georose
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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".6.3KViews0likes2CommentsRe: NOMOROBO blocks Robocalls - Why is it NOT supported for COX Customers?
Just want to keep everybody informed of my experience with my Panasonic bluetooth cordless phones I purchased in early September. I'm sure there are other manufacturers who also make the same type phone. I am not trying to promote Panasonic. I want to let you know about my experience with the call blocking feature of the phones and how it has worked so far. Two months later I have blocked 51 phone numbers (capacity is 250). Many of them have been repetitive. My phone rarely rings at lunch and dinnertime with annoying calls anymore. It appears that on average I am adding less than one new number per weekday. I rarely if ever get weekend calls. I use the missed call feature to add numbers to my "do not call list". If no message is left or a telemarketer message is left, it becomes a blocked number. Perhaps one of them may have been a "legitimate" number. There are other ways to reach me if that is the case. If you really worry about someone you don't know who didn't want to leave an important message, you can always check the phone number by Googling the number to see if it shows up as a telemarketer call. As I said earlier, there are other ways to get in touch with me if you are desperate to find someone or to tell them you have inherited a million dollars. I suppose that I will have to clean out my blocked call storage after the Presidential election is over. If you have more than one phone line, you would need more than one cordless base station and set of phones. Assuming you pay less than $100 for three phones it no doubt would be cheaper than anything Cox might offer in the future. The only hope for not adding another charge for that kind of service would be a government mandate. Good luck on that one.0Views0likes0CommentsRe: NOMOROBO blocks Robocalls - Why is it NOT supported for COX Customers?
I guess there's also free VOIP with companies like Ooma that are compatible with GV. I prefer people I know to call my home phone rather than my cell phone unless they just want to leave a text message. My Cox voice mail will also email me if someone leaves a message on my home phone. I do not give out my cell phone number to anyone but family and friends. I also discourage them from calling me via GV as the call quality is not always the best in my extensive experience with GV. Now that I have bluetooth enabled Panasonic phones, I find it easier to call out via my cell phone's bluetooth rather than use the slightly less convenient GV which has to ring me back when making a call. I have also tried Google hangouts on my computer but some people I have called say my voice is not that clear. I doubt it is my computer's microphone since I have tried using Hangouts on a Chromebook and a Macbook Pro. I do think the possibilities for Hangouts are worthwhile as it is free to call other phone numbers as opposed to Skype's charges and has the same video capabilities.0Views0likes0CommentsRe: NOMOROBO blocks Robocalls - Why is it NOT supported for COX Customers?
I have been a Google Voice user since it first came out a few years ago. Keep in mind that you must have a phone line to use Google Voice. It will not work by itself. Some other things to think about are that the call quality is not always good with occasional dropped calls or distorted sound requiring a call back or asking the other party to call you back but it works well most of the time.On the other hand, it has some cool features and has free long distance and low rates for international calls. You can also use Google Hangouts to make calls directly from your laptop without using a phone. Of course the computer must have a microphone and speakers. You can also do video conferencing with Hangouts the same way you can with Skype but there is no charge for using phone numbers with Hangouts. I have not compared the video quality of Hangouts and Skype but know you must have a high speed internet connection for good quality with the video. As I have a self installed burglar alarm, I also need a landline to call my cell phone or a neighbor. You can check on line about Google Voice requirements: https://support.google.com/voice/answer/115061?hl=en&ref_topic=1707989&vid=1-635800913954237257-39980339660Views0likes0CommentsRe: NOMOROBO blocks Robocalls - Why is it NOT supported for COX Customers?
My Cox caller Id and voice mail feature are part of my price tier. It may vary some by location. I did not get the upgrade for "free" long distance. Instead, my cordless bluetooth phones call out via my cellphone's unlimited calling. I assume the missed call feature on my Panasonic phones would not work without caller ID. In addition, it would be less convenient to have to manually enter the phone numbers prior to selecting call blocking. I'm not even sure if the phone allows for that as I never had to do that.0Views0likes0CommentsRe: NOMOROBO blocks Robocalls - Why is it NOT supported for COX Customers?
