AIBU to pay my phone company to block marketing calls?

[olderandwider]

So fed up of being phoned 5 or 6 times every day, evenings and weekends too, by telemarketing companies. Ambulance chasers, debt cancelling agencies, Sky (we are not Sky customers so why do they think we need to have our Sky box checked?), life assurance, health assurance. It's endless!

I work from home and feel like (hang on, phone.....)

Where was I? Oh yes, I feel completely invaded by this never-ending stream of cold calling.

Anyhow, I am registered with TPS, have always ticked the "edited" list on the electoral roll forms, and even went onto google to see what else is on offer to stop the callers. (I even had a cold caller offering a service to stop cold calling. This made me suspect some massive conspiracy to drive people like me demented enough to pay these bastards to stop them harassing me.) Gah!

So. I snapped. I have just agreed to pay my telecoms supplier £2.50 a month to stop all these network callers. I do resent having to shell out £30 a year for this. Somebody should be regulating this cold calling menace properly, and not expecting the poor bloody customer to pay.

I think it's most ATheyBU, not me!

YANBU to hate cold callers - I used to work nights and sleep in a house where the previous occupants had clearly spent the last decade filling in every bit of junk mail they could find with their contact details Registering with the TPS was enough for me though, so wondering what else is going on. I never put my phone number on anything I fill in and always tick the DO NOT BLOODY CONTACT ME box. Also when you do speak to a cold caller then it's worth asking them to remove all your details from their database and then that you are registered with the TPS and will report them (they usually hang up at this point so ask them to remove your details first). Hope you manage to get it sorted.

Is it worth re-registering with TPS? I did read somewhere that you need to do this every year / few years as your membership 'lapses' and you then become fair game again.

I do think it is unreasonable to have to pay to stop what are effectively nuisance calls.

I did see on another thread that one way to stop such callers dead is to ask the caller for the 'security code' for the number dialled!

Dita - thank you. I think my problem is that many of these calls seem to come from overseas, so they are not controlled by TPS. I always do tell them to remove me from their list etc, but the volume of calls seems to be increasing if anything.

I do give my home number if I order anything online, as I don't want to give out my mobile to many people. I do tick those NO DON'T CONTACT ME boxes, but I suspect my details are still sold on to third parties.

Oh well, I will see if my £30 a year fee sorts it.

Elbow - I did re-register, at least I went on the site about 3 weeks ago, put in my number and was told I was already registered.

The problem with asking callers for their security code is, I still have to answer the chuffing phone!

I will try the call barring service for a few months. If it works I will keep it for a year, by which time I hope all those cold callers will have found fresh victims and will Leave Me Alone!