Hey all,

Got a small problem and would appreciate some advice.

Since my return to Edinburgh my Parents and Grandparents have been recieving silent phonecalls between 8 and 9 in the morning. It doesn't bother my parents, as they have always left work by that time. But my grandparents who are retired like to lie in in the morning and these ba5tard calls have been waking them up. [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

I have my suspicions as to who it might be, 2 different people, but I don't want to start throwing accusations about. I have stayed at my grandparents on a few occasions since my return, so I am not there everytime they ring.

I have been stressing out a bit lately and this has made me ten times worse, I thought I was coming home to a clean slate but its quite clear I haven't. Where are my happy pills

Any advice on this?

Thanks,

Claire

 

Well, it's not me

You can contact BT and they can sort it out if is frequent. Call 150 and ask for the operator to pass you on to the relevant people. They'll monitor the calls and can obviously get the caller ID.


[Edited by imlach - 12/21/2003 10:27:14 PM]

 

Report to your telecomms provider and if they don't help then the police. Also keep a diary of the calls (times, any return number etc) to assist in tracking the calls.

 

Erm, we have telewest!

 

Telewest can do it too...

 

Right, diary point noted! Cheers!

 

I get them frequently, as do my parents. I think it's computerized dialling, in that it calls numbers from a list and when the person answers, if the caller is already on a call to another victim, the computer simply hangs up.

I've tried 1471 but the number is always withheld. I've got to the point now that if the phone rings I leave it. If the person is genuine they'll leave a message or call me on another number.

But you're right, they're annoying.

 

Blow a referee's whistle down the line and see if you recognise the scream from the other end It worked for me

 

The other thing to do is to tell everyone you know, including those you feel who are reponsible about the calls, and that your parents have reported it to the Police and/or your telephone company who are investigating.

Just the thought that it is being investigated might stop them.

 

just incase it is cold callers

 

telewest info

 

Excellent!

PG, have registered both numbers with TPS

Thanks guys

 

Of the two people its likely to be I'd be 90% sure its the Edinburgh based one and not the other. Under such circumstance I feel direct confrontation is the only way to deal with the situation so phone him up and put it to him.

If need be me and uncle ricky will go stove him in

 

SaxoBoy - I don't do violence.

I always have more covert ways of sorting these things out.........

 

computerised cold calling.

we had this for the last 3 or 4 weeks, always at about 6.45pm. registered with that website about 5 days ago and the calls have stopped already.

if in doubt don't speak when you answer your phone a genuine caller will speak first

 

Ah, organised knee-cappings - I like

 

does the computerised cold calling seem to work the same way each time? we get "silent" calls that last 5-10 secs and then the phone seems to be put down at the other end as though someone's been checking if there's anybody in (sometimes there's a general open plan office type noise/murmur in the background) paranoia here we come

we also get a very feeble ringing tone through the phone at approx 1am quite a few nights and BT thought this may be automated data transfer across the wires which "blips" the system and gives small ring - trouble is, the phone's next to the bed so it sometimes wakes me up...

Apple

 

eClaire, you must have given me the wrong number in the taxi that night

 

Thanks for your input folks, much appreciated!

lol@Jye. And youre wondering why I gave you the wrong number !

[Edited by eClaire - 12/21/2003 11:28:17 PM]

 

I really don't think it is computerised cold-calling.

1) Any reputable company would get into trouble over this. It's not on.
2) What is the point in it if just a silent call? Is it just to determine when you answer the phone and then call you back another time? If so, why does it call you back many times and be "silent".

Given the calls are coming to two numbers, and at similar times, I reckon it is more likely to be a nusisance call. If it happens every day for more than a week, I'd have no hesitation in contacting Telewest. They can get the info in seconds, and can help you out.

Registering with the TPS is all well & good, but be aware that it only protects you from companies that register with the TPS, and therefore only really the big & reputable companies. No harm in it though, as I've done it for all my numbers, and only get calls for the previous owner.

I am also ex-dir, but have my mobile number in the phonebook instead. Not many realise you can put your mobile number in the phonebook.

All the best, and good luck.

 

Cheers uncle Ricky

 

I've been getting the same thing for a couple of months. 2 or 3 calls a week either 9am or 5pm. Whenever I answer the phone just stays silent. Again, tried 1471 but no number recorded.

 

Sorry about the reply Claire, I wasnt trying to be flippant or owt really, just hoping to cheer you up a bit over a horrible situation. I really hope the grandparents and yourself get the snide ******* sorted out big style.

--lol@Jye. And youre wondering why I gave you the wrong number--

Anyhow back to my flippant self, I think it was something to do with having your hands full

p.s. I'm not that far away if you need an extra baseball bat


[Edited by Jye - 12/21/2003 11:42:01 PM]

 

btw, just remembered about this BT service (dunno if Telewest do it)

Choose to Refuse
If you know the number of the person making nuisance calls to you, you can bar it from calling your number. Alternatively it can bar the last number that called you, even if you don't know what it is.

Phone Telewest customer services and see if they offer it too. Will prevent waking up your grandparents in the meantime......

 

You can also bar calls from witheld numbers.

 

"You can also bar calls from witheld numbers. "

Be careful who you bar, as many doctors who make phonecalls from home (when on-call) will be ex-directory. For example, you have a sick child and request a home visit. Doc phones up and there's no answer. Not an ideal situation. Many people withold their number with good reason.

 

I have had a load of these recently, I found that, if I hung online long enough until someone spoke, that it was Credit Card companies wanting to know if you were happy with their service and to tell you of new offers.

 

Lots of outbound call centres do predictive dialing - it's pretty much here to stay :rolleyesS:

 

These Call Farms, use computerised dialing, then when you pick up, it will connect you to the 1st available operator, if one isn't available, you get - Silence

 

someone read the original post!

its not cold callers at 8am

T