topic Re: Text phone in Home Phone

Text phone

mal0z — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 10:07:31 GMT

I'm starting to be plagued by marketing organisations phoning on calls that leave a CLI of an 0845 number.
Now I'm getting them from 08456 021111 which seems to be a BT texting service. So you have to pay about 7 pence to call back to get the text - and what makes it worse - it was Pipex/Tiscalli still messing me about on the service I stopped and moved to PN about three months agao.
Is there any way you can stop these 0845 calls - I fail to see why I should pay to have certain numbers barred.
What would be really usefull would be to have a black list and white list - similar to the spam
- but for unwanted and allowed numbers.
AS a last resort - I wonder what it costs to have the phone number changed ?

Re: Text phone

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:47:31 GMT

Mal - I am unfamiliar with these type of calls so if you could explain more then I would be interested to know what they involve, although I don't have this problem. It must be very annoying.
I did have a few nuisance calls during the night a while ago and discussed it with Mand who referred me to the help page regarding managing nuisance calls:
http://www.plus.net/support/home_phone/troubleshooting/nuisance_calls.shtml
She did say that there are other things that can be done to help but mine did eventually stop simply because I pulled out the plug for several nights. Might be an idea to PM Mand to find out more. One thing might be the Choose to Refuse service.
In respect of changing telephone number BT used to do this for free if it was due to nuisance calls so I am unsure whether PN have also adopted this policy.

Re: Text phone

mal0z — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:56:51 GMT

I know it is a text message asking me to phone Tiscalli on an 0871 number at 10 p per minute and knowing their queuing length is like 10 to 15 minutes or more - I'm not spending £1+ for the privilege, and I'm not going to ring back to get the message as that in itself will cost 7p .

Unfortunately the texting service keeps ringing back at intervals of about an hour - but the ringing only lasts for about 10 to 15 seconds - presumably hoping you miss it and have to call back and incur a charge.
I think we should be able to op out this sort of thing free of charge.
Luckily most of my incoming calls come to my mobile - so If i do a 1471 and hear 0845 - I immediately put the phone down.

Re: Text phone

jnwright — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:31:28 GMT

These calls from BT's SMS text service 08456021111 to landline phones are very annoying.
A thread on moneysavingexpert discusses this and suggests it can be stopped by calling 0800 5875252. Options are then given for standard curfew (11 pm to 8 am), no curfew, watershed 9pm to 8 am, midnt to 6 am, and turn it off completely (press 5).
There is another multipage thread here suggesting the same solution.

Re: Text phone

mal0z — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:15:25 GMT

Brilliant - many thanks.
I phoned the number suggested and indeed it was that - so hopefully no more texts to landline.
I wonder if the originator is informed ?.

Re: Text phone

jnwright — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 21:01:15 GMT

I don't know. We have a friend that sometimes sends a text from her mobile accidentally to our home phone and it comes via the BT text service. The exchange code is only one digit different from a mobile looking number (a 1 in place of a 7)!
I suppose the only way to find out if the originator is informed would be to send a text from a mobile to the home phone (after cancelling the service) and see if a delivery receipt is sent back to the mobile.

Re: Text phone

prichardson — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 14:14:16 GMT

The SMS service is not actually BT, but run on behalf of BT. There is a seperate website that provides details on the service.
http://www.fixedtext.com/
Some good info on there and you can even change your settings to one of three (from what I have been informed)
1: No calls
2: All calls
3: Restrict calls to daytime
This is covered in the last FAQ entry on the base of the following page.
http://www.fixedtext.com/main_help.htm

Re: Text phone

mal0z — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:11:31 GMT

Many thanks Paul,
may I suggest that a summary of this information is put on PN's website at the appropriate page.
thnaks
mal