been recieving pre-recorded "you have won...." sort of messages recently?I've had quite a few .
People have actually noticed that something is wrong with me , when i pick up the phone to a 'withheld number' I generally don't say anything until i know if it is a recording!
>> Edited by hedders on Monday 13th June 10:28
Flat in Fifth said:
Anyone else plagued by these incessant marketing / scam calls from the USA.
Starts off " Congratulations you have won..... bla bla"
How in the name of Jesus do you get rid off them?
I'm registered with tellingbone preference service on both landline and mobile. It appears these sods cannot be dealt with due to them operating offshore.
Initially took to leaving phone off hook when they rang so the call cost them the max amount, but its getting worse. Saturday am it got so bad that finally on one call I just shouted feck off and slammed the phone back down. (Bad mood initially caused by Severn Trent Water muppets, long story.)
BT as much use as chocolate teapot. Reluctant to call the premium rate number to tell them to go forth and multiply.
Any suggestions appeciated.
We used to get some really irritating little oiks (from America) ringing for our now retired Managing Director trying to get him to invest in "the safety of Britain"
. Sometimes we'd get 3 calls a day, and they are damned swines to get rid of. Hanging up on them or putting them on hold doesn't work as they ring back, so I took to telling them he was in prison for fraud.
We still get the calls, but not so many these days.
I get the ones which are a recorded message saying I have won a free holiday , it then says press 9, thats when YOU start paying for the call, and I hear these can be 20 a min, even if you then put the phone down, you can be billed for a min of 5 minutes, never tried it, so cant verify this.
As the calls originate outwith the UK (USA) BT can do nothing about it "Apparantly".......
If you find a way to get rid of them, do tell
As the calls originate outwith the UK (USA) BT can do nothing about it "Apparantly".......
If you find a way to get rid of them, do tell
BT did help me once about 8 years ago.
For 3 days I kept getting a fax ringing me at all hours of the day and night. "Take the phone off the hook" you say. Well I did that, but my phone then used to make a noise to tell me it was off the hook. So I rang BT who managed to establish that the fax was out of the UK.
They diverted all my calls for about 48 hours and eventually managed to divert this particular fax number indefinitely.
I don't know if they can still do the same sort of thing in a shorter time span today, but if you get a high volume of these type of calls, it might be worth contacting their nuisance calls centre to find out.
For 3 days I kept getting a fax ringing me at all hours of the day and night. "Take the phone off the hook" you say. Well I did that, but my phone then used to make a noise to tell me it was off the hook. So I rang BT who managed to establish that the fax was out of the UK.
They diverted all my calls for about 48 hours and eventually managed to divert this particular fax number indefinitely.
I don't know if they can still do the same sort of thing in a shorter time span today, but if you get a high volume of these type of calls, it might be worth contacting their nuisance calls centre to find out.
Alternatively you can get withheld numbers blocked from you phone. if people withhold their number when they call you, they get a polite message stating that you don't accept calls for a withheld number, and that they need to show their number to call you.
Even has the added bonus the the office can't call me as all their lines withhold the number, and it can't be released from thier switch
Even has the added bonus the the office can't call me as all their lines withhold the number, and it can't be released from thier switch
desyboy said:
Alternatively you can get withheld numbers blocked from you phone. if people withhold their number when they call you, they get a polite message stating that you don't accept calls for a withheld number, and that they need to show their number to call you.
It would even better if you could re-direct witheld numbers to your own premium-rate recorded message - that would put a stop to it pretty soon...
I've had a few of these.
I'm also registered with TPS, so I shouldnt get them at all. The first on I got was about a couple of years back, and it was very wierd. The call remained connected even after I put the phone down. I then was unable to make an outgoing call.
That lasted for about an hour. Once I got the phone back I called the operator, and finally got though to the people that deal with this.
It turns out that they know about it, and are trying to do something about it. It's difficult for two reasons.
Firstly the calls are made in such a way as the phone companies cannot trace, block or otherwise solve the problem. I think they kind of hook themselves into the network, sort of telephone system hacking.
