How do I stop these cold calls? - "Energy assessment"

[OnTheTurningAway]

Every day. Several times a day. On the landline.
Recorded voice says they are calling about a free energy assessment, government scheme, blah blah, "as you're a homeowner".

I'm not a homeowner. I rent, and I got this line put in.

At the end it says "press nine to stop these calls". Nope, doesn't work.

Is it a scam? How do I get them to fuck off? I'm signed up to the telephone preference service.

[OnTheTurningAway]

ps. posting here for traffic, of course, but my AIBU is: AIBU to be utterly sick of this now? (been going on for months!)

[gamerchick]

I just hang up as soon as I know it's a recorded message. They taper out until they're replaced by the next lot of annoying phonecalls.

You can get gadgets to program to police your landline but I don't know much about them.

[EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard]

Firstly are you registered with the TPS? It should work for most Uk based calls.

Secondly I don't speak first when answering an unknown number. If it's a pre recorded message I don't speak at all or hang up until it does.

[FurryLittleTwerp]

you could try pressing a choice & trying to get through to a person, if pressing 9 doesn't work.

Otherwise just hang up as soon as you realise, or don't bother picking up at all if you recognise the number of it's withheld.

[Tequilamockinbird]

You need a phone like this

I got one about 6 months and haven't had any sales/nuisance calls since

[legotits]

If you picked it up or pressed a button the computer (it will be a direct dialler which gets passed to a human if you opt to consider their sale) will know the number is in use.

I am not advocating this but choosing to hear or opt in and then asking the human to remove you may work in this case.

It could encourage them though.

[BeYourselfUnlessUCanBeAUnicorn]

enrique last line clearly says OP is registered to the TPS.

OP, get a call guardian phone. I ha e one and it's 100% stopped these calls. Unless a number is programmed in, no one can directly phone your phone. They have to come through an automated message where they have to announce who they are and press #. If they do the phone will ri g to you and you will know who it is and can chose whether to answer, send it to answerphone or reject it. You can choose to block numbers as well. I do t get any calls now because companies will not go through the call guardian. I check my phone frequently and see several calls have been made and none of them ha e come through. They just hang up when they hear the message. If a number is there I Google it and if it's a call centre one it goes on my blocked list. It's quite an extensive list now.

[EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard]

A lot of cold calls now seem to be showing an 0207 or 0203 landline number. You can google 'who called me' a site where people log nuisance numbers, then add them to your contacts as Nuisance1 etc. So you no longer pick up.

[EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard]

Sorry read quickly and missed TPS

[OnTheTurningAway]

gamer They're not tapering out though, quite the reverse - it's now several times a day.

I don't know the number until I pick up the phone. I often don't answer but whenever I do it is them! (It might not all be them I suppose, but bit of a coincidence otherwise.) Only one legitimate person calls me on the landline and that's weekends only.

I haven't received any other cold calls (that I know of) since signing up to TPS.

[EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard]

Do you not have caller display? Also can you have a dedicated ring tone for the person(s) you want to hear from?

[OnTheTurningAway]

Ok, they just called again and I answered and pressed the number to be put through. Person who answered said something like "Am I speaking to the homeowner?" I said "No, my landlord is the homeowner, which is why I'd like you to stop calling me". At some point during that he hung up .
Now wondering if I should have pretended to be the homeowner and said I'm not interested.

Reminds me, a friend of mine answered when I'd first moved in and got a lot of cold calls. He spent ages talking to the person about loft conversions, before asking if being in a ground floor flat would be a problem...

[OnTheTurningAway]

I just have an old landline phone. Someone gave it to me.... I'm a make-do-and-mend type and there didn't seem any point buying one especially. (Shame I can't bill the nuisance caller for the cost of a new phone and a tax on sending old one to landfill..!) I only have a landline because I needed one for internet, though it's useful for family in an emergency if mobile is off.

[PortiaCastis]

Fuck off usually gets rid of them

[ssd]

I've been on the TPS for years and get about 5 calls like this a day, its driving me insane

[ssd]

potia, that doesnt work with a recorded message

[ssd]

how do you get it then? I'm with virgin

[redexpat]

My parents got a phone with a big red button on it. When they press it it blocks the number. I can vouch for its effectivness as they somehow manage to block me and i cant get through. Ever.

[TrickyD]

We are with TalkTalk, and I discovered at the weekend that they have a free call blocking service. After a nuisance call is received, pick up the phone and dial the service code, and calls fron the unwanted number will be barred.

Agreed, it doesn't stop new callers contacting us,, but I am lovng telling them in a triumphant fashion that henceforth they will be barred.

[PullUpsAreTricky]

hi we're getting these, i get them number then report them on ICO website.

[nokidshere]

My new phone has BT Guardian on it - its fab -only numbers I have put into my phone can call me - Bliss!!!

[Caught11]

we have call guardian, needed a new house phone, didn't cost any extra for this. NO cold calls, it has a call button where you can see how many cold calls you have had, they hang up before your phone starts ringing...Happy Days !

[bruffin]

Last week we had 10 calls in 2 days at work. Some were even the same time. Lying about needing to register the meter and needing to speak to MD.
They use spoof phone numbers that look local and they are different every time, so we cant not answer as could be customers.
I also had a spoof local number ppi call

[WhyCantIuseTheNameIWant]

You can keep the land line for Internet without having a phone connected.