We had to have our BT home number changed recently due to prank calls ect so BT changed this only to find within 3 days we were being bombarded with marketing/sales calls you name it we got it even pre-recorded messages saying that we have won a holiday of a lifetime and all that Bo***cks.

So i rang BT back and complained they then explained that they changed our number to a "recycled" number and offered to change it again only to find this time within 12 hours of the new number being active found we were getting the same type of calls last night we were getting pre recorded messages at 10:50 in the evening! and when a sales person rings and i asked where they had obtained the so called new number from they replied "from a publicly available database" i couldnt beleave it as it was only active for 12 hours.

I have noticed that some of these companies are coming up with a number on the caller display of (01102) and (01122) and i dont understand what area this would be from.

So by this point i was livid with BT and said i want to stop all services due to this...they looked at the number they had given me and was told again it was a recycled number.

They have now arranged for the number to be changed for the 3rd time now and this should become effective within the next 24 hours they have also gave me their appoligies and assure me that the new number is a "fresh unused number" and have added it to the telephone preference service.

How do these automated phone marketing messages work? as we were getting these quite late in the night and how long do these stupid people keep hold of phone numbers for. BT should leave a lot longer before re-issuing phone numbers.

I just hope this number change is 3rd time lucky :( but it does annoy me as i dont need a new kitchen or some windows or to be told i can clear my debts easy if i owe more than £5,000 or have just won a bloody holiday.

Anyone else had this sort of thing happen to them...Rant Over:rolleyes:

Edited 14 July, 200916 yr by justinbarrow

Forgot to add, over the weekend i phoned up for a pizza and was told sorry mate you are banned from ordering anything i explained that they were mixed up and they gave me an address to where the phone number that BT had changed us to was from a real bad area and they didnt beleave me one bit.

Just goes to show how your life can be affected by having someones old number allocated to you and the local takeaways have it on their barred list lol.

Had to get the mrs to ring back on my mobile just to get some food delivered :rotz:

You should be ok, as long as this 3rd number really is unused.

You have to ask why those other numbers were dropped in the first place, most likely because of junk calls so why reissue them unless the phone exchange is running out of numbers.

You should be ok, as long as this 3rd number really is unused.

I hope it is a brand new number, we even stopped answering withheld numbers but then our youngest had a fall at school and had to be taken to hospital for a cut to his head - we felt awful as the school had an old mobile number. He is ok though.

Why not get BT's spam call thingy added? It's free and blocks most stuff - plus you get caller ID for free

I'm sick of getting calls for Mr. Dixon at my property. Later i found out my number was recycled so everytime someone phones and asks for him, i say wrong number, bye. I know its probably a bit rude but it gets on your t*ts. I should have asked BT for a new number but i assumed that would mean a phone call to my ISP, Tiscali, for the exchange to be changed and that would probably mean my internet connection was not available for a few days.

Was i wrong assuming this?

When we moved, I just kept the old number as it was very easy to remember and in 2's - ie 223311

Sure had his mum and some other calls for the first few weeks, but all fine now.

Get on the TPS as soon as you have the number.

TPS Registration

I signed up for TPS years ago , as i was fed up with getting calls in the day when i was working nights. After a few weeks very rarely had another call again. If i get one now i ask how they got my number and say i will be reporting them to TPS and Ofcom, soon shuts them up.

Also sign up to MPS to stop getting junk mail.

I get calls for random people, too.

I politely, but sternly say "there is no one here of that name, never call this number again".

Worked so far!

Aside from TalkTalk... I generally just tell them to involve themselves sexually with their mothers.

I should have asked BT for a new number but i assumed that would mean a phone call to my ISP, Tiscali, for the exchange to be changed and that would probably mean my internet connection was not available for a few days.

Im with virgin for the internet and as long as i inform them as soon as the new number is active it should be ok, I have had no disruption of broadband service upto now.

Still waiting for the new number to become active and the mrs has had 6 calls today...cant wait untill its changed then they will have a surprise when its no longer in use.

I try and keep them hanging on for as long as possible, its good to talk and costs them money

I try and keep them hanging on for as long as possible, its good to talk and costs them money

Yep, just lay the phone down and go back to it it 10 mins.

Saw this on Dragons den, and thought of you - trueCall - your nuisance call blocker

The BT spam service should automatically sort TPS for your number too. Have you had them add this to your package?

Having a brand new unused phone no. does not neccessarily mean you won't receive any cold calling.