Secondly, the TPS service applies only to the UK, so even if they knew the purpetrator, they'd not be able to do anything about them legally.
Remember. If the first thing anyone says to you on the phone is, "Congratulations", and doesn't once use you name, just hang up.
At the very least, they seem to be letting go of the line these days!
I'm also registered with TPS, so I shouldnt get them at all. The first on I got was about a couple of years back, and it was very wierd. The call remained connected even after I put the phone down. I then was unable to make an outgoing call.
That lasted for about an hour. Once I got the phone back I called the operator, and finally got though to the people that deal with this.
It turns out that they know about it, and are trying to do something about it. It's difficult for two reasons.
Firstly the calls are made in such a way as the phone companies cannot trace, block or otherwise solve the problem. I think they kind of hook themselves into the network, sort of telephone system hacking.
Secondly, the TPS service applies only to the UK, so even if they knew the purpetrator, they'd not be able to do anything about them legally.
Remember. If the first thing anyone says to you on the phone is, "Congratulations", and doesn't once use you name, just hang up.
At the very least, they seem to be letting go of the line these days!
Vipers said:
I get the ones which are a recorded message saying I have won a free holiday , it then says press 9, thats when YOU start paying for the call, and I hear these can be 20 a min, even if you then put the phone down, you can be billed for a min of 5 minutes, never tried it, so cant verify this.
These are the main ones that I'm talking about and don't know how to get rid of.
The ones with a real person on the other end I can deal with. Oh boy their calls cost them a bundle in that case.
On one occasion I said, "hold a mo there is someone at the door." Put the phone down, went for a No 2 (too much detail I know), then forgot about the call, washed the car, noticed kitchen phone off hook when I came in for the wash leather and amazingly they were still on the other end. Persistent buggers.
If I get a fix to it I'll let you all know.
Flat in Fifth said:
On one occasion I said, "hold a mo there is someone at the door." Put the phone down, went for a No 2 (too much detail I know), then forgot about the call, washed the car, noticed kitchen phone off hook when I came in for the wash leather and amazingly they were still on the other end. Persistent buggers.
dunno if it's the same all over, but in my place they put a lot of emphasis on 'talk time', so the time u left them on the line they were sitting with the mute button on, talking to their mates whilst their talk time went through the roof.
The automated 'Congratulations, you've won a holiday!' calls and the Indian call centres trying to sell me a better phone deal have got so bad that we just don't answer the landline anymore. If anyone wants either of us they'll know our mobile numbers - or they can leave a message.
Slightly O/T, but we're all just bombarded with rubbish these days - via phone, email, fax, text message, offers that fall out of the myriad of free newspapers that seem to land on the mat four or five times a week (there's not that much news in Milton Keynes, surely), leaflets for curry houses, Domino's pizza, supermarket offers, carpet cleaning, tree-felling, knife sharpening, constant streams of credit card offers (including free pen to help you sign the form), charity clothing bin bags and other assorted detritis. I'm sick of it. The sheer volume of paper that we put outside for recycling every week is staggering.
Slightly O/T, but we're all just bombarded with rubbish these days - via phone, email, fax, text message, offers that fall out of the myriad of free newspapers that seem to land on the mat four or five times a week (there's not that much news in Milton Keynes, surely), leaflets for curry houses, Domino's pizza, supermarket offers, carpet cleaning, tree-felling, knife sharpening, constant streams of credit card offers (including free pen to help you sign the form), charity clothing bin bags and other assorted detritis. I'm sick of it. The sheer volume of paper that we put outside for recycling every week is staggering.
It's funny you should say that. I'm a member of the mail preference service also.
I still get some specific types of junk, but only the stuff that people pay Royal Mail to make and distribute.
It must be pretty lucrative for Royal Mail, because I quite often don't get the real mail, that I'm expecting to get, even though I do get the junk.
I still get some specific types of junk, but only the stuff that people pay Royal Mail to make and distribute.
It must be pretty lucrative for Royal Mail, because I quite often don't get the real mail, that I'm expecting to get, even though I do get the junk.
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