On 13 Feb 2013 at 1:39pm Fairmeadow wrote:
We've been registered with the telephone preference service to block advertising calls from the UK, which has in the past worked reasonably well against calls from the UK. Still get the Indian ones offering to fix my computer of course. However, recently quite a flood of automated calls about my "Pension opportunity" from what appears to be a Birmingham number. When I, pehaps rashly, pressed the button to respond, I got a person with a native English accent who started on their spiel, but put the phone down immediately I mentioned TPS.
However, going to the TPS website to complain, they say their service has become a lot less effective recently, but they don't propose to do anything about it, and will not accept complaints about recorded calls. Great help!
Anyone else been getting these calls? I listened to the spiel long enough to be confident it was a scammer trying to make a hit, but not long enough to find out exactly what the scam was!
On 13 Feb 2013 at 2:13pm Taff wrote:
I changed the message on my answering machine to include ' if you are a company wanting to sell me a product or a service please remove my number from your call listing' They are legally obliged to comply to such requests and I have to say the speculative calls to us have reduced.
On 13 Feb 2013 at 4:43pm jocko wrote:
If you have caller display just don't answer the phone if you don't recognise the number. If it is an important call the sender will leave a message. If you don't have caller display then I recommend you get a phone with this facility. You may also need to ask your phone provider to activate it.
These scams operate like any other, if you answer the call then they have you hooked and the calls will become more frequent, if you don't answer the calls will cease.
On 13 Feb 2013 at 5:30pm mickyboy wrote:
a few well chosen anglo saxon words seem to make the point
On 13 Feb 2013 at 6:54pm Insomniac wrote:
I listen politely for a few moments and then break in and tell them how much they need new double glazing, and ask if they've thought about having new double glazing installed, how much do you think it would cost, and what they think would be a fair price to re-glaze their own home.
There's all sorts of fun you can have.
Wishing cancer on their children also makes me feel better.
Any other ideas?
On 13 Feb 2013 at 7:45pm Cheeky Monkey wrote:
This response usually stumps them:
"Did I ask you to call me?" or failing that try
"F**k off and die you scum".
All depends on your mood really.
On 13 Feb 2013 at 8:37pm Deelite wrote:
I'm on phone preference service too and the nuisance calls I receive has rocketed over the last few months. The phone preference service is a voluntary thing and as we know this means f**** a*** in these increasingly unprincipled times. It's high time junk calling in the UK was made completely illegal and the phone companies charged to curtail this type of call.
On 13 Feb 2013 at 9:17pm the old mayor wrote:
You can forward telephone numbers on your mobile of spam texts and recorded calls, so why not those from the landline too ? If it makes you feel better. Its a free service by the networks to help stop spam calls. (Although, it's the phone companies that have them as Clients presumably!)
Text numbers to 7726 (SPAM) but if your on Vodaphone its 87726 (they must think they're special !! You'll get an acknowledgement text thanking you !!
On 13 Feb 2013 at 9:23pm Sussex Jim wrote:
Something for Norman to get his teeth into if he had any balls.
I am TPS registered, but still get junk calls. Caller display helps.
If it displays "international" I just put the receiver aside and walk away. If you do not hang up, the caller's line is blocked for several minutes.
On 14 Feb 2013 at 10:27am Blip wrote:
Insomniac: I like your first suggestion. However, wishing cancer on their children is a completely unacceptable thing to do, whatever the provocation and, in my mind, diminishes you.
On 14 Feb 2013 at 1:03pm Cheeky Monkey wrote:
My favourite put down:
"And I hope your mother dies in a bizarre yachting accident"
Blackadder of course.
On 14 Feb 2013 at 3:55pm Blip wrote:
Some of my favourites are "may you fall off your bicycle" and (from a Dublin beggar: " May the angel of good luck follow you all the days of your life... (and when the person addressed has passed by without giving them anything).. and never catch up wid you, you miserable eejit!"
On 14 Feb 2013 at 6:39pm insomniac wrote:
Yeah Blip, I've often heard that response, people seem to think that offensive language is perfectly ok, just so long as is's not actually offensive, not even criminals caught in the act deserve to be on the end of offensive language that's actually offensive.
I think that's ridiculous.
On 14 Feb 2013 at 6:59pm Blip wrote:
Well, Insomniac, if you can't understand the difference, there is no point in trying to explain it to you.
On 14 Feb 2013 at 8:58pm Horseman7 wrote:
I gently lay the handset in the dog's bed and she sings to the caller.
On 14 Feb 2013 at 9:59pm insomniac wrote:
Blip, dude, that's as bad as the wife's "if you don't know what you've done to upset me, I'm not going to tell you".
Come on, its not hard, tell us all why we shouldn't be saying hurtful things to thieving scammers, why should we be treating them with respect?
On 14 Feb 2013 at 10:43pm Blip wrote:
I think most people would agree that wishing cancer on anyone who displeases you, especially on children, is beyond the pale - or, in other words, this tells us a great deal about the unpleasant mind of the person who says it. You would immediately lose the sympathy of any decent minded person who hears you. Nothing really wrong about wanting to insult a scammer, but there are some things You Just Don't Do!
On 14 Feb 2013 at 11:10pm Insomniac wrote:
Anyone who 'displeases me'? In those circumstances I'd agree and would indeed only level a harmless and amusing little epithet like 'I hope you fall off your bicycle', but when someone is trying to scam money off me, I'm not 'displeased' I'm furiously angry, and they need to know how much their behaviour insults & disgusts me, and I want them to feel the same level of insult & disgust, or more. Treating them with kid gloves only encourages them to be more and more brazen.
On 15 Feb 2013 at 12:21am Dave wrote:
I keep them on the line as long as I can trying out different accents, the art is to let them think they are turning you round and getting you hooked then after as much time as possible say 'Oh I've just remembered we had the house double glazed yesterday'
Let's time it from now on, longest time without buying something wins
On 15 Feb 2013 at 10:47am Blip wrote:
Insomniac: you are right to be angry, because how dare these people intrude our homes with their unwanted phone calls. No doubt they call it progress. I heard of someone who asked for the name of the manager of the call centre so that they could bill them for misuse of their time. Needless to say, the caller hung up. I was pleased that Lord Sugar, in the last Apprentice prog. rubbished a candidate's "brilliant" idea for a new call centre and gave her a good telling off for thinking it was OK to intrude on people in this way.
Dave: excellent idea, we should find inventive ways to be as obstructive as possible.
On 21 Feb 2013 at 2:27am AYATOLLAH HOGMANNY wrote:
Answer all calls with just"hello" if its a friend etc they will say who they are straight away. If its anyone else say "You are through to Father O'Flatuences Home for Fallen Women.. for the holy father press one..for the mother superior press 2 for the fallen women please hold......