Stop unwanted telephone calls.

[tonywiltshire]

I receive 2/3 unwanted sales telephone calls each day, I joined the Telephone Preference Service but this does not stop many calls and does not help with calls that originate outside the UK or companies claiming they are not sales calls but market research.
Anyone any ideas how to avoid these calls?

[old-wos-is-name]

unfortunately your number has probably been sold to marketing companies, and they will never give in. the only way round it is to get a answer machine. as soon as they hear the voice they will hang up. you can monitor the calls so you will hear if it is a friend relative etc, also of course there is number display, so if it comes with " witheld" or a 0800 prefix you know that is probably a sales call.

[nannybooby]

Tony when did you join Telehone PS it take a while to kick in ,check with them too that its still current as they stop it after about a year too

[ladybirder]

I have Caller Display (free with TalkTalk Privacy Package) and if I don't recognise the number or am not expecting a call I don't answer it.

[woofgang]

The prob with caller display is you have to allow your own number to be displayed to other folk. My number is ex-directory which keeps the stupid calls down.

[craft1948]

I have caller display too with my BT broadband, if it's withheld, international, or 0800 I just ignore it.

[tonywiltshire]

I joined the TPS over a year ago.

[nannybooby]

we have caller display and our no.is exdirectory and we are with bt

[smurfchops]

Just say, "Hang on, I will get the wife" (or whoever) and leave them hanging on, listening to Jeremy Kyle preferably. They will get the message.

[Frank97]

I thought BT did a thing that would block calls from withheld numbers for an extra £4 a month, or have they stopped that now?

[woofgang]

yes nanny booby but you have to allow your number to show on other folks' caller display.

[Wak]

I read somewhere that if you rapidly flash the # button on and off when receiving sales calls then the automatic phone machine which the callers from abroad use for multi calling assumes that there's a fault and removes your name from their list.
I don't know how true it is but I think it's worth a try.