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Nuisance call protection...what is the best?

Hi All

Im asking on behalf of my father who says he gets many several nuisance & scam calls per day even though he is on TPS (obviously scammers dont adhere to that) - he is moving ISP soon (as he has done every 18 months) and is not only wanting advice on other ISPs at 40/10 other than NOW and PLUSNET as he's tried them and wants to try something new, but reliable.

Anyway, his main concern was preventing the nuisance calls, BT (as a phone service) claim they can stop 100% of nuisance calls, but the reviewer said their other stuff left a lot to be desired ([censored]), and recommended the Panasonic KX-TGH260 or, even better, the Gigaset C570A handsets.

do any of our users have this problem and what is your fix?

thanks in advance
 
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The issue with nuisance calls is the accuracy of the database used. BT states it can block up to 100%. No one can promise 100% because new numbers are appearing daily and take time. The 100% claims (particularly on products, comes from the fact you can bar all numbers not on a trusted list that you define.

Registering with the TPS is not great but it does mean officially people should not market to you. If the home number has been around for a long time in old telephone books or given in surveys or competitions then its out there.

BT Call Protect is provided free but recent price rises mean a BT landline can now be very expensive, especially their Anytime package. However it has to be the best included solution as you can set it to the BT Block List (maintained from both BT and external sources), add your own blocked numbers and personally set it to prohibit International, Withheld and Unidentified. You can add known numbers such as relatives, friends, doctors etc to a VIP list so regardless of the settings they get through. The cheapest way to use BT Landline is to use the line for incoming (£2/m no call plan cost) and use either VoIP or Mobile for outgoing. Some devices such as the Panasonic KX-TGH260 includes Link2Mobile.

Other ISPs offer variations on a theme but not as flexible.

Truecall units are around £120. Other companies (including BT previously) use Truecall in some of their phones so you may not need a dedicated box. Just look for a product with the Truecall logo.

Callguardian also used to sell a unit but my understanding now is that they provide the service over broadband. This is primarily a call centre based blocking service but the database can be used by others either at provider or product level.

Some products have only a limited call barring facility. To control widespread nuisance calls you need either the service provider or product to use an online database.
 
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Truecall unit works well for one of my family members. Speak to your local trading standards if your family is classed as vulnerable, they may supply the truecall free of charge.
 
The issue with nuisance calls is the accuracy of the database used. BT states it can block up to 100%. No one can promise 100% because new numbers are appearing daily and take time. The 100% claims (particularly on products, comes from the fact you can bar all numbers not on a trusted list that you define.

Registering with the TPS is not great but it does mean officially people should not market to you. If the home number has been around for a long time in old telephone books or given in surveys or competitions then its out there.

BT Call Protect is provided free but recent price rises mean a BT landline can now be very expensive, especially their Anytime package. However it has to be the best included solution as you can set it to the BT Block List (maintained from both BT and external sources), add your own blocked numbers and personally set it to prohibit International, Withheld and Unidentified. You can add known numbers such as relatives, friends, doctors etc to a VIP list so regardless of the settings they get through. The cheapest way to use BT Landline is to use the line for incoming (£2/m no call plan cost) and use either VoIP or Mobile for outgoing. Some devices such as the Panasonic KX-TGH260 includes Link2Mobile.

Other ISPs offer variations on a theme but not as flexible.

Truecall units are around £120. Other companies (including BT previously) use Truecall in some of their phones so you may not need a dedicated box. Just look for a product with the Truecall logo.

Callguardian also used to sell a unit but my understanding now is that they provide the service over broadband. This is primarily a call centre based blocking service but the database can be used by others either at provider or product level.

Some products have only a limited call barring facility. To control widespread nuisance calls you need either the service provider or product to use an online database.
Call Guardian phones answer and ask the caller to state their name and press hash before the phone rings in the property, they then tell you who it is and you have the option to answer, refuse or block the number. As a lot of spam calls don’t initiate the other end until you’ve said hello a few times, and the callers don’t press the hash key, they rarely get through.

I have the BT Advance Cordless twin set, they work a treat (phone rings maybe once or twice a week now, instead of ten or more times a day).
 
We have the BT XD56 trio pack, they work well and block all the nuicence calls we could need. Does his current ISP offer a call protection service? I know sky has call protect and talk talk has a variant of that. Think BT does too but don’t have it switched on a the phones do all the blocking. I have my phones set to block international numbers and ring silently for private calls so if it’s someone important i can listen to a message.
 
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ok guys n gals

I've talked them in into ridding his house phones unlimited calls for £9 a month, and Three's 3-2-1 mobile at £5 a month n i will find PAYG monthly sims for less than £10 or less that gives unlimited minutes- saves money, saves mess on, a single device

so now i gotta find deals after finding which network is best for his Area (indoors and outdoors + his home is built with stoned walls)

cos I've never gotten a dodgy cold call on my mobile, and as it runs an OS it isn't a 'one-trick pony', theirs still TPS, and apps for call nuisance, and whitelists/blocklists directly on the fone

thanks guys
 
If Three signal was good, smarty has a £6, 4gb with unlimited texts and data along with wifi calling if has broadband.
 
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