PLEASE upgrade your phone number blocking feature!
When our phone service was recently upgraded with new equipment (a modem specifically for the phone) we were promised that there would be a new, easier method to block incoming calls by phone number (sales calls, etc.). Well this is apparently not the case (big surprise)! We are being harassed day and night by call after call; sales calls, scams, and so on. I know I'm not the only Cox customer experiencing this and I know that we have been after Cox for years to give us something better than their outdated "Selective Call Rejection" which is limited to 30 numbers and requires manual input of every number we want to block. I need to maintain an Excel spreadsheet just to keep track of the numbers I've blocked! Please don't tell me about the "Do Not Call" registry. It's a joke as most businesses ignore it. If Cox spent as much money on upgrading their phone services as they do on commercials trying to convince us that they are our "Friend in the digital age" then this wouldn't be an issue and they would have more happy customers. So how about it, Cox?14KViews0likes16Commentsrobocalls
I received an email from Consumer Reports regarding software that blocks Robocalls. With the 2016 election coming I would be very interested in this as in 2014 we were inundated by political robocalls. Even with "Do not Call" we are still inundated by junk calls. Does Cox have this or are you planning to install this in the future?9.4KViews0likes14CommentsCaller ID City, ST-no one there. Multiple calls a day
We receive 5-15 calls a day where the caller ID is a city and state only, and sometimes just The Hartford (up to three times a day). No one is ever there or leaves a message. I have tried to answer to find out who they are, but no answer, just empty air. I ignore them, but it is a time waster and interrupter and leaves us scrambling when it is a wanted caller. Most calls are daytime/evening. They come from all over the country, NV, CA, FL, SD and most common is CT where we are located. Is this a condition of internet phone, spamming, robo calls? Is there anyway to combat it or report it?8.2KViews0likes2CommentsManaging unwanted numbers / blocked callers?
It is 2016 and I find it really hard to believe that I need to go to the phone keypad to manage the blocked numbers on my account. I had to open a new post since the other ones about blocking robocalls and unwanted numbers seem to have been locked. Can we not have a web interface -- maybe even a simple selection of the unwanted numbers from our call history and a "Block it" button? The insanity of having to manage this list (of max 30 numbers!) *manually* is bad enough, but requiring us to do it via the handset is truly sadistic. More than half of the time, I give up since I just can't deal with waiting through the prompts. No, you CANNOT dial during the prompts without the system getting confused and having to start all over. And, no, you cannot add multiple numbers in a row. You get to do them one at a time. Other phone and internet services are sending us email all the time about switching and consolidating. I have been a Cox customer for a long time and have been happy with the other services, but managing all of these unsolicited calls is driving me to look elsewhere. It looks from this forum that I am not alone. Can Cox personnel comment on any plans for fixing these issues and making this service actually usable?8.1KViews0likes7CommentsUnwanted calls, robo calls, etc
I have been reading many comments from people who are co thmplaining about unwanted calls and how to stop them. Many people are registered with the DNS (myself included) and this is not working for anyone. There is a really easy solution which I am surprised nobody has even mentioned. My phone announces whomever is calling by voice, caller ID, etc. If it is someone I know I can answer it. If it is someone that I do not recognize but when they start to leave a message and I do want to talk to this person then again I answer it. In this way I am not talking to sales persons or scammers. END OF THE PROBLEM. A very easy solution to a never ending problem. I always have said that if someone wants to talk to me they will leave me a message and if not then just hang up like to many of these callers always do anyway. So it is not taking up my time answering calls that I do not want.6.9KViews0likes4CommentsOne Call; Multiple Numbers
Anyone else noticing this? My landline will ring (4 times before answering machine) and after I screen the caller ID, I won't answer. I won't answer because it's a spoofed caller ID "from" a city/state where I wouldn't know anybody. I'm sure you all get these. My concern is the one call logs multiple callers in my Call History. For example, From...Seattle WA....206-424-8912...09/03/14...05:31 PM...Missed Call - Phone Busy From...Private.......Private........09/03/14...05:31 PM...Missed Call - Phone Busy From...Unavailable...1600...........09/03/14...05:31 PM Notice the same times? This has occurred three times this month. Is this the latest trick to bypass any call-blocking feature, such as a "brute force" call? Look through your Call History and if you're receiving multiple calls at the same time (hh:mm), you may notice this too.5.5KViews0likes6Commentsharassing phone calls from telemarketers and spammers