To Socal Transplant and Kudos My Panasonic phone is dong a great job at blocking telemarketers. You don't need a call log. I have close to thirty blocked and have a total of 250 to save in the phone's memory. It is amazing how many telemarketing calls are repetitious from the same phone number. Of course you must have caller id for the feature to work. You simply save your missed calls that are displayed on the phone as a blocked call. Don't answer any unknown calls and if no message is left or they leave a marketing message, block the number using the missed cal feature on the phone! I have my setup to never let a blocked call ring. You will still see the blocked calls along with your legit calls in the missed call list. I haven't had any of the robo callers leave a message but I suppose that will change as the political season gains steam. In short, it works well once you have the routine down and there is no extra charge for any new Cox services. Nomorobo would be more convenient but if simultaneous ringing would cost more, I will stick with my Panasonic phone features for the time being. So far, so good. P.S. Why not use Cox Voice Mail instead of your phones answering system.0Views0likes0CommentsRe: NOMOROBO blocks Robocalls - Why is it NOT supported for COX Customers?
To Marrazo: The newer DECT 6.0 Plus Panasonic phones have bluetooth and caller ID blocking. They will block caller ID without numbers and also specific phone numbers and ranges. This will not eliminate the phone from ringing on a number you have not yet blocked. That is a disadvantage but my experience so far is that my telemarketing calls have dropped significantly. I have only been using the new phones for a little over tree weeks but already notice a difference. The other disadvantage is that you must manually block the calls. Since I never answer an unknown caller or am not at home when they call, I must manually go though my missed calls and block the ones that I do not know and have not received a message from. Of course blocking a call on one phone blocks the ringing on all phones using the same line and base station.0Views0likes0CommentsRe: NOMOROBO blocks Robocalls - Why is it NOT supported for COX Customers?
I have made a few earlier comments about the lack of simultaneous calling and Nomorobo. After purchasing a bluetooth Panasonic cordless phone (brand unimportant) which can block up to 250 robo calls and links to my cell phone for free long distance calls as well, I can say that it works well for blocking repeat robo calls. You do not even hear a ring but it will list the blocked calls as a missed "blocked call". I assume a telemarketer could also leave a message. I have my phone set to ring four times. If I don't know the caller and they don't leave a message I have to manually list them as blocked. After a few weeks my phone is now mostly free of annoying rings from telemarketers. Viewing the blocked calls has taught me that many numbers call back more than once, some even multiple times per day for as long as two weeks. Who knows how long some may persist. This repetition was something I didn't pay attention to before actually seeing a record of the calls. My phone is much quieter now and feel much better about thing as the election season is rapidly approaching. The three phones I purchased on line were $90 and eliminate the need for additional monthly charges from Cox for Long Distance or additional phone features other than caller ID and call waiting. I would like to emphasize that I was not aware how many annoying calls were repeat calls until I started using these phones. I guess others might have different experiences with this option but it has been a great improvement for my life.0Views0likes0CommentsRe: NOMOROBO blocks Robocalls - Why is it NOT supported for COX Customers?
I just received my new cordless phones a couple of days ago. They block up to 250 calls in the form of caller ID such as "Out of Area", "Private Caller", etc. My cell phone also has a blocking feature. The phones can also block name and phone numbers or a range of numbers as well as Caller ID's without a number. I do not block numbers with "1-800 Service" headings since it is sometimes used for legitimate call back numbers or reminders for appointments. Sadly, that prefix or ID is one of "Rachel's" favorite credit card caller ID's as well so the entire number would need to be stored as. We all know that number will not remain the same. If I use the phones for 3 years it would probably be the same cost as Cox's inferior blocking service. The phones also work via bluetooth with my cell phone as an added bonus. It does take a few button strokes to key in the number you want to block. You can pick up the numbers you want to block from the phone log of incoming calls. If there is a marketing message or no message and is not in your phonebook you can block it at your convenience as long as you don't erase the log before you block the call. I assume Cox would have a difficult time adding the simultaneous ringing service. As for "Gigablast" service enabling simultaneous ringing, the cost would outweigh the benefits for me. It would be useful for a business with a large network but I find many internet sites do not upload at a fast enough speed to justify speeds much higher than 50 megabits for a single user.0Views0likes0CommentsRe: NOMOROBO blocks Robocalls - Why is it NOT supported for COX Customers?
I got the same reply as from "Brenda" when I directly emailed Cox using their support email. I didn't expect much of a different reply and was not surprised with the following as what else can a person in support say. No one who could explain the omission is going to be bothered with customer complaints of this nature: "Thank you for your recent e-mail to Cox regarding Technical Support for Telephone. I understand you are not happy with the phone features you are receiving. I apologize for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, currently the simultaneous ring feature is not supported for residential customers. In this regards you can sign up to Do not Call Registry on this link: www.donotcall.gov. Additionally, Cox offers the following Selective Call Features, Please see this link: http://www.cox.com/residential/support/phone/article.cox?articleId=e7731350-641a-11df-ccef-000000000000"0Views0likes0Comments