# Silent calls, 2touch, BT and the TPS



## RogerS (28 Jan 2010)

Having been pestered enough despite registering all our phones with the TPS this is what I've found out. 

Companies like BT and British Gas would appear to be trawling throough their 'prospects' and contacts lists going back years and years and years. These contacts that they had with you was long before the TPS and long before the plague of cold-calls. That is their get-out in ignoring the fact that you might have regsitered with the TPS. You have to go back to the source - in this case BT - and ask them to remove your number. I can offer this number at BT 0800 121 8000 to do this.

You can still, of course, and should fill in a complaint form with the TPS.

BT use a company called 2touch. You know it is them because your phone goes, there is no-one there and when you do a 1471 you may get this number 0800 408 2362. The web is full of people moaning about them going well back into 2009. They do provide a number to call to get your number removed from their database. The cynic may say that this is only to confirm that there is someone at your number but they know that anyway from their cold-call predictive dialler. You might want to pre-emp the hassle and give them your number now on 01915 257304.

You answer and there is no-one there and so there is little point in sticking your phone down in front of the radio as they will have rung off.

Above I said 'there is no-one there'. That is called a 'silent call' and the TPS don't want to know about those. But Ofcom do and they take them seriously. They recently fined Barclays £50,000 for silent calling. So, if you do get any silent calls then log them with Ofcom. Their number is 0207 981 3040.

Hope this is of help to someone.


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## CNC Paul (28 Jan 2010)

I tried all that TPS stuff, a complete waste of time. I bought a TrueCall device which controls all the incoming calls including the silent one's.

http://www.truecall.co.uk/


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## cambournepete (28 Jan 2010)

CNC Paul":2t1sqweg said:


> I tried all that TPS stuff, a complete waste of time. I bought a TrueCall device which controls all the incoming calls including the silent one's.
> 
> http://www.truecall.co.uk/


I'll put up with the occasional nuisance call for £99!!


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## bugbear (28 Jan 2010)

CNC Paul":a89eo7w9 said:


> I tried all that TPS stuff, a complete waste of time.



IME the calls dropped off (and I mean like a cliff) a coupla' months after I signed up with TPS.

I still get the odd "you've won a cruise" call, but that's about it.

BugBear


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## Racers (28 Jan 2010)

Hi,

Same experence with TPS as BB, stoped dead after a month.


Pete


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## studders (28 Jan 2010)

Racers":6py43eat said:


> Hi,
> 
> Same experence with TPS as BB, stoped dead after a month.
> 
> ...



Yup, that and junk mail.


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## beech1948 (28 Jan 2010)

My experience with TPS is that it works well.

However, registration only lasts for 12 months. So you have to repeat thge exercise again

regards
Alan


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## RogerS (28 Jan 2010)

beech1948":sfi78pwn said:


> My experience with TPS is that it works well.
> 
> However, registration only lasts for 12 months. So you have to repeat thge exercise again
> 
> ...



That only applies to companies, I believe and not residential.

In any event, the get-out still applies though that if you filled in a bit of paper or made an enquiry in the past to a company then that seems to be their way around TPS....

...else TPS is a toothless quango.


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## MikeG. (28 Jan 2010)

TPS has worked brilliantly for us. We were plagued, previously, and now it is down to virtually nothing........

...........until 2 or 3 weeks ago when we started getting silent calls. No-one there, 10 seconds of silence, then they hang up. The difference with others is that 1471 always gets the same message: "number with-held".

I spoke to the nuisance call people at BT today, and they suggest that I have "choose to refuse" fitted at the local exchange. This bars incoming calls that I notify them of, and will do this even if I don't know the number. It is free for a month, and about £10 a quarter after that. They say that normally a month sorts the problem out, as nuisance callers get the message.

Mike


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## RogerS (28 Jan 2010)

Mike Garnham":38ffs9op said:


> TPS has worked brilliantly for us. We were plagued, previously, and now it is down to virtually nothing........
> 
> ...........until 2 or 3 weeks ago when we started getting silent calls. No-one there, 10 seconds of silence, then they hang up. The difference with others is that 1471 always gets the same message: "number with-held".
> 
> ...



