Telephone spam - from BT!

[Pigeon]

You know the sort of thing - the phone rings, you answer it, and either there's nobody there or there's someone wittering incomprehensibly in a thick foreign accent.

I've been getting a few of these lately. Got one just now, in fact. I decided to dial 1471 just in case and was surprised to find it actually came up with a number - 08003 289393. So I plugged it into Google and it turns out it's some sort of BT internal number and I'm not the only one to have been hassled by stupid calls from it.

The only reason I have the phone at all is for internet access - I hate getting phone calls and have only given the number to one or two close friends who can be trusted not to take the piss. I detest telephone spam - don't we all? - and telephone spam from BT is extra specially annoying. Letter of complaint has been suly posted.

Anyone on here getting this rubbish?

[planetdave]

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. It's not 'spam'.

It's a 'customer service call'




sing

wonderful spaaaaaaaam
wonderful spaaaaaaaam
spam spam spam
wonderful spaaaaaaaam
wonderful spam

[andy mac]

Yup.. getting a fair few at my mums gaff... Ask for my mum, then ask when she will be around... pain in the arse. its worse when you geta call, pick it up, and the phone is dead. Is this an automated thing?

[planetdave]

In a large call centre a computer dials out on the basis that someone will be ending another call and be ready to field it. If no-one is then you get the silent call.

Or they're all barsteds. You choose.

[alloypearltam]

We are getting 2 or 3 of this damn calls a day. Every time we seam to get rid of 1 company we are getting called by another.

[groomi]

I've been working from home today and have received 7 of these so far - which is fairly typical for us, even on Sundays. As mentioned above, I only have a landline for the internet and it's doing my head in. I may take the sounder out of the phone as nobody of any interest ever calls it anyway.

[BliarOut]

BT do a service where you can block calls from witheld numbers. That stops em dead

[FourWheelDrift]

planetdave said:

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. It's not 'spam'. It's a 'customer service call' sing wonderful spaaaaaaaam wonderful spaaaaaaaam spam spam spam wonderful spaaaaaaaam wonderful spam

"But I don't like SPAM"

[ian_s]

www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/

sign up

[planetdave]

BliarOut said:

BT do a service where you can block calls from witheld numbers. That stops em dead

I blocked witheld numbers - had about 20 calls a week get through.

TPS is the best answer - but won't stop 'customer service calls'. Coz they're not spam.

[toni896]

just ask if they want a date ?

[R988]

I got a phone line for internet access only, easy way to stop it is to unplug the phone unless you need it call you friends on VoIP or mobile or via email/IM and your set

[Jonna_Rex]

I got really irritated by the spam calls, usually from the magazine selling companies. They always seemed to call me when I got home from night shift and I was soooooooooooo tired. Well I contacted to my phone company and asked them to prohibit the commercial numbers these sellers use, works like a charm. No more this, buy this and that crap!

[speed8]

When I got the phone put in at the flat I requested ex-directory. Got the paperwork through, everything in order. Was getting a surprising amount of sales calls. 6 months later the new phone book comes through so I open it up and what do I find but my bleeding number in there, so much for ex-directory. Best they could offer was to change my number (not an option as I had just got everyone up to date with my new number) or wait a year till the next phone book came out. Thanks a bunch!!!!!

[t1grm]

Can't you get a phone that allows you to block incoming calls? Or an answering machine that diverts all calls straight to voicemail without ringing?

[Pigeon]

Thing is it's BT themselves doing it... And I can't unplug the phone because I have a good mate with no internet access who wouldn't be able to get in touch with me otherwise.