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Ideas for handling Nuisance Calling

sgbotsford
Friendly Neighbour

It's getting easier for people to switch phone services.  So service has to be the name of the game.  No one right now has a good answer to nuisance calls.  In the long run, I wish that it cost a buck to make a call, but you received 90 cents to receive a call, and had no other bill.  That would eliminate telephone marketing all together, I suspect.  Certainly it would reduce random dialing.

 

Some of these ideas may require cooperation with other phone companies. 

 

I'm on all the do-not-call lists, but I still get nuisance calls.  Much of the time I can't tell where they called from. 

 

So here are some ideas:

 

A:  Passcode.  This would be a new calling feature.  Your phone call is connected to a recorder which asks for a user passcode. The caller has to punch in the code before the customer's phone rings.  The customer could record a personal message:  "Punch in the 5 digit code for my phone to ring.  If you don't have a code, please send an email to {my phone number}@telus.com explaining why you need to get in touch with me."  The phone-email addess is automatic for all customers, and the customer can set that up to forward to their regular email.

 

Allow the user to have several different passcodes, and also to have a list of numbers that don't require a passcode.  In this way you can have one code for close family and friends, one for permanent contacts such as your doctor, and one that you could hand out casually, and change once a month.  This would eliminate a lot of 'gotta change my phone number, AGAIN' requests.

 

B.  Selective blocking.

I want to be able to say, "If you are hiding your number, I don't want to talk to you"

or

"If you are hiding your name, I don't want to talk to you"

or

"If you are calling from out of province, I don't want to talk to you"

 

C:  Timed blocking.

No phone calls between x:xx and y:yy except this list of numbers.  For business users, combine this with passcode.  E.g. you may accept calls from anyone during business hours, but you need a code after hours.

 

😧 Verified sender.  I've received calls from a number, then immediately dialed it back and got a "not in service" message.  This one drives me wild.

 

E: Nuisance Call.  A star code I type in immediately after hanging up that tells the system.  "This call was an unsolicited call.  Block all access from this number."  That puts in on my private blocking list.  It also flags the number.  If several people complain about the number, then you investigate.

 

In combination with Verified sender (which you need to do for the system as a whole) this item would make it difficult for any nuisance caller to use a number for more than a few hours.

 

F: Callback.  A recorded message says, "We don't accept calls on this line.  Leave a  message, and we will call you as soon as we can.  Combine this with distinctive ring.  Put Callback on the listed number.  People you know, you give the 2nd number to.  I don't like this one as well as the passcode idea.

 

 

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

NFtoBC
Community Power User
Community Power User

These are already available from 'new entrants' to the telephone business (mostly VoIP providers) and usually prohobited for the incumbents to allow the new entrants to have the means to differentiate themselves from the incumbents.

 

If these tools are important for you, you can test drive them by obtaining a VoIP number for about $6 per month. You can also port your current number to a VoIP service to start blocking right away.

 

Just remember, that when you want a callback from ME on some topic or other, like the delivery of the package you ordered, or the dentist appointment, or even the invite to the game, etc., I'm unlikely to go through these antics, and find folks who are easier to reach.

 

Or, you can simply let calls go to Voice mail. Those who really want to talk to you will leave a mesage.

 

 

NFtoBC
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1 REPLY 1

NFtoBC
Community Power User
Community Power User

These are already available from 'new entrants' to the telephone business (mostly VoIP providers) and usually prohobited for the incumbents to allow the new entrants to have the means to differentiate themselves from the incumbents.

 

If these tools are important for you, you can test drive them by obtaining a VoIP number for about $6 per month. You can also port your current number to a VoIP service to start blocking right away.

 

Just remember, that when you want a callback from ME on some topic or other, like the delivery of the package you ordered, or the dentist appointment, or even the invite to the game, etc., I'm unlikely to go through these antics, and find folks who are easier to reach.

 

Or, you can simply let calls go to Voice mail. Those who really want to talk to you will leave a mesage.

 

 

NFtoBC
If you find a post useful, please give the author a "Kudo"