Author Topic: Consumer news and scams  (Read 230378 times)

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Offline Bri Roberts

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #495 on: June 27, 2019, 05:16:29 pm »
Hugo, have you tried phoning BT and renegotiating a new deal?

I pay BT around £46 per month for unlimited broadband with a speed of about 60 Mbps, BT Sports Pack HD, unlimited anytime calls and BT Cloud storage.

I bet I have been a loyal BT customer for just as long as you.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #496 on: June 27, 2019, 06:24:20 pm »
Thanks Bri for your suggestion but i'm not that good a negotiator.   

My package for Broadband and calls is £47.49   but with other add on's came to £74.08 in March 2019   and  roughly the same amount in April and May when I didn't even have a computer!
My latest bill was £78.00 plus so that has prompted me to look elsewhere

I'm sure that I don't need the Superfast Fibre 1  50GB that they say I'm getting so I'll look around for a cheaper option and then it won't be such a drain on my OAP.        :).   


Offline rhuddlan

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #497 on: June 27, 2019, 06:30:28 pm »
I'm with BT and I pay the line rental upfront as it's cheaper that way, and at the end of the contract year I always phone them and tell them I'm
thinking of moving as I'm a pensioner, even saying to their employee " imagine i was your grandfather, can you recommend something
that he would want". I'm not guaranteeing anything but they tried to sell me fibre by saying " wasn't I worried about buffering". I replied
" the wife does the polishing" and the girl absolutely lost it laughing! Once you get a bit of sympathy* you might get  the best quote.
Remember too that other companies might not quote the landline costs and  finally reliability....I must say I've had great responses when there has been a problem.....ie we had a lightening strike which fried the hub....one phone call... replacement next day!

* there is no point in saying I've been a loyal customer since the dark ages/since before you were born etc..they have heard it all before!!

Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #498 on: July 06, 2019, 09:58:31 am »
There are a rash of new entries I've posted in the "All Sorts of Useful Links" topic. The most recent are links that will help you work out which Chinese company on Amazon makes which product, how many are identical and where they're registered to avoid VAT.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #499 on: July 06, 2019, 10:00:04 am »
I update that page frequently, so it's worth bookmarking it if a change I make doesn't cause it to appear in the 'Recent Unread Topics' listing.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #500 on: July 11, 2019, 03:03:55 pm »
I've been looking around for another provider too so I'll look into this and thanks for the tip Mondie      $good$

I am now with Octopus Energy and have given my meter readings to the new company but out of the blue I've just received a phone call from SSE offering me a new deal to try and persuade me to return to SSE.      I very politely told him that there  wasn't a hope in hell of me doing that and ended the call
I've written to SSE often enough for a low tariff so even if they were lower than the Octopus Energy  (  which they won't be )  there's a matter of principle involved and they like a lot of other firms should treat loyal customers better

Offline SteveH

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #501 on: July 11, 2019, 03:46:22 pm »
Agreed Hugo, well done, they should give the best price up front, but it seems a number of companies, make more money from those who are unaware of how these things work.

Offline DVT

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #502 on: July 12, 2019, 03:25:18 pm »
Not sure if this is the right place to post this ... but does anyone know how to stop nuisance calls, even though we are registered with TPS?

Today, so far, we have received 13 separate calls - most have simply been blank and then hang up, some have been a recorded message saying our Talktalk connection is about to be cut off if we don't press 1 (or 2 if we really want to leave them).  It is obvious these are bogus calls even though the caller number is displayed on our phone.

So far, we have had calls from Aberdeen, Birmingham (5 different numbers) Bude, Bridlington, Brentwood, Brighton, Berwick, Chppenham and one which didn't show a number ... I hope they're not working their way through the alphabet.

I have to answer them as I could be getting calls from people enquring about something I am involved in.

Any suggestions, please?

Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #503 on: July 12, 2019, 03:45:12 pm »
The very best way is to buy one of the call-blocking phones that BT now flog. I have a Panasonic which allows me to send any number to a block registry, so they can never get through again.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #504 on: July 12, 2019, 03:58:01 pm »
We bought a CPR Call Blocker and it worked, it blocked everything, but the downside was that even friends couldn't get through so in the end I had to pull  the blocker  out

Offline Meleri

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #505 on: July 12, 2019, 04:07:46 pm »
We have also had 12 calls today, so they must be targeting our area  :(  All the calls were different numbers but my phone has registered they are all International too. There is a facility for blacklisting numbers online if you wish at no extra cost if you are with BT, so I have done all 12, but what's to say they don't call from other different numbers. You would think in this day & age we would be allowed to block all International calls if we wished then this problem wouldn't occur, but apparently we can't.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #506 on: July 12, 2019, 04:14:08 pm »
Meleri, when we were pestered by these calls I used to speak a bit of Welsh to them and then they soon hung up, but I did notice the same type of calls that didn't say international on them but in fact they were.     They had 12 numbers instead of the normal 11 and each time I blocked them they generated another number.
That's when I got the call blocker

Offline DVT

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #507 on: July 12, 2019, 05:03:17 pm »
Thanks for your help, but I don't think they'll work!!!

Blocking the number probably will have no effect, as all 15 have been from different numbers ... all bar 1 which didn't show a number have been what appear to be ordinary UK numbers - i.e. 11 digits, and the codes translate as I posted before, plus another Birmingham one and also one from Coventry (which is where they should be sent!!!).  Checking on "who called me" shows so no reports but if they use a different number each time then there wouldn't be.

Of the ones that didn't hang up straight away they are all a recorded messaqge (the same one in the same accent) saying Talktalk will be switched off, and to stop that happening I should press 1 - don't know what happens if I do.

I am with Talktalk, so I doubt BT would help.

I suppose I could disconnect the phone and rely and those who know me using my mobile number!

Hopefully, as suggested by Meleri, they are just targeting 01492 numbers for today - just hope they don't ring when I'm asleep!!!

Don't know if anyone has noted the numbers but I suspect they won't be the same as this list.
01201 233091 - no such code
01277 847170 - Brentwood
01244 332929 - Chester (that one might have been genuine, I was out at the time!)
01645 433823 - no such code
01291 060123 - Newport, Gwent
01288 240267 - Bude
01262 406375 - Bridlington
0121 103 2215 - Birmingham
01273 005474 - Brighton
01249 805817 - Chippenham
01289 349222 - Berwick
0121 344 2537 - Birmingham
01291 428112 - Newport, Gwent
0121 957 9481 - Birmingham
0121 424 5035 - Birmingham
01224 812451 - Aberdeen
01203 721912 - Coventry
0121 811 5463 - Birmingham

Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #508 on: July 12, 2019, 06:31:52 pm »
There's been a significant rise in PPI calls recently, as the deadline for making claims looms.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline DVT

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #509 on: July 12, 2019, 09:26:02 pm »
I'll say this very quietly - the phone hasn't rung since 5 o'clock!!!

... as for PPI I keep getting pestered with text messages from one of those companies who will check it out for you.