I am fed up, they call early in the morning and all day and night. There is no relief, except to pull the phone cord from my telephone, but then I miss important phone calls. Is there a charge, based on this, for changing my phone number? I am disabled, caring for a blind man and do not get enough sleep, at night because of intense chronic pain. I try to rest in the mornings or afternoons, but these callers keep calling, letting the phone ring, then hang up. Or they will wait til the answering machine and hang up. I sure need help in changing my number. It will be a hassle, for I will have to notify Medicare, disability and other important offices and people, but I need the peace. Thank you for your assistance in this matter...4.2KViews0likes2CommentsRoboCalls, Spam, Telemarketing frequency increasing
In the past 3 months, our number of unwanted calls has increased by 150%. Cox solutions to address these annoying callers are anemic. And YES, I have registered at the DoNotCall website (another joke). I painfully tried the Call Blocking feature that was presented as $1 / month / line. Upon reviewing my bill, I was charged $4 / month for each of my home lines. I attempted to give it a try and quickly reached the 30 call number limit. The 30 number limit was not shared with me during my registration with Cox... Not only is the limit ridiculously low, trying to manipulate the service on a phone is a nightmare. Cox is far behind the times / technology on addressing Spam, RoboCalls, Telemarketing and Spoofing issues plaguing their customers. This is my first post to Cox, but I see that I am far from alone in my frustration with the lack of tools to block unwanted calls on my home lines. My next step will likely be to drop my home phones and use cellular phones that do address this more effectively. This has been a very successful, less expensive solution used by many of my friends and family. Cox, please listen and do something! Sagianite4.1KViews0likes2CommentsHow to end robocalls
I saw a number of inquiries here expressing frustration with robocalls and political pollsters. Here's my solution which was born out of frustration with the telcos inability to regulate themselves and the FCCs feeble attempts at enforcement. I've always been registered with the DNC registry, but I re-registered all my numbers with the DNC registry and waited the prescribed amount of time just to be sure. Then I started talking to every telemarketer and robocaller who dares to call me. Yes, I actually talk to them. I think of it as taking one for the team. For every second I keep them engaged, I'm saving someone out there from a ringing phone. Rather than be upset, I just let them go through their script while injecting comments and questions to make them think I'm interested. I let them think that they are going to close the deal of a lifetime and hit their quota with a single call. In the end, I make up some excuse like, "hang on, my daughter is calling me". I set the phone down and walk away. My kids know what's up when they see the phone sitting on the kitchen counter with the line still active because they have been properly trained. In other cases I just stop them short after 5 minutes and explain that I was never interested and that they should honor the DNC registry. I've had a car insurance quote get to 4 vehicles before the guy asked me if they were for real... I take a long time to decide if I want to plunk down $89 for a trip to Hawaii, because as much as I want to go there, I need to make sure the accommodations are what I am used to... you get the idea. If it's a political polling organization, I can usually figure out their agenda after a couple questions and then answer completely opposite to what they are trying to "steer" me towards. I have to laugh when they go "off script" to try to sway me and I have to remind them that they are polling me and to go to the next question. And finally, if they get upset with you, just politely let them know they would not have wasted their time if they honored the DNC registry. They can be mad as ***, but the DNC list is really easy for them to access and they have no excuse for not using it. Just imagine if everyone did this? In the end it's a numbers game for the robocallers. They need to hit a lot of numbers in as short amount of time as possible. If they get tripped up on just a few percent of those calls their profit model falls apart and they start looking for a different line of work. So next time your phone rings... Smile and take one for the team! Cheers P.S. The thing that really disgusts me is when I hear of the elderly or handicapped being taken advantage of by these people. I honestly don't know how those people sleep at night.4KViews0likes1Comment