Nuisance number blocking

[#1]

Hi all and sorry if this issue has been covered elsewhere but is there a facility to allow you to block an incoming phone number thats insists on calling at ridiculous `o clock. i am registered with the TPS service but that hasn`t helped. Regards Richard.

[#2]

I'm tempted to suggest unplugging the phone!

[#3]

If the caller reveals their number on Caller Display then there is Choose To Refuse. See http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php?topic=100518.0
If they withhold their number then there is Anonymous Call Reject but that may block calls from some organisations that you wish to receive calls from.
Both of these come at a monthly charge - though previously PN has offered free trials.
Depending on the severity of the problem, you may wish to consider a Truecall box. It is a one-off cost (if you don't take up the online management option) and offers more flexible solutions to various types of unwanted caller.
http://www.truecall.co.uk/
http://www.truecall.co.uk/acatalog/trueCall_Compare.html
At c £100 this is an expensive solution but may prove cheaper in the long run than paying a phone service provider monthly fees to address the issue.

[#4]

Is the caller someone you know that is bothering you? If so, tell them to stop calling, from then on it becomes harassment. If it's from abroad trying to con you into something, a loud whistle can be quite effective. Or answer the phone with something stupid (but the same each time) like "Train Enquiries", ask them what train times they are interested in. They should give up fairly quickly if you insist that you are Train Enquiries!

[#5]

Hi again and thanks for all your suggestions. Wouldn't it be a lot easier if plusnet had a facility to block unwanted regular callers just by typing in a code into your home phone...much simpler. p.s other providers do offer that exact facility...

[#6]

If you had followed the first link that I provided you would have found that PN does (or at least at the end of last year did and so probably still does) offer Choose To Refuse. It's not an advertised service and has to be manually implemented.

[#7]

Thank you Alanf for your suggestion. I have now had this facility added to my line. Hopefully this will help my situation. maybe PN would make this option more widely known about for others in the future.

[#8]

Quote

maybe PN would make this option more widely known about for others in the future.

We'll continue to assess what the demand is like for this as I've personally added this a few times now so if this continues to happen I'll keep raising the awareness at this side.

[#9]

This week's Panorama was on the subject of unsolicited calls covering a complete range from persistent salespersons to people ringing to "fix" your computer and boiler room investment schemes.
Forgetting for a moment all the calls originating from overseas and "surveys", one interesting piece of information was that despite a couple of thousand complaints per month being passed to the Information Commissioner by TPS not one UK based call centre has so far suffered any penalty for ignoring the rules.
Repeated BBC 1 Thu 5 Jul, 12:25am & BBC News Channel Thu 5 Jul, 4:30am
iPlayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006t14n