Unwanted phone calls are a common problem in today’s world. Whether you’re getting the same number calling repeatedly or they call during dinner time, it can be frustrating and disruptive to your day. Luckily, there are some preventative measures that you can take to stop these unwanted callers from continuing to harass you.
Whether it’s an automated telemarketing line or someone who is trying to sell you something over the phone, here are five ways that will help reduce your chances of receiving unsolicited calls:
Register on the Do Not Call list
This is one of the most effective ways to avoid these annoying calls because companies cannot legally contact individuals on this list unless they have prior consent from you. Unfortunately, the only way to register your phone number is through a paper form, and you can expect to receive some telemarketing phone calls after signing up. But, if you’re interested in this option, here is the link for the Federal Trade Commission’s website
You can also file a complaint on their site, resulting in them tracking down these companies and taking further action against them if they do not comply with consumer requests.
Leave the company a voice mail saying “stop calling me.”
This has been one of the most successful ways for people to cut down on unwanted telemarketing calls because once these companies receive this type of message from enough customers, they are forced to take action. If you have a Caller ID, here is where this option really comes in handy because you can identify which company is leaving these messages so that you can take action right away without wasting time.
This won’t always work but companies will generally comply with policy and stop calling you because they do not want the hassle.
Use a special number
If you’re tired of dealing with these types of calls, another good option is to get dedicated phone numbers from the internet that only allow certain companies to contact you. This can be done through purchasing a reputable service that requires screening for new customers or it can also be done by setting up your own forwarding service on a virtual landline. In either case, this type of solution will put anybody who isn’t on your approved list in the queue while allowing others who have been vetted access to your personal phone line.
Block the number
Get the person’s phone number, whether through caller ID or a phone number search. This works for people who have strict privacy preferences and want to protect their personal phone numbers from being shared by telemarketers who are looking for new customers. Another good use of this option is receiving harassing messages from an unknown person or stalker trying to bother you. Blocking their numbers will prevent them from contacting you again in the future even if they have a different phone number, which makes it a very effective tactic.
Use a spam filter
You may remember getting email spam where websites would try to sell you different products so they could make more money. This type of tactic is also being used on telephones by companies who are trying to get your attention so that they can try and enroll you in some service or offer that they have available. Even if you’re using a Caller ID service that screens out these types of messages, it’s still possible for them to leave messages on your voice mail while blocking their caller ID at the same time.
The best solution to protect yourself from this tactic is to set up a spam filter on your phone line. While new numbers will get through without setting anything up, an unknown number or repeated numbers will be blocked automatically, preventing these types of people from bothering you anymore. If someone does manage to leave a message, the service will send it to your phone as an email so you can see what they want.
Conclusion
While you will never be able to stop every call that comes in from telemarketers, this article has given you a range of different tactics that you can use as needed depending on your needs and preferences. In the end, these methods have been proven to work because they are being used by thousands of people around the country who want nothing to do with telemarketing at all.