Forum Discussion

georose's avatar
georose
New Contributor
5 years ago

No More Telemarketers!

I recently purchased a Panasonic cordless phone with automatic call blocking. It requires a caller not listed in the Panasonic's phone book to enter a simple 3 digit code to be connected. After using the code the caller will not be asked again. My phone no longer rings with unwanted calls. It is very effective to the point where my phone is a useful appliance once again.

Perhaps there are other phone brands that have the same feature. I am not "advertising" for Panasonic phones and just want to make people aware of my experience. I have been annoyed by these calls for more than a few years and this is the first satisfactory solution I have run across. I have tried blocking individual numbers, the Do Not Call List, individual number blocking and Nomorobo with poor results. This is more than just a phone blocking feature. On the Panasonic phone it is called "Automatic Call Block", not to be confused with simply "call blocking".

  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III
    5 years ago

    I had a VTech phone with this feature.  I threw it out because its discontinued proprietary-battery was getting too pricey.

    This feature is essentially a self-service whitelist:  call number > enter code > you're added.  Instead of you maintaining the whitelist, others (humans) add themselves to your whitelist.

    You need to distinguish between a robocaller and a telemarketer.  A robocaller is a machine; a telemarketer is a human.  However...and here's the twist...telemarketers nowadays rely on robocallers to dial and queue their calls.  Meaning, you should be okay with this feature to block telemarketers (humans).

    I make this distinction because not all telemarketers rely on robocallers.  For example, I searched for a local HVAC tech and regrettably dialed the number supplied by Google Marketing.  Big mistake.  With this feature enabled on my VTech, hundreds of humans allowed themselves to leave messages on my answering machine.  I disabled it.

    @Mouth

    I'm not sure which phones offer this feature or even its official name.  It's some type of Call Screening...reverse Turing Test...CAPTCHA?

  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III
    5 years ago
    Perhaps there are other phone brands that have the same feature.

    AT&T has Smart Call Blocker and requires no code.

    If a number is not previously allowed or blocked...meaning, it's not on a list...it's considered unknown.

    For unknown calls, you can prompt the caller to press the # key or to first say their name and then press the # key.  After the caller completes the request, the phone rings and announces the caller's name.

    If the caller fails to respond or say their name, the call is disconnected.

    CL82107/CL82207/CL82257/CL82307/CL82357/CL82407/CL82507/CL82547/CL82557