Phone rings ... no-one there ...

[old.user4556]

All,

I think a post about this has been up before, but nm.

Basically, my house phone goes, usually around tea time. I go to answer and there is no-one there and suddenly there is a "hang up" sound and I get a tone. When I do 1471, the caller has witheld their number. Occasionaly, I think another call is going to be another "nobody" call, but sometimes it connects and there is someone on the other end usually selling double glazing / kitchens / conservatories.

Has anyone else had these weird nobody calls? I have experience of call centre systems and I know some of them use software to automatically dial numbers so that no time is wasted by the call centre agents dialling. Occasionally this software can get it wrong and dial a house before someone can take the call. I'm wondering if it's this?

G

 

[Tom]

Join the Telephone Preference Register. Its an auto-dialler, and will only connect if someone is sat in a call centre not connected to somebody else.

 

[~Yuckfou~]

We had this for weeks.
It's call centre software dialling, if no one at the call centre is available to field the call it hangs up. I spoke to BT malicious calls dept they explained that it is quite common. It was worrying as I'm away a fair bit and Mrs Yuck is home alone.
Get yourself on the Telephone Preference List, it stops after about 30 days once registered.

/edit.
Toms a fast clicking git

 

[Sigurd]

Or it could be someone like me calling and saying nothing, just listening as the person on the other end gets more and more exasperated

 

[old.user4556]

Cheers guys, that's exactly what I thought but wasn't sure what to do about it.

Sigurd - I usually say "hello?" and when noone says "hello" back, I hang up.

One day though, someone did phone and said "seven days...." - not sure what that was all about?

 

[Cyfr]

I've been getting this when i'm home alone, nearly every day ffs

 

[Sigurd]

That could have been me, "Seven Days in the Sun" is my favourite song

 

[Gray]

Well Cy, if you did what everyone done in the house and went out, you wouldnt recieve the calls

 

[Xavier]

Better still, call BT and have them enable withheld call blocking - anyone who calls you from a UK number which is withheld will be greeted by an automated message telling them that you've decided to NOT recieve calls from withheld numbers, and how they can go about unblocking it. The result being that none of these lame call centres can reach you, and you'll get the number of everyone who called your number with legitimate reason.

 

[Cyfr]

That would be great if only hospitals didnt withold their numbers
(My mum and gran are nurses )

 

[Xavier]

So is Bym, so I know that now all hospitals DO withold numbers, and those she's worked at which have she's been able to dial the shortcode to display her number.

Xav

 

[]AC[dRuM]

..we had this in our old house, including strange numbers on the phone bill.. No my missus wasn't having an affair...lol It was in fact water or something getting into the line that made it do it. Of course this doesn't account for the time my son aged 3 phoned 999 because he wanted to see a police car.!!

Old Bill not Happy!

..a fault on the line... for me. You haven't had any upsets with past girlfriends mind?

 

[Ch3tan]

Well Cy, if you did what everyone done in the house and went out, you wouldnt recieve the calls

LOL Gray

 

[dysfunction]

Telephone Preference Service can also help prevent unwanted SMS messages to your mobile.

 

[Cask]

One day though, someone did phone and said "seven days...." - not sure what that was all about?

Reckon I can clear that one up. Couple days ago I got an international call that put me through to a tape recording telling me that I had won a seven-day, all expenses paid trip to Orlando, Florida and Disneyland. Hung up after listening to the opening spiel, sounds like you may have got the same call but the tape recorder b0rked. No holiday for you!

 

[old.user4556]

Ah yes, I thought about having witheld numbers blocked too - but for the reasons mentioned above certain people (doctors and hossies for a start) won't be able to get through.

I'll go with Tom's suggestion, cheers mate.

 

[Nerual]

Preference service kinda works to stop these calls, but most call centres that do "cold calling" have found ways of getting round it. In most cases if they buy the data (your name and phone number) from a company that you are an existing customer of they can still call you whether your on the preference service or not. The best way to block call centres as mentioned before is to not accept withheld numbers. The original fault mentioned is a common fault caused by an automated dialler system.

 

[Gumbo]

Let them ring, then tell them to ctfoadoa. Especially if they are calling from India, in which case wish them luck now that Pakistan has the bomb and their stockmarket is in freefall.

 

[SawTooTH]

Telephone preference agency worked for me too. No silent calls anymore.

 

[dysfunction]

Preference service kinda works to stop these calls, but most call centres that do "cold calling" have found ways of getting round it. In most cases if they buy the data (your name and phone number) from a company that you are an existing customer of they can still call you whether your on the preference service or not. The best way to block call centres as mentioned before is to not accept withheld numbers. The original fault mentioned is a common fault caused by an automated dialler system.

Tell them you are on the preference service and they will be hearing from your lawyers...

 

[Tom]

In most cases if they buy the data (your name and phone number) from a company that you are an existing customer of they can still call you whether your on the preference service or not.

No they can't, because in this country you can't sell data like that. Also, it doesn't matter who you are, or where you got the phone number, you are not allowed to bother people signed up to the TPS, ever, and ever

 

[Lester]

Our local Indian take away did the "refuse witheld numbers" thing, and now, all the ex-directory peeps, no doubt, order elswhere... noob.

 

[Tom]

Ex-directory doesn't mean your number is withheld. My local pizza shop only delivers with a confirmed phone number.

 

[Bullitt]

One day though, someone did phone and said "seven days...." - not sure what that was all about?

Are you sure it wasn't.....

 

[Will]

Silent Call Guard explains it all.

 

[Lazarus]

Ex-directory doesn't mean your number is withheld. My local pizza shop only delivers with a confirmed phone number.

yes - we found that that out. We are ex-directory (for a specific reason) and then we found out we still transmitted our number. We had to make another request to withhold our number.

 

[Nerual]

No they can't, because in this country you can't sell data like that. Also, it doesn't matter who you are, or where you got the phone number, you are not allowed to bother people signed up to the TPS, ever, and ever

Pile of crap imho. Data can be sold from company to company in exactly that way. Some use systems that basically make up phone numbers and dial at random.
For example.. Say i work for your bank, and as a customer of the bank you're now entitled to a free overdraft for the rest of your life.. in your opinion the law says i can't contact you on a number you've provided to tell you that, just because you've registered for telephone preference. If you are an existing customer of the company or their affiliates they can call you all they like.

 

[Tom]

Because when you signed the bank account contract, you specifically gave them permission to contact you for the reasons outlined in your post. The telephone preference register is to stop companies with whom you have no affiliation or business from contacting you via your telephone, whether they be asking you for your business, or your opinion on lime jelly.

And that bank can't just go 'ahh fuck it, another bank have offered us millions for our customer's phone numbers, lets do it'.

 

[Will]

Tom is right, Neural is wrong. Unless, hidden away in the contract, is a clause which lets them sell / pass on your data, the DPA bans the sharing of information.

 

[Lazarus]

Tom is right, Neural is wrong. Unless, hidden away in the contract, is a clause which lets them sell / pass on your data, the DPA bans the sharing of information.

well, there was a program on this very similar subject not so long ago.

The census forms you fill out and return to the government contains ALL of your personal information. Did you know the government passes most of that information on to whoever wishes to purchase it (minus your name & address)

Thing is, it is VERY easy to purchase another list and cross reference.

Fecking SHOCKING if you ask me.