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[toulouse]

Hiya all,

I wonder if I could call on the collective brain cells of all those who frequent this excellent forum, to ask if anyone can suggest how I might resolve the following problem.

I had a new line installed by BT in June this year after I moved to Weston Super Mare. Shortly after this, I joined PlusNet for broadband and the line has been excellent since that time. The problem which I am having is that at random times and dates each month I get incoming calls which appear to be coming from a number of different fax machines mainly based in Sheffield and occasionally Skelmersdale, and sometimes the number is unavailable. I approached BT about this recurring problem in July, and their advice was that I should register with the TPS, which I did. Needless to say, that didn't help much as I am still receiving these extremely annoying calls. I emailed BT Customer Services in the last couple of days, but as you can imagine thay were not very helpful, and were only able to suggest that I take up another service called 'Choose to Refuse' at something like £8 something a month. They can WHISTLE big time.

I suspect that the BT number that I now have was previously used by some kind of business or other, but BT seem unwilling to assist with resolving the problem. I have now raised a complaint to BT Customer Services and am at present awaiting their response.

Basically, I think what I need is some kind of Reverse Directory Enquiry service, so that I can find out who these fax machines are owned by. Does anyone have any ideas ?


Thanks in anticipation


Mick Young

toulouse

[roseway]

I'm not entirely sure about the legality of telephone number reverse lookups in the UK, but there are some suggestions here: http://web.freepint.com/forum/bar/read.php?i=769

[Edit] I now see that the above is no help, because the links don't work any more.

[Achilles Last Stand]

There are a couple of possible options here http://www.webfetchgo.com/uk.webfetch/search/web/fax+find+number

Otherwise, try receiving the faxes to see who is sending them, there is plenty of software around to enable your PC to send/receive faxes - although you might need to change your modem.  At least if they were coming through you could advise the companies to change their number.

And I guess you have tried Googling the numbers?  If they are on a company website they may come up.

Or, put a request on Freecycle for a fax/answering machine, you might be lucky and get one and you might only need it hooked up for a few weeks. 

[Pwiggler]

why cant you just ask BT to change your number?

[kitz]

>> and their advice was that I should register with the TPS

If its a fax machine thats dialling then it may also be worth registering your phone no with FPS
http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/fps/what/

which is same organisation that does TPS.

Like you say your phone no will have been recycled and its easily possible that the old no could have been on a fax marketing list.

[oldfogy]

The "BT Phone Disc" pro version used to have the facility for revers searching but I don't know if it is still produced, sorry.

Maybe a look on one of the torrent sites might help.

************************************************

The name of the program I was actually thinking of was "UK info-Disc"
v11 is floating around although it is a " Pirate " version.

[guest]

I'm afraid you can't do anything until you have received a fax from the sender.

The FPS won't do anything as if its a company faxing you then the company will claim you are an existing customer and hence have opted-in. Few, if any, companies ever check against it - lets face it, if a company is dumb enough to pay the costs of faxing spam then I doubt they've ever heard of the FPS. Even if you complain to the FPS (and they take any notice) they will do nothing other than contact the Office of the Information Commissioner and write to whoever is fax-spamming you.

The Information Commissioner will do nothing. As usual. Total waste of space and money.

If you're not going to pay BT (I wouldn't) then you have two options :

1) put up with it until it eventually stops;
2) put a fax/modem onto the line and get the details* of what/who sent the fax.

Once you have the details in 2) then write to the company asking that they stop.

If they don't respond/stop then write again (recorded delivery) stating that you are pleased to offer your proof-reading skills at the competitive rate of £50 per page. State that if any further faxes are received they will be deemed to have accepted your conditions and a contract shall exist between you. I know for a fact that the small claims track WILL uphold any claims you make regarding this

*If there are no details on the fax regarding who sent it AND it is marketing material then BT are obliged to put the number onto their "nuisance callers" database and blocking becomes free.

[toulouse]

Thanks guys and gals for all the helpful advice.

Is it just me, or am I entitled to expect a little more assistance from BT ?

toulouse

[guest]

Is it just me, or am I entitled to expect a little more assistance from BT ?

I'm afraid not. BT is just another company out there and its duty is to shareholders, not customers.

Ofcom should be responsible but then again Ofcom's "duty" is to govt, not customers.

The Information Commissioner is another agency that is there to tick boxes, not to help customers.

All the rules are made to benefit companies, not customers. The few laws we do have which benefit customers were imposed upon the UK by the EU.

[Astral]

The few laws we do have which benefit customers were imposed upon the UK by the EU.

It's funny that UKIP claim to support individual freedom, and by extension the customer, and yet they are against the EU.

[guest]

UKIP are the political equivalent of Luddites

[Astral]

Luddites

At first glance I read that as Linux users! 

[guest]

* rizla gets popcorn to watch mod battle when Eric reads that

[roseway]

I can't help it if Astral needs new spectacles.

[guest]

* rizla doesn't like popcorn anyway