Auto phone calls, when the utilities have issue?

[Harry Bloomfield]

I have just replaced our phones, with a set which filters out nuisance callers, unless they are live callers who can follow a proceedure to get through.

My new concern is that we sometimes get automated calls from the electric, gas, flood and water utilities, when they have an issue and we obviously want these calls to get through - so I need to find out the numbers they use to ring us from, so I can include them in the list of accepted numbers.

Has anyone found such a list, or even a proper name for this type of prerecorded warning phone call?

[Tim+]

The obvious answer is to ask the utilities concerned.

Do they really call so frequently that missing the call would be a concern?

Incidentally our Truecall unit blocked 8 nuisance calls on Wednesday. Best thing we've ever bought.

Tim

[Nightjar]

I've only ever had on flood warning call, but I wouldn't have wanted to miss it.

[Tim+]

That seems to be the only one that I can imagine not wanting to miss if I lived in a flood zone.

Tim

[Davey]

Be wary that some companies might not have 'visible' CLI numbers. Our local health centre comes up as private, and I read that some Councils also do that.

[Tim+]

Well IMO they can just f*ck right off then. I mean, would you open your door to a masked man?

Tim

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I've been thinking about this or similar.

Is there a version which fits the incoming line so does all extensions in the house?

Not sure I like the idea of a £20 service charge after the first year.

[alan_m]

Try just blocking International and number withheld first and see how many calls stop. I've found with just these two filters 100% of unwelcome have been stopped in a period at over 3 months.

This will allow your warning calls through as long as they present a number. If they don't present a number then you have no way of filtering them to a white list in any case.

Bank and credit card fraud departments will not reveal from which number they will call you as its easy for the criminals to spoof a calling number.

[alan_m]

If a human is making the call they can still get through to you, or your answering machine, even if they do withhold a number and withheld numbers are filtered out. With these systems any blocked number can be automatically answered by the phone and the caller informed of an alternative way of getting through which requires a simple human response - something the autodialler with pre-recorded messages don't yet manage and cold callers don't seem to bother with.

Even if a cold caller bothers with the alternative means a second level of checking allows the call to be rejected without being answered and/or a presented number being added to a black list.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

[alan_m]

Most of the better versions are DECT cordless. One base station/answer machine and up to a total of 5 cordless handsets connected to the base station.

I don't pay any subscription/service charges. I need caller display enabled which with BT can be free.

The BT8600 phones have the technology in-built and the phones can be used on 'other' phone networks.

Manual can be downloaded from

(Is anyone else finding tinyurl very slow to respond these days?)

[Roger Mills]

Yes, my trueCall unit does. [It's a stand-alone unit, not one built into a phone]

It plugs into the phone line, and the phones(s) plug into it. It only has a socket for one phone so, if you want to use multiple phones (as I do) you need to arrange your extension wiring so that it radiates from a single BT plug rather than being kroned into the faceplate.

It's optional. It gets you the online control panel which makes it easier to configure the unit and maintain your star and zap lists - but you *can* manage without it. I've chosen to renew mine each year because I find it useful - particularly for being able to see who's been calling me when I'm away from home.

[Andy Burns]

Most months I get none.

[Richard]

You'd worry about junk calls?

[Nightjar]

One of my most important customers blocks its numbers. It wants people to call through the switchboard, not direct to individuals' lines.

[Tim+]

Then they could present a switchboard number. The technology exists. Our local hospital does it.

Tim

[Harry Bloomfield]

We had Talktalk's call filter enabled a couple of years ago, which allowed us to blacklist many of them, including those who withheld their numbers. It initially worked well, to bring the calls down from

10 per day to close to none over weeks.

Now they seem to spoof numbers, or even local numbers to get through, so I bought a quad set of BT8500's. I have this set up to block all anonymous callers, all international, all begining 00, but everyone in the call book gets straight through. I was being pestered by spoofed

020 area codes.

If someone rings and presents a number and is a human, they can indicate who they are with their name, then press #. The phone then rings, plays back the name and show the number, I can then decide what to do with the call.

It has so far filtered out 4 nuisance callers, but the pre-recorded calls from utilities I mentioned in my OP, will not get through unless I can find a way manually add their numbers to the approved list.

[Bob Eager]

Yes, that's how I handle it on my Asterisk box. As it happens, we've had a number of calls from the local hospital over the last few days, and they've all got through fine.

[Tim+]

I've often lain awake at night worrying about those missed calls from utility companies. ;-)

Tim

[spuorgelgoog]

If you've no electricity because of a power cut or a flood, most call filtering devices (and cordless phones) won't work anyway, and won't pass the call through to you.

Owain