Kitchen Garden Forum

We have been receiving more and more nuisance telephone calls recently. We are on the telephone preference list but it does not seem to make any difference.

The best, or worst was a few days ago. A foreign sounding lady called about 7.30pm and asked to speak to a Miss Anne S..... I said there was no one here by that name then she said that she was not selling anything - I said good as I did not want to buy anything - she said she needed five minutes of my time - I said I did not have five minutes to spare - she ignored me and said that she needed me to answer a few questions on a home survey that she was carrying out - I politely said I dont do surveys on the phone and said good bye and put my phone down.

Five minutes later she rang again, and I said the same thing. And put the phone down.

Ten minutes later she rang again, my OH answered and he said the same thing.

The next day she rang again, I was cooking at the time - about 7pm and said I was not going to answer her questions and put the phone down.

She rang back and I told her to take my name off her database, she shouted back No so I put the phone down again.

She rang back I told her where to go in no uncertain terms. and put the phone down. (No I did not swear)

She rang back my OH called here a brave woman - so I told here I was not answering her questions and she was making me ill and not to ring me again as I would not answer the phone. So far she has not rung again. Though between phone calls there have been several missed International calls which are probably her.

I don't understand why we are getting so many phone calls considering the TPS. They are driving me mad.

The thing is I have two people who call me and their phone number shows international. So I have to answer the phone to make sure it is not them.

Okay second rant over, I think I need a coffee.....

Hello Catherine, I sympathise with you, these calls are frustrating.

The way I deal with them is to answer the call with a "Hello" and when they ask me to switch on my computer or undertake a survey or quote my name, I very politely reply that I will just get a pencil or go and switch on my computer or get the person named and just leave the phone and them dangling for ten minutes or so. I can sometimes hear them asking for me and getting annoyed but eventually they get the message and hang up, at least it wastes their time and money and not mine and often I have a good laugh when I hear them getting annoyed at being left talking to themselves.

Barney

We get the same and are registered with TPS but I don't think this covers calls from overseas and most of ours sound to be from Asians with very English names.

We have had a Fred and even a Gary Cooper - they also try to insist they are ringing from London - some do become very rude and some are also very persistent ringing back and demanding to speak to my husband when I say NO!

Some are scams and you can end up being sucked in to quite a bill.

Yes the TPS service is for genuine UK businesses to abide by, I'm afraid scammers and con artists arn't likely to check it (or even have access to it)

The best advice in these instances is along the lines of what Cider Boys said, ask them to hold a moment - and just leave them for as long as you don't need the phone. It locks up one of their outgoing lines until you hang up. Alternatively, have some fun with them by giving complete nonsensical replies.

"Can you spare a few minutes?" 'Oh I'd say around 3ft 6'
"I'm doing a home survey" 'sorry no idea what one of those are'
"Can i ask you a few questions?" 'Let me check with the dog, one moment."

and so on.

On a serious note, you can ask BT to try and block calls, immediatly after such a nusience call, ring BT and ask them to block the numkber just called - but be aware most of the time BT won't have records for overseas calls..


KGAdmin

One of these usually does the trick

I usually talk to them in Welsh and enjoy hearing their frustration

You could always try this....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1waHJhb2wxo

Diane, Superb.

Thank you for your suggestions I am now fully prepared for the next lot.

We do get occasional nuisance calls and really don't like them, but (I suppose I am a softie) I always feel sorry for the man/woman making the call because these cold-calling jobs are probably the only ones they can get to support their families. I usually say, "We are not interested, thanks for calling" and put the phone down. At least, that's not TOO rude.

Monika, I am not normally rude and never swear but some people test your patience big time. I know they need the job and I do feel sorry for them but we have had so many people ringing us recently that I have decided to call a stop on it and wont now reply to anyone who wants information from me again. New for 2012....... I cant tell you how many times we have received a call saying that we have won a new kitchen (where we will have to pay half) or we have got a grant for loft insulation where when you listen to them telling you the details we have to pay half. No more Mrs Nice Guy....

We no longer leave the phone plugged in and use it rarely for outgoing calls. Most folk we keep in touch with by email.

Others are happy to call back immediately.

It makes life far easier than what some of you go through; days I remember only too well.

And no way can we afford a mobile. The top fashion accessories in Ireland are a mobile phone and a bottle of water; one in each hand.

Omitted that when we had this issue, we asked folk we knew to use a code; let the phone ring twice then hang up and dial again.

NB most call centres these days are in Bangladesh. We have had numerous problems with eircom etc here in Ireland and that is where they hail from.

Ages ago I was told that if you unplugged your phone BT may decide to cut you off as it registered a fault on the line and time had to be spent identifying the cause. Have you had any problems with this?

glallotments wrote:Ages ago I was told that if you unplugged your phone BT may decide to cut you off as it registered a fault on the line and time had to be spent identifying the cause. Have you had any problems with this?

Would believe anything of BTl why do you think we moved to Ireland? Only it was from the frying pan into the fire where phone servie is involved..

They cannot surely tell if a phone is unplugged? Maybe that applies if you leave it off the hook? That will be it as then it does register a fault.

Change in electrical resistance depending on the number of handsets connected, so it is possible