Stop these calls

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

the phone rang as i was reading this thread, an International number, i started to be very curt when the voice of a dear and long standing Dutch friend cut through my anger .... we have not talked for a year or more so it was a lovely surprise!

[Old Grumpy]

If I am caught I feign ignorance and pretend to be elderly and hard of hearing - sometimes gets rid of them quickly! One other way is to counter attack, it at least gives one a sense of striking back. I once got caught by a Scottish power man tryng to sell me electricity. I live in Hampshire so I insisted that he explain in detail how he would get his "Scottish" electicity into my sockets, it being a long way to Scotland. And was it same sort of electicity that I already got from England and would he assure me that it would not damage my cooker. I also ask if that Mr Salmond would keep supplying me if Scotland gets independence - that does get them. He gave up. Fight fire with fire. Non illegitimus carborundum.

Brilliant, just brilliant

[Beef Oven!]

I am unpopular and I have no friends. My family avoid me. I look forward to these calls.

[Don Petter]

I am unpopular and I have no friends. My family avoid me. I look forward to these calls.

Send me £60 and I'll call you from time to time ...

[Anna]

Send me £60 and I'll call you from time to time ...

Oh, I say! Does that involve asking what underwear you are wearing? Could be a nice little earner!
Sorry - but in your previous you did say ............

[Beef Oven!]

Send me £60 and I'll call you from time to time ...

Have you got a recent photograph?

[VodkaDilc]

Caller ID is good. I name them Junk1, Junk2 etc so I see them easily and straight away before picking up. Sometimes pick up and remain silent for the fun(?) of it (though I usually only say 'Hello' in any case). Sometimes not. I'm just a creature of impulse! However I notice BT is about to start charging for it, whereas before you could get it free with BT Privacy. They do seem to go away after a small amount of this treatment.

I responded to the letter I received about the new charge for Privacy and Caller ID. I've now registered to get it free for another year (and was told the same might be offered next year). I would not be without Caller ID, but asked what the Privacy bit meant - the reply was that this prevents spam calls from getting through to me. I did not know I had this, but I virtually never get spam calls, so it obviously works. (Unlike my mobile, which frequently gets the silent or money claim calls.)

PS - I noticed that the BT operators now say "You are through to BT - the home of free sport". I suppose charges have to go up to pay for the football.

[french frank]

I was having nuisance calls and asked BT to change my number. They did - gave me the number of someone who had just moved house, and the new people had brought their number with them. I don't get my nuisance calls anymore, but 10 years later I'm still getting the nuisance calls for the lady whose number I was allocated

[teamsaint]

I am unpopular and I have no friends. My family avoid me. I look forward to these calls.

Have you considered posting your home and mobile numbers on this board,to increase the flow of interaction?
What about a special thread on "The Choir"?

Good luck S_A, these calls are in general a right pain.

[Beef Oven!]

I have various strategies. If you butt in quick and say your 17 they move on quickly - 18 is the age of consent for utilities etc.

Sometimes I prefer to just say 'I'll just get him' and put the phone on the sofa and carry on with what I'm doing.

But the most entertaining one is what Gordon does. I had this young Geordie bloke absolutely gagging to switch me over - I told him I'd had enough of my supplier and their high prices, but could not put up with all the mess and inconvenience changing all the pipes and wires would entail................ I had it on loudspeaker and my friend was rolling on the floor crying! The caller was soooo desperate!

Can I just say that I've never pulled the legs off spiders or anything like that

[Serial_Apologist]

Have you considered posting your home and mobile numbers on this board,to increase the flow of interaction?
What about a special thread on "The Choir"?

Good luck S_A, these calls are in general a right pain.

Thanks TS; next time you're in Bournemouth (which is nearer to you than me), you wouldn't mind having a look to see if there's a 24 Westover Road in BH1 with a third floor, would you?

[teamsaint]

Thanks TS; next time you're in Bournemouth (which is nearer to you than me), you wouldn't mind having a look to see if there's a 24 Westover Road in BH1 with a third floor, would you?

i was just about to mention that I will have a quick gleg when I am down there....Westover road , eh?........Hmmmmm...................only kidding !!

[french frank]

if there's a 24 Westover Road in BH1 with a third floor,

Perhaps this one?

[Dave2002]

S_A, have you had problems with TPS? I am signed up to it and it seems to have very successfully put an end to cold calls. The only exception is the very occasional (mercifully) call in a south asian accent, presumably from India or Pakistan, trying to sell me something or other: I think TPS has difficulty stopping calls that originate outside the country.

If you have caller display you can usually spot these, and just not even bother to pick up. If you do pick up, another clue is if there is no sound for a few seconds. Respond in kind - silently - and they often give up immediately. Otherwise there are various techniques "It'll only take a few minutes ...", "I'll save your time and mine, goodbye!"

I do wonder what would happen with a ruder and more brusque response - you can imagine yourself - but I've not actually tried it. However, for anyone who heard "Clare in the Community" last night (not a regular of mine/ours ... I have to say) - I have done the thing of being extremely abusive when I don't think they're listening, and have put me on hold .... http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qprs

[Don Petter]

Oh, I say! Does that involve asking what underwear you are wearing? Could be a nice little earner!
Sorry - but in your previous you did say ............

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