Silent calls

[North Rhins]

I’ve just got off the phone after talking to an uninterested, unhelpful BT operator, the reason – silent calls. I had three in the space of an hour. Yesterday it was 3am! After trying to get your heartbeat down to a steady 120 bpm your first thought is ‘who’s died?’ The operator told me that the calls were international and there was nothing they could do. End of story. I’m with TPS and one particular 0870 number has been reported to BT with a request to block it. Result? It still calls twice a day, every day. At present the telephone is disconnected, great eh

[Fran]

You can bar calls from getting through, its great and only costs a couple of £ per quarter. Even the witheld numbers can be barred.

[cliffhbuber]

One could try a form of the following:

Please hold on! There has been a crime committed; the police will need to speak to you as a possible material witness.
Don't hang up. We'll get your number and address and the police will be there soon.


OR

Place the phone by an very loud William Tell "Overture" or a raucous album by the Sex Pistols.

[stevep]

We have had the same problem. We ordered a service on the BT website that allowed us to barr calls that withhold their number for a small quarterly charge.. This has cured our problems.

[Cinders392]

Bet you when you pick up the phone they charge you for the calls too!!! I have a phone but I never pick it up as there is always someone wanting to sell me something. Thank god for 1471 so I can call friends back who call

[Torvaig]

We have had the same problem. We ordered a service on the BT website that allowed us to barr calls that withhold their number for a small quarterly charge.. This has cured our problems.

The only thing is that anyone who is ex-directory comes up as "withheld" as well I'm afraid, as does a quite a lot of genuine businesses. However, I know how you feel with these unsolicited call; can cost you a fortune!

[Penelope Pitstop]

Hi
I'm X directory so my number always comes up witheld. I had no option but to go X directory due to hoax callers (5 years ago now). In my experience, being X directory certainly has stopped 99.9% of unwanted calls.

[whatsherface]

Can I just explain something being ex-directory does not automatically with hold your number each time you call. It just stops your name appearing in the telephone directory. To have your number permanently with held you need to have the service 'With hold number on all calls' on your line.

I am ex-directory, my number is always forwarded when I make a call.

If you have registered with the TPS you need to make a complain to them regarding the unwanted calls not BT. BT only puts your name forward to the TPS they do not run it.

You can ask BT to put 'choose to refuse' on your line. It will bar up to 10 numbers. You need to enter in a code to stop the number calling. It costs £10.05 a quarter which is quite expensive. I would contact TPS.

Companies do not look through the telephone directory for numbers. They buy details from other companies. Although some companies do dial at random. When you register with the TPS, companies who you have not given prior consent should not call you. If they do you can make a complaint against them.

[mums angels]

Yeah my number is x - directory too and i know that my number shows up on caller ID as does my parents when they phone me (also x-directory) I have only ever had a few silent phonecalls which i usually find come form call centres automatically and the staff arnt paying attention to what they are doing so they just hang up then try again in a few mins:roll:

[North Rhins]

Thanks Whatsherface for that info. What is interesting is the fact that all these unwanted calls, silent or otherwise, started less than seven days after getting my new telephone number. BT sells your number to these agencies and then wants money from you to stop them!

[whatsherface]

I am sorry but at no point did I ever say that BT sell on peoples details.

I was just giving advice about the TPS, which is free to register with.

[Fluff]

have heard from else where/other people, TPS cannot do anything about foreign numbers. they can only stop uk based ones

[North Rhins]

I am sorry but at no point did I ever say that BT sell on peoples details.

I was just giving advice about the TPS, which is free to register with.
Crossed wires here, if you’ll pardon the pun, I wasn’t implying that you said BT sell peoples details, just that the calls started within a week of me getting my number.

[Woolie]

Have the same problem with international call espeacilly call at all time really annoying .

[Torvaig]

:( My apologies; I didn't realise "withheld" was a separate service!

[Buttercup]

I had this problem a while back and BT told me it was from companies using automatic dialing ie a computer from some sales company dials numbers automatically and if you answer the call when all the operators are busy you get what we're calling here a silent call. I've been with TPS for years now but it won't stop these calls the only way to stop them is to contact BT and get them to put a bar on this type of calls (sorry but the correct name for them escapes me at the moment)
A word of warning to those thinking about barring with-held numbers: most doctors, hospitals etc call from with-held numbers. So if you're waiting for results of blood tests for example they can't contact you.

[danc1ngwitch]

You can bar calls from getting through, its great and only costs a couple of £ per quarter. Even the witheld numbers can be barred.
i once payed to get calls barred, so that no one unless they showed their no could call.. Great that was the doctor could not get through to me so i had it removed.. ( why pay for the nusience of others ):roll:

[Cattach]

Was bothered by the same person frequently and late at the weekends - call box according to caller display. Got a very, very loud whistle and blasted hard when she called. I heard a screech and nothing since - probably deaf in one ear and stopped calling to preserve the other!

[pat]

the phone often rang just half a ring - once a day, ususally between 2 - 4am so woken by ring, on answering it nothing - check 1471 last call was last proper call. Eventually discovered BT test the line automatically, have complained loudly and often, now the phone gives half a ring during the day, has at least stopped ringing at night. BT initially said I was imaggining it - until one night five of us sitting blethering, phone rang at 2.45, when I got on to BT they denied it until I got them to speak to all of the witnesses (and we had not been drinking!), rings are daytime now, but they still deny it happens!!

[danc1ngwitch]

Was bothered by the same person frequently and late at the weekends - call box according to caller display. Got a very, very loud whistle and blasted hard when she called. I heard a screech and nothing since - probably deaf in one ear and stopped calling to preserve the other!
what can i say[lol] claps hands good one

[©Amethyst]

My partner had his phone line reconnected in the past couple of weeks so that we could get broadband. We've not told anyone that it's been reconnected (He had it disconnected over a year ago as he never used it) yet we're getting those horrid calls "May I speak to Mr..." And as always, he's at work. Yesterday we had a call where I picked the phone up after the second ring and it was a hang-up. So I dialled 1471, and lo and behold it was an 0870 number. Why? That's all I have to say... Why call and not talk? Surely if it was a business line (even cold calling) they should talk!