Abusive Recorded Messages [ Edited ]

[do_not_call]

To: Phone Companies: ATT, Virgin MobILE

Government; Congressmen, FCC, FTC, Texas AG, Politicians

Media; NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, KTRH, KPFT

Friends & Family

In the past year we have experienced a substantial increase in unwanted recorded calls at home. With elections coming up, they have increased ten-fold. Most either do not leave a contact number, or present them fast enough to make it impossible to record. Prior to election time, 9 out of 10 calls were unwanted recordings. Now that elections have come in to play we find ourselves not even bothering to check the caller ID or review messages. I am considering at this point, to disable the ringer and create an outgoing only phone. However, I have not figured out how to receive emergency messages.

All of this we have been able to find ways to ignore or work around to date, but now… they are calling my wireless phone. Disrupting my work, and costing me money. I seldom use my wireless phone, therefore find it more economical to pay by the minute. This is not the case anymore.

With newer technology, I can plainly see, these calls are going to get worse before they get better.

Are we to revert back to the ways of the past where people did not have phones?

Can our government ever find a way to regulate these calls when they benefit the most from them, and are the biggest abusers? (I will never vote for any candidate that sends me a prerecorded message. Which means, for the most part, I will not vote because they are all doing it)

Tell me how I can remedy these abusive calls. Tell me I do not have to disconnect my phones to stop the harassment.

[edited for privacy]

Thank you and regards

[ilikewireless ACE - Czar]

Google voice is the solution.

[DogDaddy]

I have 4 phones lines, two with AT&T, one with Verizon and one with T-Mobile, and I never receive those calls. Have you registered your numbers with the national Do Not call Registry? Their site is www.donotcall.gov. I register my numbers, all my family members' numbers, all my friends' numbers, my neighbors and coworkers, and anyone else I can think of.

Of course, "surveys" and political calls are exempt from the Do Not Call list. It's probably best to contact those callers and tell them to stop calling you.

Also, if you wish to use your phone for outgoing calls only, keep it turned off all the time. Turn it on only when you wish to make a call, then turn it off again. Eventually your voice mailbox will fill up and no one - not even recording devices - will be able to leave any more messages.

[anton697]

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DogDaddy wrote:

Also, if you wish to use your phone for outgoing calls only, keep it turned off all the time. Turn it on only when you wish to make a call, then turn it off again. Eventually your voice mailbox will fill up and no one - not even recording devices - will be able to leave any more messages.

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Well wouldn't it be simpler to just turn off the voice mailbox feature, given that the phone will be used for outgoing calls only and would be turned off at all other times?  Or did I misunderstand as to what you meant by "turn it off"--did you mean turn off the phone, or turn off the ringer?  If you meant turn off the phone, then I guess it would be a moot point to turn off the voice mailbox or otherwise allow the mailbox to fill up, since if the phone's turned off (other than for outgoing calls) there's no way anyone would be able to leave a message anyway.