Call screeners for landlines?
Discussion
Does anyone have any recommendations on call screeners/blockers for landline please?
It's for my mum so something easy and seamless to use as possible would be ideal.
The usual problem of 9/10 times when the phone rings it's a spam or scam call with the odd legitimate call from legitimate companies where she obviously doesn't know their phone number in advance and friends where she does.
It's for my mum so something easy and seamless to use as possible would be ideal.
The usual problem of 9/10 times when the phone rings it's a spam or scam call with the odd legitimate call from legitimate companies where she obviously doesn't know their phone number in advance and friends where she does.
We have had BT call barring phone for about 15 years, never had a scam call, whenever they hear the message asking them to state their name they hang up.
You load the phone with family and friends and they get straight through.
Unknown numbers get the message above, if they give their name you hear their name and decide whether to accept the call or bin it.
Only disadvantage is numbers withheld by doctor, hospitals etc but they usually say who they are and you accept the call.
Our phones are getting geriatric and are getting susceptible to low battery voltage despite Panasonic batteries fitted. I will replace the phones with new ones cos the barring system is good.
You load the phone with family and friends and they get straight through.
Unknown numbers get the message above, if they give their name you hear their name and decide whether to accept the call or bin it.
Only disadvantage is numbers withheld by doctor, hospitals etc but they usually say who they are and you accept the call.
Our phones are getting geriatric and are getting susceptible to low battery voltage despite Panasonic batteries fitted. I will replace the phones with new ones cos the barring system is good.
Mercdriver said:
We have had BT call barring phone for about 15 years, never had a scam call, whenever they hear the message asking them to state their name they hang up.
You load the phone with family and friends and they get straight through.
You load the phone with family and friends and they get straight through.
Back when we had a land-line we had one of these and it's very effective. Whenever someone calls it automatically picks up and tells them to state their name. If they do, it then rings at your end; when you pick up it tells you who's calling and you have the options of talking to them this once, hanging up without ever talking to them, or allowing that number to go straight through to you in the future. In practice scam callers never bother with the "say their name and press whatever it was" bit so you don't even know they've tried to call. kambites said:
Mercdriver said:
We have had BT call barring phone for about 15 years, never had a scam call, whenever they hear the message asking them to state their name they hang up.
You load the phone with family and friends and they get straight through.
You load the phone with family and friends and they get straight through.
Back when we had a land-line we had one of these and it's very effective. Whenever someone calls it automatically picks up and tells them to state their name. If they do, it then rings at your end; when you pick up it tells you who's calling and you have the options of talking to them this once, hanging up without ever talking to them, or allowing that number to go straight through to you in the future. In practice scam callers never bother with the "say their name and press whatever it was" bit so you don't even know they've tried to call. Binned the landlines when we moved but before that 15 years of no cold calls at all.
Added benefit was having people announce who they were allowed you to decide if you could be arsed answering.
+1 for BT phones with Call Guardian built in ... had our BT8500s for years .. faultless, and we never got scam calls.
I think they call it Call Blocking now, I checked the manual and the BT4600 definitely have it:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/BT-Advanced-Blocker-Cordl...
ETA .. I first tried the Truecall standalone device ... never got it to work, sent it back and replaced with the BT8500s and they worked first time ... Truecall box is more expensive than a set of replacement phones too !!
I think they call it Call Blocking now, I checked the manual and the BT4600 definitely have it:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/BT-Advanced-Blocker-Cordl...
ETA .. I first tried the Truecall standalone device ... never got it to work, sent it back and replaced with the BT8500s and they worked first time ... Truecall box is more expensive than a set of replacement phones too !!
Edited by sgrimshaw on Thursday 4th May 11:47
Mercdriver said:
We have had BT call barring phone for about 15 years, never had a scam call, whenever they hear the message asking them to state their name they hang up.
You load the phone with family and friends and they get straight through.
Unknown numbers get the message above, if they give their name you hear their name and decide whether to accept the call or bin it.
Only disadvantage is numbers withheld by doctor, hospitals etc but they usually say who they are and you accept the call.
Our phones are getting geriatric and are getting susceptible to low battery voltage despite Panasonic batteries fitted. I will replace the phones with new ones cos the barring system is good.
^ thisYou load the phone with family and friends and they get straight through.
Unknown numbers get the message above, if they give their name you hear their name and decide whether to accept the call or bin it.
Only disadvantage is numbers withheld by doctor, hospitals etc but they usually say who they are and you accept the call.
Our phones are getting geriatric and are getting susceptible to low battery voltage despite Panasonic batteries fitted. I will replace the phones with new ones cos the barring system is good.
We've had one for the last 8 years or so - in that time we've never had a cold-call/spam-call etc come through. As you say, the moment they are asked to state their name etc they hang up.
We've had to replace the rechargables in the handsets a couple of times over the years, but they have been well worth the investment.
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