Have just seen a story on BBC Breakfast Re: Silent calls, in other words calls that are made by a Companies Computers at randem and there may be insufficient Telesales staff to actually take the call, therefore, silent call. The majority of these calls have the Phone number withheld, my question is, I know that BT have a service where you can bann any calls getting through if the Number is withheld does anyone know if NTL do this same service. I can't get through to NTL to ask, typical!!! So thought someone on here might know.

Sweep

They actually talked about it on the news...it is called the Telephone Preference Service (I think) ....I'm pretty sure that you can get more info from the BBC news website HERE Maybe they can help when you are on NTL?
Melody :)

The only problem with this is that companies who do want to get hold of you cant eg. your bank. I work for an assurance company and because our calls go through a switch board they come up as number withheld, when people use the number preference thing, we end up having to use our mobile phones to get through !!!!

Claire :)

Yes I guess as you say it stops the genuine calls getting through. Hmmmmmmm.

Needs more thoughtHmmmmmmmm
Sweep x

If you put 1470 then the number it will release your CLI :) Assuming you don't have autodial or anything....

hi if you press 1470 befor the number you want to ring it will show your number

I had the same problem and contacted telephone preference services regarding my NTL line,to date I no longer get these annoying calls.The contact info is. tps,DMA HOUSE,70 MARGARET STREET,LONDON W1W 8SS. TEL: 020 7291 3320 FAX: 020 7323 4226 EMAIL: tps@dma.org.uk

I can't believe it - I just received one!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Sweep

p.s. forgot to mention the service is free of charge and it takes about 28days from registration to start taking effect.They do state that it "stops licensed companies involved in telephone selling,but will not stop calls from companies involved in market research and other activities not related to selling,to stop these calls you will have to advise each company individualy when they contact you that you do not wish to be contacted by them in the future."
It is def.worth registering though,because as I say my nuisance calls have stopped since July!
Jacqueline :)

It definately works...I had three cold calls from the same company in the last six weeks, by the time I had ranted at them I had forgotten to take down most of their details :D all I could provide TPS with was the companys name, no address or contact names and all done via web site, did not think they would bother but they did. Brilliant service...worth registering... same goes for unwanted junk mail through your door!

In addition to the TPS which is free, there is another service which costs £10 quarter whereby anyone who withholds their number will get the message "this number does not accept witheld numbers" etc. It is called nuisance or anonymous calling via BT. Very useful because not ALL companies subscribe to the TPS and some institutions eg banks have ways around the system. This stops ALL unknown calls and therefore you know that every call you receive is a "wanted" one (well almost) :) depending on how you feel about your children/husband etc :)

This has effectively ruined all my fun driving cold callers mad pretending I am a senile old woman and ordering one knitted in pale blue or 1/2 lb very thinly sliced; this is hugely amusing as you either hear a pause and the phone going down or expletives; try it! :)

For a while I was getting loads of calls, where it sounded like someone hanging up within seconds of me picking up the phone. I didn't know if it was these company silent calls, or some weirdo, so I bought a BT phone for £20 which displays the number of whoever is calling. It's great - then if it says 'witheld' I can choose whether or not to answer it. Think it costs about £3 a quarter for the service.
Hilda

Best way I've found to slow the junk mail is to keep the reply paid envelopes and post one persons 'offer' to another. Also when they offer me loans at such ?low interest rates 7% etc I turn it about and offer them the same loan at 1/4% less i.e.6 3/4%,no one has taken up my offer yet :)but it would certainly earn me more than my current savings accounts!

If you put "gone away" on the envelope and put back in postbox they think you have died! :)

LOL :D :D :D

I love that Porkie. Think I'll give it a try :D

I have tried cutting the offending mail into confetti and sending it back in the return envelope :D wish I was a fly on the wall when that arrived :D :D

Hiya Sweep,i had a silent calls problem with sky when we had the telphone linked up with it.Scared me witless as it always happened evenings and i was always alone.Eventually found it was a sky problem just wondering if NTL could hav the same glitch?

Cheryl

We had this for a while after we changed our number (we changed to stop the pain calls). We got calls for the 'previous owner' of the number and loads of silent ones, since we registered with the telephone preferential service after a while (they say 28 days) we no longer get them. BT told us that some orgs have automated systems that keep you holding, as we reported them as nuisance calls.
Fi xx

really bt can bann withheld numbers
i have a fax that rings one of my lines all the time like ring after ring at 2 3 4 am in the moringing or when ever it feels . anyone know how i can bann it?
Ntl have a harasment team and will sort it out 4 u :D

I dont know if everyone is aware but a great money saving tip is
BT do whats called option 3 this basically means that all calls
local and national are FREE 24/7 :-) I have been paying phone bills of around 90 pound a month and no one told me about it :-(
NTL also do they same thing for 25 pound a month.
Might save some money for us doggy people :-) :-) :-)

Telewest also do it for £25 a month. All land normal lines are included, but not the local call rate o870 and suchlike.

My mum and dad have been getting silent calls for about the last 3 months with no no. left. It's always around the same time. Could this be the same thing?

I think its companys selling on our numbers i get fax's and silent calls which is a pain in the bum when your tucked up in bed

For the past 2 or 3 months I have been getting several of these ddropped, witheld calls each day. I cant opt out of whitheld calls as my sister and several firends are all caller witheld, and I cant persuade them to display their numbers. I used to get loads of these call years ago after a messy break up, but have been blissfullly free for some time. I was really starting to panic with this new batch until I read about this auto dial thing - I am sure it is just telesellers now, not some strange stalker (and this is a whole other story!)
bye
Gwen

Lately ive got annoyed with this so everytime they ring up i leave it off the hook put it back when they hang up and they ring again i do the same:D its gotta cost em a few bob more aye;)
anyone know how to stop these calls thou?? its a form of harrasment really

i agree... I consider it harrassment, as you dont know if it is telesales or if it is a stalker. ( I had a stalker once) I work for a hospital, the need to phone me, so i cant bar witheld numbers. I get really frightened sometimes, imagining someone is watching the house. I spoke to BT, they offered a service where you can bar the number that just phoned you, even if it doesnt display. of course this would work, but you have to pay a monthly fee. but why should you have to pay?