Nuisance calls are a big problem. In response, BT has a launched a new, free nuisance call-divert service. Guest author Kelly from BT Consumer explains how it works.
Many of you here on Which? Conversation will be well aware of the menace of nuisance calls and texts. Indeed, over half a million people have backed the Which? campaign to call time on them.
On average, people receive four nuisance phone calls every week, according to BT research.
The same research also shows that many people find these calls more than just annoying: two-thirds of women and just over half of men find them stressful, and more than a quarter of all people are concerned about their parents or grandparents receiving them.
Nuisance calls are most commonly from accident claims companies, but also regularly include calls from PPI companies plus computer technical support and personal data request scams.
But the big question is what can be done to reduce these calls?
Customer protection
In response to the growing problem, BT has launched its new, free Call Protect service for its customers.
The first of its kind in the UK, it could see 30m nuisance calls per week automatically diverted to a junk voicemail box, before they can be answered.
Data shows that up to 15m calls a week will be blocked from personal accident claims and PPI companies alone.
This has been made possible by technology that processes large amounts of live data to identify rogue numbers (often those calling large numbers of people) and adds them to the BT blacklist.
Personal blacklist
Although the blacklist will divert the top offending nuisance callers, for calls not captured by the technology, customers will be able to compile their own personal blacklist by adding individual unwanted numbers. They do this by dialling 1572 after receiving the call or by going online.
If large numbers of customers identify troublesome numbers they wish to divert, these will be added to the wider BT blacklist.
Customers can also set BT Call Protect to divert whole categories of calls such as unrecognised calls or those from withheld numbers. The service will then prevent these types of calls from reaching the home by diverting them into the junk voicemail.
This is a guest contribution by Kelly Barlow from BT Consumer. All views are Kelly’s own and not necessarily those shared by Which?.
Do you think BT’s call-divert service will work? If you aren’t a BT customer, would you like your phone provider to offer a similar service and what else do you think can be done to crack down on nuisance calls?
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