Voice Service and Equipment

[PhotoRick]

Hi - This is my 1st post, so if I'm in the wrong area, please let me know (I didn't see any area more appropriate to this topic)!

We’re on the Federal Do Not Call List, yet every day we get many telemarketing calls, most of whom hang up when they get our voice mail. I have used Anonymous Call Rejection (*77) yet they still get through. Often there is no Caller ID and when there is, often the number has been faked (like 111-000-9999). Comcast gets money from both residential customers & telemarketers. Consumer articles say that phone companies play both ends allowing telemarketers to avoid leaving a Caller ID or by spoofing/faking the Caller ID. I have called my police department after using Call Trace (*57), the Attorney General's Office, and the Dept. of Consumer Protection. No one will do anything about this. If the same number comes through, I can use Call Screening, but it's always a new number (and we're limited to 10 or so 'blocks' anyway), so that doesn't help. This is harassment pure and simple. Phone companies are on the front line of putting a mechanism in place to stop this yet don't.  Perhaps if enough Americans tell their representatives they won’t re-elect them, maybe they’ll listen to us instead of phone company lobbyists. Because I work at home, I have to stop what I’m doing and look at the Caller ID and then wait for a message to see if I should pick up or not. If Comcast won’t do anything, then maybe additional Federal regulation will (as much as I don't like an over-reaching government!). Fortunately, the Internet is a giant sounding board to get Americans riled up over an issue, especially one that causes them aggravation on a daily basis. Has anyone found a solution?  Thanks.

[UHFhd]

You know those boat air horns ?  *grin*

[PhotoRick]

Mmmmm, not a bad idea!

[Barmar]

It's a practically insoluble problem. See this Telecom-Digest thread.

[rog286713]

you need to answer the call and see who they are and tell them to stop calling.  ignoring them will not make it go away

[PhotoRick]

Big problems with that:

1.) I'd be answering these calls all day long and spending even more time on these bogus calls.

2.) When I do answer, as soon as I tell them they're violating the Do Not Call law and to take my name off, they hang up before I can finish.

3.) When I ask who they are, they won't give me any information and they hang up.

3.) And if they don't hang up, I do tell them not to call and yet they call back time and again because they give the exact same pitch - word for word.

So I am not ignoring this in the slightest, and I've contacted Comcast, the police, the A.G.'s office, and Consumer Affairs. No one wants to get involved.  I'm not railing against charities and the like who are allowed to call or those who have a business relation with me; just the others.

[PhotoRick]

I've contacted the FTC and months later received a boiler-plate response that could be loosely translated as saying "get lost - we don't have time for peons like you".  I bet if I were a US Senator writing, they'd put a move on!  It's kind of like the CAN-SPAM Act - how has that impacted your in-box?  Our legislators only do things to mollify the masses so they can keep getting re-elected, even when the laws don't actually accomplish anything.  Too much lobbyist money in their pockets to listen to their constituents.

[PhotoRick]

Whoops - I meant FCC not FTC!

[rog286713]

so if you answer the call don't immediately say do not call me.  Let them do their pitch, and ask them for a call back number, ask for a manager.  If you are aggressive to them they will be to you.  These people are just trying to make a living, they know what they are doing sucks and they don't want to call you but its their job, so if you play nice in the beginning and see where its going you might get better luck,   I have done this and get almost 0 calls daily.  

[PhotoRick]

Thanks.  I'll give that a shot.

[gerryg54]

I have put them on call blocking but have used the spaces up and the same company calls from all over the country . I do not know what to do , I have also listed my # on do not call list and made complaints to them . It is an automated system . YOUR CREDIT CARD SERVICES CAN GET ME A BETTER RATE ????? F them . MY phone I pay for it they suck

Gerry

[SFJenn]

To add more blocked calls calls Comcast and tell them your situation with the amount of blocked calls you already have and to block the additional ones. Other than that, you would have to buy a device to connect to your phone to block those numbers.

[kheffington]

Pain but most of the automated calls that blabber after answering them do have an option to punch in a number to remove you from the call list.

[i-am-nerdburg]

I've solved the problem by using Google Voice. Google gives you a number that you can give out as your phone number, but it forwards to your home or cell phone. Google Voice has the ability to white list, block unlimited numbers and screen calls. 

[jconnon]

Google Voice is a nice option. I wanted to make a Google Voice number and have my Comcast calls forwarded to it but it wont forward certain numbers like 866 number. I am not sure if that is just selective call forwarding or the same if you forward all call to GV. 

[SFJenn]

Google Voice will mess up your voice mail on your smart phone. If you have an Android or Blackberry this will have issues. You will get a text telling you to call a number to get your voice message.

[jconnon]

I use google voice on several cells phones and never had an issue. I wanted a way to screen all the calls Comcast wont let us block and was going to make a new Google voice number. 12 number to screen is not enough and then numbers you cant block is fustrating .

[gdoggs]

I'm about fed up with Comcast, on this issue. I have tried for over a year to get some help from them on this. The bottom line is their phone service sucks. I'm looking at other options.

[PhotoRick]

I know what you mean.  Today our TV, phone, and Internet were all out.  To add insult to injury, they just raised our bill by a large amount.  Now I've found that when I call toll-free numbers I get a series of three tones and a message that the number is out of service.  Since these numbers are for big companies that have had these numbers for years, I use an alternate number to contact these companies and ask them about the validity of the toll-free number.  They say that they're still valid numbers.  When I use my cell-phone to call, the call goes through, but not when I call the same number with my land-line via Comcast.  Internet service goes out a lot and I need to access the 'net.  So, higher rates and worse service (not to mention all the unsolicited calls)?  Not a good combination for keeping customers.

[MikeLWilson]

Finally had it with all the recent telemarking, political, charity, and credit card callers. Never had a problem in the past with any other phone system. Used up all the call blocking spaces (12) that Comcast permits. Problem is that when I go back another time to review the list it is gone. Even after it has gone through the saved process. Anyway, the callers just keep adding new numbers when they can't through on one particular one. Tried to use call forwarding of selective numbers but the Preferences for Call Forwarding and Call Blocking on the Comcast website are "Temporarily Unavailable". I had filled out phone numbers for selective forwarding but find that it didn't work anyway. When I went back to the list of numbers I had entered they were now gone? I wonder how they advertise as having "World Class Phone Serivce".??? Anyway, to solve my problem I have the ringers turned off all my phones in the house, set to the minimum number of rings to 2, and then send all calls to voice mail. At least I can screen any calls that are legitimate and the nuisance calls won't bother to leave a voice mail. At least I am not up running around answering phones all day. Next step is to just have the COMCAST phone service disconnected all together. Will revert to cell phones exclusively or Google Voice. No benefit to switch to Google Voice as along as I still have the current Comcast phone number. Maybe a low end service like Magic Jack can give me better and workable features. Never have any sort of unwanted calls on our OOMA system.

[lyndaKu]

My elderly father (85 years old) had many, many, too many telemarkerts calling him on a daily basis.  He has had his phone number for over 40 years, and does not want to change it.  My solution was to forward his comcast number to google voice, the have google voice forward to magic jack.  It was only 40 bucks for 1 year of free service.  

I also have the same google voice number forward to my cellphone, so when a telemarketer, ie scammer and such calls him, I can interept before he gets to it.  If I know it is a family, friend or personal business calling him, I let it go through.  

The cord to his phone is hooked to the magic jack which is hooked to a 24/7 running laptop.  Not through the phone jacks in the house.  This way he still has access to 911 if/when needed.