Help with nuisance calls..

We've had loads in all 3 places we've lived together. They have all had past tenants who haven't paid various bills. Your phone number is registered to your address, not you, so when they want to contact a previous owner/tennant and that is the only address they have, they will just ring the number currently listed for that property. You can stop it by making your number ex-directory.

The calls where you pick up and there is nobody there is probably harmless. Cold callers set up the phones to ring numbers until someone answers. If all the operators are busy, you get the silence until one of them picks up the phone. I hang up straight away. If they want to talk to me specifically, they can damn well be there when I answer!

Thanks Tortoise

The calls I get from the debt collection agency always read out the same address - it's never my address (thanks goodness!) ...could it be a possibility that I have got a recycled number? - If there is such a thing?

Hey its funny you say this we get no end of wrong numbers/companies who are asking for people that don't live here and although we rent the apartment is a new build so there was only a couple that lived here before us and neither of them are the names asked for over the telephone (I know this because we still get the odd bit of mail for the previous tenants) So i can only guess that its BT recycling old telephone numbers.......

You can also sign up to the telephone preference service http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/tps/index.html to stop unsolicited calls but it wont stop wrong numbers.

I need to do something about it as it is just getting ridiculously out of hand. Its a real pain isn't it? I've also started (which I forgot to mention in the previous post) that I get these pre-recorded messages that when you pick up the phone and say 'hello' it then says 'have you checked your PPI claim yet?' ...Im like eurrghhh. No, not this. Please go away.

I think I will try TPS and see what difference it makes

We signed up with TPS and it really helped it takes a few weeks to kick in so may get the odd call at first...those automated messages are the worst we used to get some at like 4am and the phone would not stop ringing until you answered it.

Oohh no! I think I would have thrown the phone out of the window! Plus the fact it's scary when the phone rings at an ungodly hour ?

I just did a bit of poking about on the tinternet and discovered that it is one particular debt collection agency that keeps phoning me..They're called CapQuest. Apparently they are notoriously famous for their call volumes.......I have lost count of the amount of times I have told them that they have the wrong number they still call....I'll try TPS first and see if it helps

Apparently all phone numbers are recycled according to BT as there are no new ones left. We got a lot of calls when we moved and asked BT to change the number, went exdirectory and registered with TPS. We still get 1 call per day unsolicited at least. I usually just hang up without saying anything or if I am in a bad mood I say we are TPS registered and they hang up sharpish. We also have an answer machine so that would be a good idea as you could screen your calls that way. The silence calls are notorious as being telesales calls but the problem is that when H rings home on his mobile I also get a period of silence so I can't hang up till I know if it's him. BT are supposed to have a section to deal with nuisance calls, threaten to leave them and go elsewhere that should get some action.

I was going to suggest what most people on here have, register with TPS. It takes 28 days to take affect but it stopped 99% of our sales calls. The debt collection ones wont be counted but these also seem to have stopped.

We have a recycled number, we get a phone call every few months from abroad with a very confused lady looking for someone. I feel a bit sorry for her, the people shes trying to get hold of clearly havnt told her they have moved!!

Tps is free. We have signed up. If someone does phone me I say "can you give me your name please, can you spell that, right and the name of the company please, spell it please, right well I'm signed up to the telephone preference service and now I have those names I WILL be reporting you. Bye"

Of course I don't ever report it as it's too much hassle and I don't get many calls but I do hope it makes the caller worry for a while!!

I always get nuisance calls. A few weeks ago I got 7 calls in 2 days on my mobile from a withheld number who just hung up as soon as I answered.

Last week I had a phone call from someone who said in a strong Indian accent "Hello, I am calling from windows computers company to see whether your computer is working. Are you having problems with your windows computer?" I just said it's fine thanks and put the phone down.

Seriously considering registering with TPS.

Not a nuisance call but my parents' number is very similar to the doctors surgery and we had at least one wrong number a day. I once had to stop a guy who jumped straight in with, "I need to see my doctor because I have a horrible rash on my...."

If it's a call from India or elsewhere abroad, then it will say either International or Out of Area. I generally ignore it if I get one which is quite often on a daily basis - they are only trying to either sell me something or con me about Claiming for accidents I've never had. They are a pain in life but unfortunately, they can't block international numbers. You can have Anonymous Caller Reject which is about £4.50 a month on your bill extra but well worth it as most cold callers use ex-directory numbers so they can't be traced. Only thing, this will block people who are ex-directory too so you may need to tell them to dial the pre-code before they dial your number which I think (you can check this with BT) is 1441 and then the number and it un-blocks them.

With silent calls, I just hang up. I turn off the phone at night upstairs because I quite often get people ringing at 2am in the morning asking for quotes for flowers believe it or not! I tend to sleep at that time but my answerphone stays awake all night

TPS is free but I think you do have to re-register your number every 6 months or so. It does work really well but after around 6 months I tend to notice the calls creeping in again so re-register and they slowly disappear.

We still get calls for a couple who owned this house over 20 years ago, H actually delivers to them (well him now as she has passed away a year or so ago and again) as he still lives nearby. Thing is it's always cold callers, sometimes I speak to them (when I'm bored) to see what they want and they tell me that Mrs *** has filled in a survey etc and they're just looking to get in touch with her blah blah blah - I'd love to see their face when I tell them she must have doe it from beyond the grave!

Thanks for all the replies ..I registered with TPS, so we'll see what happens. I just hope they catch up with the girl they keep asking for everytime they call so that we can get peace!

It does help but there are other ways in which people can get your number even if you're ex-d. Best way is never to put your phone number on any forms or anything on line unless it's absolutely mandatory. Lots of companies, even banks, sell on phone numbers so be very wary about who you tell. To be honest, even if you are with TPS,you still need to get the name of the company who's ringing you, the person you are speaking to, their address and phone number. I've tried to do this many times and they just hang up as soon as you start asking all the relevant questions. Before TPS, I used to blow a whistle down the phone but apparently this is illegal or something now as it may breach the callers human rights or other such rubbish!

Ahhh bloody hell!! There's always some PC rubbish isn't there Rainbow? I just hate the constant bombardment of calls that are for someone else..... I really dislike the silent calls, they freak me out. I was once subjected to months of silent calls on my mobile a few years back, no idea who it was but it was always the same thing of hearing someone breathing at the end of the phone... Then my nan started getting calls during the night from a man saying 'I know where you live and I am coming to get you' it completely frightened her. I answered the call once and the guys voice was evil and scary. Since then I've been a bit scared of silent calls

I dont really think its fair to blow a whistle at someone who in all honesty is just doing their job for probably no money at all?

The company is at fault of course but not the call handler, I can think of few jobs I would rather do less than dial outbound to collect debt/try and sell things to people and the abuse I know our outbound customer service staff get so have every sympathy with people that are just trying to earn a wage.

Hope you get it sorted!

Also agree with mini, I worked in a call centre. I was in the fraud section - we helped people if their card was blocked if it hadn't been used before/in a different country etc.. It would be a 2 minute phone call to allow them to use their card again. The amount of abuse I received made me decide not to stay longer than 3 weeks! It was so so horrible, also had what sounded like a fog horn played down the phone, ouch. Definitely not 'PC rubbish' IMO.

I had an automated call today telling me there had been some changes to my pension and I was allowed to collect it early! I'm 23 and have no pension fund.