How to block unwanted marketing calls?
25-03-2014, 11:21
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#1
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Inactive
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Bedfordshire, UK
Age: 63
Posts: 38
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How to block unwanted marketing calls?
Hi,
I, and probably many others, are receiving a lot of "Lifestyle Survey" calls from what appear to be Indian callers. They identify themselves using English-sounding names and represent fictitious organisations. In reality they are attempting to gather personal information.
Recently, these callers are becoming more persistent and harder to turn away. They will not accept that you do not want to talk to them and I often have to resort to telling them "We do not disclose personal information to third parties. Your call is a waste of your and our time!".
On one occasion I gave a really persistent caller (I recognised his voice despite him using a number of fake Names) absurd and bogus information in response to his questions. When he finally realized what I was doing he threatened to persistently call me at unsociable hours just for annoying him.
I am registered with the TPS, FPS and EPS but, of course, these offshore call centres ignore any lists provided by them.
Enough is enough. We have a right to our privacy and I would like to see Virgin Media provide some effective means for customers to block these unwanted calls.
Regards,
Neil Darlow
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25-03-2014, 11:49
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#2
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Inactive
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 43
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Re: How to block unwanted marketing calls?
You have 2 choices, get a call blocker or just don't talk to them. I just leave the phone off the hook for a few days. I have not had a call from india for over a year now. And never register for TPS all they do is foward the list to india and have them call.
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25-03-2014, 13:03
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#3
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cf.addict
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Glasgow
Services: TIVO V6
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Virgin Phone Home & Mobile
My wife says I have too many SONOS units
Posts: 436
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Re: How to block unwanted marketing calls?
Buy an answering machine and screen your calls/
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25-03-2014, 13:14
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#4
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Inactive
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Northants
Age: 81
Services: Sky Unlimited FibrePro
Sky Talk
Sky+HD
Posts: 5,122
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Re: How to block unwanted marketing calls?
On a mobile, set it to reject anonymous calls and then list other numbers in the reject calls list as you get them.
On a land line: Get a phone with a reject/block calls feature and do the same.
After a little while the pests and time wasters will get the message and cross you off their lists. That will just leave the odd payday lender, marketing calls from your bank, your media and telecoms co to annoy you but you can just do the same for them as well.
Don't expect a telecoms co to do anything as they make big money out of nuisance calls same as Royal Mail make a mint out of junk mail.
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25-03-2014, 13:28
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#5
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Woke and proud !
Join Date: Jun 2004
Services: TV, Phone, BB, a wife
Posts: 9,807
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Re: How to block unwanted marketing calls?
Probably too late now, but never give your land line number out- except obviously to family . It annoys me the number of people that want your phone no - but don't need it - think we can guess the reason why. (I find 01234 567890 is very handy for web shopping, when they won't let you ignore the tel no. field.) If somebody must have a contact give them a mobile no. In addition to the registering with TPS and being ex-directory, get caller display. I never get any marketing calls.
The only problem I ever had was with Virgin Media, who obviously have my phone no. They ignored my preferences and kept calling me to try and upgrade my phone package each month. It took a couple of complaints for them to stop.
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25-03-2014, 18:39
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#6
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The Invisible Woman
Cable Forum Team
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: between Portsmouth and Southampton.
Age: 72
Services: VM XL TV,50 MB VM BB,VM landline, Tivo
Posts: 40,337
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Re: How to block unwanted marketing calls?
Quote:
Originally Posted by 007stuart
Buy an answering machine and screen your calls/
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__________________
Hell is empty and all the devils are here. Shakespeare..
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26-03-2014, 10:12
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#7
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Inactive
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: North Wales
Services: Plusnet Phone/BB, Freesat, VM Business BB (Cable)
Posts: 821
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Re: How to block unwanted marketing calls?
If your not already, go ex-directory. I did when I had my phone line installed and have had no cold calls. The only unsolicited calls I have are customer surveys from my bank (usually 2 days after my last visit) or my local water supplier warning of burst mains etc.
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26-03-2014, 14:03
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#9
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Trollsplatter
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: North of Watford
Services: Humane elimination of all common Internet pests
Posts: 38,052
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Re: How to block unwanted marketing calls?
I've been quite tempted to buy one of those Gareth. Do you use one by any chance?
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26-03-2014, 14:41
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#10
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Inactive
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 4
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Re: How to block unwanted marketing calls?
No, not used one personally as thankfully I get very few spam calls. Any I do get are usually taken by my answer machine when I am out. Or if I do take the call, the few seconds of silence at the start of the call is a dead giveaway and I hang up before I hear the click of being connected to the next free agent.
However, I am from the same city (Swansea) as the manufacturer, and have seen them featured in the business section of the local rag recently singing its praises. Now, I am normally quite cynical when it comes to believing what I read in newspapers, but reviews on the net seem to back them up.
Take from that what you will, YMMV, etc.
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26-03-2014, 14:58
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#11
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common as muck
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Dirty Old Town
Posts: 3,531
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Re: How to block unwanted marketing calls?
I found that no longer having a land-line does the job, and it saves me money too. If you can manage without a home phone, just get rid.
__________________
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26-03-2014, 15:09
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#12
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Inactive
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 4
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Re: How to block unwanted marketing calls?
True! I cannot remember the last time I used my landline for outgoing calls.
Giffgaff on the mobile covers me well.
Only problem is that with virgin, I believe it works out cheaper to actually have the landline on your package than not in most circumstances.
Cancelling your phone line could actually end up costing you more per month.
Keep the line, just don't plug a phone into the socket, or just turn the ringer off
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26-03-2014, 16:05
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#13
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Trollsplatter
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: North of Watford
Services: Humane elimination of all common Internet pests
Posts: 38,052
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Re: How to block unwanted marketing calls?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy-J
I found that no longer having a land-line does the job, and it saves me money too. If you can manage without a home phone, just get rid. 
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I am getting increasing numbers of nuisance calls on my mobile, which is frustrating as I rarely use the thing. In fact the last two calls I took on it were both marketing.
As Gareth says, the silence followed by the >click< of being connected to the next available agent in the call centre is a dead giveaway. I don't hang up though, I leave the agent hanging on saying "hello?" as long as possible. If a few more people did that, then these companies wouldn't be able to phone and annoy quite as many people per day.
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26-03-2014, 19:39
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#14
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cf.addict
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 330
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Re: How to block unwanted marketing calls?
Quote:
Originally Posted by 007stuart
Buy an answering machine and screen your calls/
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Exactly!! I've been using an answering machine for many, many years now and never get any rubbish calls!
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26-03-2014, 23:33
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#15
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Pete
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Nuneaton
Services: Broadband Up to 100Mb ~ TV Mix & TiVo 1Tb ~ Phone: Talk More Anytime
Posts: 1,057
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Re: How to block unwanted marketing calls?
We've found that by not answering withheld numbers (having previously told our friends who use this facility to dial 1470) or those obviously wrong like displayed as 00000000 or nonsensical STD codes we have eliminated most. There are some persistent companies that we have saved as Telepest1, 2, 3 etc which are not answered either.
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