How Do I Stop Survey Calls

[HongKongphooey]

Over the last couple of months we have been receiving calls invariably from abroad asking us to do a 'household survery'. This is now happening 6 or 7 times a day, sometimes more. My husband runs a business and although we do have an office number, he doesn't want to go x-directory because some customers still ring our home number.
I do do online surveys for you-gov who pay you £50 after you've got 5000 points, do you think they have sold my details? I haven't told mr hongkongphooey or he'd blame me! I've had 6 calls already today and its only 1pm

[woofgang]

I don't think You gov sell details, but its possible that a random phone dialling setup has phoned your number once, identified it as a live number and sold it on. Other people on here have done well with a BT callblocker that you can prgram to suit your own needs.

[woofgang]

The BT 8500 seems to be what most people use and recommend. I have got caller id plus a blocking function on my answerphone but I can see that you don't want to screen all calls if you have got a business.

[HongKongphooey]

Thanks, guys. I've suggested call blocker to Mr HKP but he doesn't seem that keen. Perhaps when he's in all day one day, he'll realise just how bad these calls have got. Will keep trying!!

[fiction-factory]

Is it Consumer Lifestyles Survey? We go through spells of getting lots of these. WHether we simply hang up, leave them hangong on or tell them to take us off the list, it makes no difference- they just ring back a few hours later. They could have been given your number by almost anyone.

[woofgang]

just a thought HKP, most of the small business people whose homes I have phoned, don't actually answer the phone when it rings. The business person is usually out working and its down to the partner/spouse to answer. Of course they aren't just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring so more often than not, I leave a message and they call back, usually very quickly. Maybe when you are being the phone person, you could screen the calls and call back quickly? Of course that would mean your paying for the call, not them.

[HongKongphooey]

Yeh, they are the ones, all day, everyday its driving me nuts when I'm in the house, and I'm at work til 2 most days

[Clanad]

Here in the U.S. we have a National Do Not Call Registry that a person can subscribe to (without cost). While registering hasn't totally eliminated such calls it has greatly reduced them. Additionally, if we do get an unsolicited call we ask the company/caller for their telephone number, which, generally, they will give us. Then we simply state we're going to report them to the Do Not Call Registry, wherein they apologize profusely. But we still report them.

There have been instances where the National D.N.C.R. has pursued lawsuits against such companies.

Lastly, we ignore as many of the calls that still get through and don't answer the phone for, say, 4 or 5 days. This seems to discourage the robo-calls since the robo-call service gets paid, as I understand it, from their client only for completed calls.

[fiction-factory]

The callers from Consumer Lifestyles are probably ringing from outside the UK so perhaps can't be stopped by the Telephone Preference service. The callers sound as if they are from somewhere like The Philippines

[Dee Sa]

HKP this what I do I keep a small whistle by the phone I don't speak but I blow the whistle as hard as I can down the mouthpiece, I don't get many of these calls anymore but the whistle is still there just in case because just asking them to remove your number from their list just doesn't work.

[pastafreak]

Watch How to Stop Your Nuisance Calls on 4od...it seems to be almost impossible as they use every trick in the book to keep you in their sights. They are sales people trying to make sales... doing it legally isn't part of the equation.

[TWR]

Threaten the caller that you will sue the company if they keep calling your Number.

[Mamyalynne]

I don't think is proven to work either.

[EcclesCake]

TWR, what good will a hollow threat do?

Sorry HKP, I really don't think there is much you can do apart from screening calls through your answerphone.

[TWR]

There was a person on Rip off that done exactly that Mam & sued the company's for a lot of money, not sure of the person's name.

[Mamyalynne]

Interesting - as most of these emanate from overseas I'm not sure I could find a lawyer willing to track them down.

Admittedly if you know the company name and it is in this country, you have a better chance.

[TWR]

Eccles, I don't do Hollow Threats, I follow them through.

[TWR]

Yes Mam, overseas NO, UK yes.

[RandyMarsh]

I saw a story about a chap the other day that bought an 0845 number for home and had made £2,500 from such calls so far this year.