NationStates Jolt Archive

I've been hassled a bit by phone calls, and I'm wondering if its possible to get a utility that can block phone numbers. I know phone companies offer Call Screening or Call Rejection (or whatever fancy name it may have attached to it), but I don't want to pay a monthly fee for it. Is there a machine that'll be able to block things for me?

why not just get a standard answering machine and keep it on all the time so you can screen the calls?

We had a standard answering machine. Didn't help much.

We had a standard answering machine. Didn't help much.

that makes no sense.

if you have an answering machine you dont have to talk to anyone you dont want to talk to.

plus it keeps a record of any abuse

if you dont have the balls to hang up on people, a utility will be useless to you. all the annoying caller has to do is call from a different phone and your "call rejection" is defeated.

They're not persistent as to take that approach. Akin it much to as if I wanted to block telemarketers.

I would very much love to have the ability to block numbers from calling me; however, no phone company would ever implement it, for a few reasons.

Telemarketers are more powerful than people who are annoyed by them. Therefore, whatever measures can be taken to ensure that telemarketers can call people as often as they like will be implemented.

Also, what's to stop people from blocking bill collectors? And how else will people collect unsecured debt?

Therefore, no phone company would even consider a number-blocking tool.

Are you Zach West?

I heard that to block telemarketers you could press the pound key a few times after you pick up, then redial the number, and then press 1. Though a telemarketer has yet for me to call them.

There is a national "No-call" registry, which keeps you from being called by telemarketers. The other thing would be to leave your number unlisted in the phone-book - makes it harder for random folks to call you. Not impossible, of course, but difficult. Or get a cell-phone.

There is a national "No-call" registry, which keeps you from being called by telemarketers. The other thing would be to leave your number unlisted in the phone-book - makes it harder for random folks to call you. Not impossible, of course, but difficult. Or get a cell-phone.

Not sure how well that would work outside the U.S. And the No-Call registry doesn't stop all cold-calling: instead of people trying to sell you crap they're trying to get you to donate to crap.

In the UK the no-telemarketing registry is called the Telephone Preference Service, and BT will give you Caller ID for free with their free privacy thingy.

There's also the Mailing Preference Service for junk mail. Both work and are free.

In case anybody wondered.

Are you Zach West?

Who the blue hell is Zach West?

Whenever I have telemarketers call when they ask for a specific person I just say hang on. After awhile of the phone just being set down for 10 minutes they hang up. It normally works. If it someone you know that is harassing you try the same thing if you don't want to go the route of documentation and calling the police eventually.