But that's the point, isn't it? Why should you/we have to pay money? Don't BT have any responsibility for people mis-using their network? Silent calls are illegal.


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## Shultzy (29 Jan 2010)

Just had this today from the neighbourhood watch team. I had registered with both last year and the calls do seem to have stopped. 

To prevent cold callers you can register with the telephone preference service free of charge by calling 0845 703 4599. To prevent silent calls you can call silent call guard on 0844 372 2325. You are advised to register every 12 months.


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## bugbear (29 Jan 2010)

Shultzy":3ujsocwr said:


> Just had this today from the neighbourhood watch team. I had registered with both last year and the calls do seem to have stopped.
> 
> To prevent cold callers you can register with the telephone preference service free of charge by calling 0845 703 4599. To prevent silent calls you can call silent call guard on 0844 372 2325. You are advised to register every 12 months.



That's all very odd. It's easier to register online

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/

and there's nothing on the site (I just re-read the FAQ) about registering every 12 months.

BugBear


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## Benchwayze (29 Jan 2010)

I have a mate whose son works as a 'cold-caller'. (Telephone-sales operative!) 

It seems they have the facility to call a block of telephone numbers in one go. The first person to get to their phone gets the spiel. Every other number gets cut off. Hence the 'silent-call'. 'Cos I take an age to reach the phone, I was constantly getting the silent calls, which is infuriating. When I asked, this telesales op didn't even know what TPS is! 

To get around this problem, my daughter bought us a pair of remote phones, to plug into the line. We have a hand-set beside us and we don't have to walk to the phone. That was why they were bought, so I conveniently ignored the fact that daughter-dear probably thinks we are getting past it! 

These phones are a boon. If it's a cold call, I just hang up. No point in getting stressed about it. At least I don't have to take my eyes of my newest Woodwork DVD! 

But how to avoid the calls altogether, I don't know what the answer is. 
£99.00 is better spent in the workshop! :tool: 

John


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## bugbear (29 Jan 2010)

Benchwayze":y9ueptiz said:


> I have a mate whose son works as a 'cold-caller'. (Telephone-sales operative!)
> 
> It seems they have the facility to call a block of telephone numbers in one go. The first person to get to their phone gets the spiel. Every other number gets cut off. Hence the 'silent-call'.



Hmm. I thought the call centres were cleverer than that. Maybe there's more than 1 system.

There's certainly a system that works as follows:

A computer calls numbers, at a given rate, and monitors all pending calls.

When a call is picked up by a punter, the computer connects the call to a call-centre salesbod.

If NO SALESBOD is available, it's a "silent call".

But if there are a large numbers of phone lines and sales-bods, it all averages out nicely, and each sales-bod is almost permanently talking to a customer.

They just have to "tweak" the rate the computer launches the calls.

As an algorithmic approach I can admire its elegance. I'd hate to be a sales-bod under it though.

BugBear


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## RogerS (29 Jan 2010)

bugbear":1m5bxvnt said:


> Benchwayze":1m5bxvnt said:
> 
> 
> > I have a mate whose son works as a 'cold-caller'. (Telephone-sales operative!)
> ...



There is. It's called a predictive dialler and in the early days cost a lot of money but did what it said on the tin. The cleverer ones would look 'backwards' as it were to see how long average calls were taking...then pace itself so that it would be calling a telephone just in time for it to be picked up and to have an agent ready to take the call. It could also detect the difference between an answering machine and a human answering.

And then came along PCs and it became very easy to block dial ...which is illegal...so benchwayze..do tell..what company does your son work for ? :twisted: Ofcom would like to talk to them.


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## Benchwayze (29 Jan 2010)

Maybe that's what he meant. The point is BB, I usually get the click, because I just can't reach the phone quick enough! (Oh me old bones!!) :lol:


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