Forum Discussion

MasterMyDomain's avatar
MasterMyDomain
Contributor
4 years ago

Cannot manually block a number

I press *60, then 2, then enter a valid 10 digit number and am told it is an invalid number.  But if it was the last number that called and I press # it is successfully blocked but when it is read back to me it puts the number one in front of it, eg, 222-222-2222 is read back as 1-222-222-2222.  This started yesterday.  At about the same time this problem started Cox began putting quotation marks around the caller's name in the call history which I now have to remove if I want to sort the spreadsheet by name.  I'm not a novice in this area,  I've been doing this on Cox every day for over 3 years without problems.. 

13 Replies

  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III

    Hasn't Cox always inserted the Name Field of their Caller ID within single quotes?  For example...and this number is well documented as a nuisance number...from my Cox Call History log:  '800 Service'   (888) 269-3447.  Or is what you're saying is Cox is now using double quotes?

    You can't block an invalid number but an invalid can call you:  priceless!  What do YOU mean by valid...the number contains 10 digits or you looked it up in an assignment database?  Probably a dumb question, but is the telephone number in question preceded with the Country Code "1" in your Cox Call History?

    I think when Cox identifies a number as invalid, it probably means the number is not an NANP-assignable number.  In other words, you can't *60 a fake number.  Moreover, if you pound-sign the last call, Cox still identifies it as not NANP-assignable and assumes an out-of-area call within North America.

    You're to block the number anyways...so what's its first 6 digits?

    I remember...probably last year...the FCC was pressuring providers to create a caller-authentication process to combat robocalls.  I think the FCC code named either this push or a specific process as SHAKEN NOT STIRRED...or something thereof.  If it is a valid number, perhaps the North American Country Code of "1" marks it authenticated for future calls.

    This may be either a recent change or glitch.  I'd assume glitch.  That's why I hate relying on someone to block my calls.

    • MasterMyDomain's avatar
      MasterMyDomain
      Contributor

      I did a search for the number I wanted to block and it showed up on 800Notes.com and other sites with many reader comments over several years and it is a valid number. Cox did accept it using the # method to block the last call. Cox also wouldn’t let me manually unblock a number. I had to have Cox read each number on my blocked list and then press 7 after the number I wanted to unblock was read. The double quotes appear on the screen when the caller is not in my address book. When the call history is downloaded in a .csv file, the name and phone number appear together in a column and the names have had single quotes around them.  The single quotes never appeared on the screen.   Now the double quotes appear in the .csv file unless I delete them on the screen, then the .csv file will still have single quotes.  I immediately add new callers to my address book and will just delete the double quotes. It’s very annoying to have to deal with this.  It wasted 3 hours I had planned on using to catch up on my emails.

  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III

    I'd blame the moron making the spreadsheet.

    • MasterMyDomain's avatar
      MasterMyDomain
      Contributor

      Yeah, he failed to vet the "expert" who helped him.  Gotta go, there's another alligator headed this way.

      • Bruce's avatar
        Bruce
        Honored Contributor III

        You're using a different spread?