I keep getting these recorded message calls and was ignoring them but there have been a few so i pressed 5 and waited for the call centre person to pick up but it just went dead. Any ideas on how to take my number of limits and draw them to a close?

try this but don’t be surprised if they keep calling

Go back to ignoring them, they’ll stop eventually.

I reckon that by pressing 5, they will have noted your number as a potential mug and then sold it on to a million more organisations…

I’m never sure if replying to txt messages with STOP, actually does that or just encourages them to send more and sell my number on as ‘live’.

I report every nuisance call, either to the ICO or Ofcom. Have reached the stage where phone doesn’t get answered and goes to answerphone.

Had over a year of ‘accident claims management’ calls on my mobile where my number had been sold by a dishonest member of staff of Aviva. Took it to the CEO of Aviva and Financial Ombudsman which turned out to be a total waste of time.

Ombudsmen are a total sop and in no way are they impartial. 😐

Press 5 then when you do get someone to speak to, just shout arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh down the phone really loudly, bid them a good day and hang up.
We used to get them on the work mobile all the time, the guys in the office never got tired of me running in the corridor to answer the phone.

Slightly different, but we took a call at work yesterday from someone ‘conducting research’ into phone systems.

He asked how many handsets we had, I said some silly big number. He then asked what make of handset we used…

I said ‘Doughnut’

He said ‘Uhh?’

I said ‘Doughnut’

He said ‘Uhh?’

I said ‘Doughnut’

He said ‘Uhh?’

I said ‘Doughnut’

He said ‘Uhh?’

I said ‘Doughnut’

He said ‘Uhh?’

I said ‘Doughnut’

He said ‘Uhh?’

This went on for a couple of minutes by which time I couldn’t say it for laughing.

I could just imagine him on the other side of the phone looking up and down his list for the manufacturer ‘Doughnut’.

Well it brightened an otherwise boring afternoon at work 🙂

You might try reporting a generic call that encourages you to make a PPI claim to the police as an incitement to commit fraud by misrepresentation. The next human call I get who knows nothing about me but purports to know that I am eligible for compensation despite ny never having taken out any such policy wull have me getting as many of the company’s details taken and reported for that very reason.

This is supposed to be very good, but it is £100.
http://www.truecall.co.uk/call-blocker.aspx

Had over a year of ‘accident claims management’ calls on my mobile where my number had been sold by a dishonest member of staff of Aviva. Took it to the CEO of Aviva and Financial Ombudsman which turned out to be a total waste of time.

I get at least one text/call a week, plus a couple of PPI calls for good measure, and I’ve never had an accident or claimed on insurance in my life. Latterly they seem to be using numbers that look like ‘real’ mobile numbers, last conversation went like this:

Him: “I’m phoning about the car accident you had?”
Me: “never had a car accident”
Him: “Ok, must be an accident at work?”
Me: “never had one of those either”
Him: “Err, have you fallen over in a public place?”
Me: “No.”
Him: “ok, thanks” **hangs up**

It’s not necessarily companies selling your details, they’re just assuming, law of averages, that a lot of people will go “aah yes, my car accident”.

Cold caller: “We can obtain compensation for your accident”

Me: “Excellent, it’s cost me a fortune, time off work, emotional difficulties, can’t sleep”

Cold caller: “Who was to blame for the accident?”

Me: “I don’t know, the condom just split!”

I was called at home a while ago by the Dyson Service scam.

After stringing her along for 5 mins or so I gave her a piece of my mind before hanging up. The cheeky bint then called me straight back to tell me off for being rude to her.

Even when I ‘talk dirty’ they still phone again! Does my head in.

Even when I ‘talk dirty’ they still phone again! Does my head in.

Well so would I, it’s normally £1 a minute 😉

@frank – why did you answer it a second time !

I keep getting the recorded message ones, easy to ignore

Try a slightly looser grip?

TBH, there’s not a lot you can do. Most of them are operating outside the law so legitimate means of “opting out” yield mixed results. Best approach is not to answer “unavailable” or “withheld” numbers. Or I believe deploying a four year old is quite effective.

Who uses landlines anyway? But for ADSL I’d have had it ripped out years ago.

On TPS? Every call you get, get the number and pass it on to the ico.
BTW, the ICO web site is quite good, and I’ve called them abut the useless bunch of ****wits who have taken over Orange and they were most helpful

Him: “I’m phoning about the car accident you had?”
Me: “never had a car accident oh yeah, I was well pissed, surprising I could actually get in a car to be honest, so not really surprising I didn’t see the lollipop man or all those kids returning from their sports day, still I only hit about 10 of them”
Him: “Ok, must be an accident at work?”
Me: “never had one of those eitheri know i shouldn’t have had that camera hidden in the showers and they never would have found if i hadn’t slipped. haven’t worked since, and the parents are still looking for me”
Him: “Err, have you fallen over in a public place?”
Me: “No yes, and having to go to hospital to have the vibrator removed was most embarrassing. still at lest I don’t cold call people telling lies about compensation claims”
Him: “ok, thanks” **hangs up**

Who uses landlines anyway?

Me, at least 3 times a week when i can’t find my mobile

Or MAKE A PROFIT yourself from their calls like this chap did

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/aug/29/cold-call-victim-gets-own-back

“Leeds man sets up personal 0871 telephone number and makes 10p a minute from businesses and cold callers.”

I had the window virus one….
kept him on for a while then asked him if the problem would affect the new door i had installed at the same time as the windows…he got it in the end had a chuckle and said that’s a good one and hung up.

some times i have a bit of fun with them sometimes hang up…depends what mood I’m in. Enjoy repeating ‘pardon can you speak up’ to the hearing loss ones at the moment.

landline – I call screen with an answer phone.
mobile – even my ancient Desire S allows me to save numbers to a ‘blocked’ list.

But not witheld numbers.

crashtestmonkey – Member

landline – I call screen with an answer phone.
mobile – even my ancient Desire S allows me to save numbers to a ‘blocked’ list.

ohnohesback – Member

But not witheld numbers.

Quite, and besides when they do give a number it’s usually a different one every time. I flag nuisance PPI calls at work with our call recording system, not once have any of the already blocked numbers tried to call again.

I used to get wound up with all the cold callers but my latest approach is simple and fun.

I will verify my name but as soon as they ask me another question I politely tell them that I don’t answer questions from cold callers.

They will often try to tell me that they aren’t a cold caller at which point I either repeat that I don’t answer questions or I engage them in trying to define what a cold caller is.

They usually end up hanging up. I like to think I’m getting fewer calls but it may be that I’m less wound up by them – some are actually fun.

“No thank you – I don’t speak on the telephone”

often causes apoplexy