Canvassing calls and the like are now made by a computer randomly generating phone no.s. It doesn't matter if it's an unused line it's calling, when it gets unobtainable tone it automatically ceases the call and tries another. If there is an answer it will then route the call to a sales bod who will then give you the sales pitch, whatever, the only problem here is if there are no free sales bods, you, the randomly called will hear nothing. It does not add to their phone bill on how many calls are made as the canvassing co. will have some kind off fixed price calling package agreed with their phone provider.

Add to this are the phone no's that are already in some companies contact files and have not been updated for years are among the plethora of unwanted phone calls we receive. Personally I hate em and regard them as breach of human rights but that doesn't come into it. Why on earth don't Ofcom do something about it I don't know, in recent years they are more concerned with expanding the phone co's revenues.

What can we do? Well not a lot.

TPS only works if the the canvassing co. are a registered UK co. many canvassing co's are abroad now. Even some UK canvassing co's don't refer to the TPS opt out list but they will recieve a fine if you report a canvassing co. to Ofcom, providing you know who called you and as most don't reveal their no. on Caller Line Identity then we're on a loser.

You can subscribe to barred incoming call system for each no. that you don't want to call you but that has a monthly charge.

You can bar all incoming non CLI no's. This one is somtimes free depending who you have your phone package from. Problem with this idea is that some of your friends may withhold their no. so they can never call you.

The True Call device that Gdgetman suggests looks like it will work OK but you will have to give out a PIN to all your genuine callers. Anyone have one and how do you get on with it?

There you have it, theres not a lot you can do and any Cold Calling is impossible to stop 100%.

Edited 15 July, 200916 yr by Soot1e

If it's a British company you can insist that they remove your details from their marketing databases. For an extra threat you can tell them that you will be following this up with a Data Protection Subject Access Request to check they have carried out the task. And to be extra mean do it.

There you have it, theres not a lot you can do and any Cold Calling is impossible to stop 100%.

It's true... but as I've said, hurl abuse at the few that do get through

Best to identify yourself in these cases.

You: ' This is the undertaker. We're awaiting the arrival of the police surgeon. How can I help you?'

Sorted.

More bad news. They have now started Cold Calling on mobile no.s. There is no escape.

Anyone know of website petitions? against Spam Emails, Leafleting, Cold calling at the doorstep, Cold Calling on the phones.

BT.com

Anonymous Call Rejection

Rejects the call with a recorded message if the callers have withheld their number. As someone else has mentioned friends or relatives may not be able to call you, that may be a bonus also

BT.com

Anonymous Call Rejection

Rejects the call with a recorded message if the callers have withheld their number. As someone else has mentioned friends or relatives may not be able to call you, that may be a bonus also

I think you can overide it via your online account for friends and known people as the number isnt witheld until in the BT system etc

They can also temp transmitt their number by dialling 141 - which is what SWMBO does when she calls from work.

I think you can overide it via your online account for friends and known people as the number isnt witheld until in the BT system etc

They can also temp transmitt their number by dialling 141 - which is what SWMBO does when she calls from work.

Yes, both methods work but oh! the inconveniece we have to go through just to avoid unwanted calls.

Yep, just lay the phone down and go back to it it 10 mins.

Lol - I have done this and it was so funny...the mrs picked up and passed it onto me i then put the phone on speaker while they were waffeling on and just left the phone on the fire place...and could not get over how persistant these people are after all the crap they were talking they were like....hello r u there sir......hello.......is everything ok.......hello.......sir...........sir are you there.......we can save you money sir......hello

This went on for 5mins 34 seconds then i just pressed the phone down...after the second hello you would of thought they would of got the hint.

Anyway we now have our new number and are pleased to report no sales calls.

More bad news. They have now started Cold Calling on mobile no.s. There is no escape.

Anyone know of website petitions? against Spam Emails, Leafleting, Cold calling at the doorstep, Cold Calling on the phones.

I heard this about mobiles also its getting a joke now, and there is now a company that has everyones mobile phone number and can give it out as part of their mobile phone directory service.

I have heard that this company is temp shut for now but its only a matter of time before other companies get onboard with this idea of a mobile phone directory.

Mobile phones are personal why should you have to go out of your way just to make your mobile ex-directory . Then these companies will sell their databases to sales companies etc and before we know it we are getting not only cold calls on our home phone lines but on the mobiles as well.

I think its a joke....I wonder if there will be a mobile number for mr gordan brown of number 10 downing street on this mobile phone directory service....I think not :rotz:

As for the BT service were it refuses witheld numbers wont certain companies redial with their number released...and why is is all these call centres call us using witheld number.